The Money Mustache Community
Learning, Sharing, and Teaching => Ask a Mustachian => Topic started by: dungoofed on December 21, 2014, 11:41:44 PM
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I've never met anyone who has negative feelings towards a crock pot they bought/received. I think it could be a contender for the consumer good that spawns the most satisfaction in the world.
I'm happy to hear more stories of Crock Pot Love but this time I'm particularly interested in hearing from people who regret or are lukewarm towards their purchase.
Vote away!
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My girlfriend bought me one a few years ago and I was pretty ambivalent at first. I gradually started using it and then totally fell in love withit. Nothing like coming home to some nice, warm chili, soup, etc after a long day at work!
I use mine probably 2 or 3 times a week and most of my recipes provide a ton of leftovers.
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DH finally told me that he hates crock pot meals. He does not like "wet" or steamed types of foods. Items like chili, lentils, meatballs in sauce, some stews that are supposed to be wet are OK, but not to be joyful over.... Braising meat before the pot roast is started helps, but is more time consuming and not enough for him. I don't find a point in using the crock pot for non-main course dishes (other than slow baked beans).
Stewed Chicken, Pork & Chops, and especially beef pot roast are on his list of "Be polite and eat it" meals. He is not a fan of pulled pork, for example... (This is regardless of seasonings / flavor -- he much prefers grilled or roasted or stir fry, or well, almost anything, to the crock pot.).
To each their own, but if you like seared meats / drier foods, Crock pot is not a great choice.
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DH finally told me that he hates crock pot meals. He does not like "wet" or steamed types of foods. Items like chili, lentils, meatballs in sauce, some stews that are supposed to be wet are OK, but not to be joyful over.... Braising meat before the pot roast is started helps, but is more time consuming and not enough for him. I don't find a point in using the crock pot for non-main course dishes (other than slow baked beans).
Stewed Chicken, Pork & Chops, and especially beef pot roast are on his list of "Be polite and eat it" meals. He is not a fan of pulled pork, for example... (This is regardless of seasonings / flavor -- he much prefers grilled or roasted or stir fry, or well, almost anything, to the crock pot.).
To each their own, but if you like seared meats / drier foods, Crock pot is not a great choice.
I'm in shock.
Just kidding. But you raise an interesting point - I was well aware that there are some dishes where the crock pot will always run a distant second place to the original oven/frypan versions, but I had never considered that there are people for whom the entire "slow cooked meal" doesn't agree with their palate.
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DH finally told me that he hates crock pot meals. He does not like "wet" or steamed types of foods. Items like chili, lentils, meatballs in sauce, some stews that are supposed to be wet are OK, but not to be joyful over.... Braising meat before the pot roast is started helps, but is more time consuming and not enough for him. I don't find a point in using the crock pot for non-main course dishes (other than slow baked beans).
Stewed Chicken, Pork & Chops, and especially beef pot roast are on his list of "Be polite and eat it" meals. He is not a fan of pulled pork, for example... (This is regardless of seasonings / flavor -- he much prefers grilled or roasted or stir fry, or well, almost anything, to the crock pot.).
To each their own, but if you like seared meats / drier foods, Crock pot is not a great choice.
I'm in shock.
Just kidding. But you raise an interesting point - I was well aware that there are some dishes where the crock pot will always run a distant second place to the original oven/frypan versions, but I had never considered that there are people for whom the entire "slow cooked meal" doesn't agree with their palate.
Yep! And here I bought a crock pot 10 years ago, and voted it an "essential" (for me) that even comes with us on vacation. We finally discussed why he would not eat the leftovers when I travel (but buys expensive deli or takeout instead) AHA! Three days of pulled pork or pot roast is his idea of purgatory (to be polite)!
Truly, even I agree that "Stewed" roast chicken is not the best presentation / use of chicken, even if it was the easiest dinner imaginable, and I only made a few of those before I stopped.
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goldielock's husband aside, most of the people I know who don't like/use their crockpots just don't know how to utilize them. I may or may not admit to having three of them (all given to me by said folks who don't like/know how to use them) and there are times when I will have them all going at once.
I do a lot of "from scratch" cooking and the crock pot makes it 100 times easier. I'm very lucky my hubby likes soups and stews, but most of the time we aren't making main courses in them. I dont think I have ever made a pot roast.
A few things I do:
- make bone broths
- cook dry beans
- make chai tea concentrate
- cook a brined whole chicken, shred it to use for meal for the upcoming week
- make a mean batch of mexican pinto beans
- make tajines
- make soap
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I too prefer other cooking methods. I find that a crockpot often cooks past the point I enjoy. Flavours get too melded and aren't as bright and interesting. It is very convenient though.
Things I've liked done in the crockpot are pulled pork, tongue, pea soup and beans. I prefer to cook chili, stew and other soup in a pot as I like to fry some of the ingredients and control how cooked the vegetables end up. I like the taste of grilled, bbq'd or roasted meat and vegetables much better in general.
What I do love is a good rice cooker.
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I still get excited about every batch of bone broth - I've got one going right now! From something I would have thrown away (chicken carcass) I get an amazing, tasty, nutritional broth that enhances all my recipes and will get my dog to eat anything. The crockpot makes it so easy. And speaking of chicken, it may not make the best looking roast chicken, but it comes out so juicy and tasty (just put a whole bulb of garlic, cut up, under the skin, put chicken on foil balls to keep out of juice so it's not so soggy). Spicy pop pulled pork (pork roast, half a Dr. Pepper, a couple of chipotle peppers in adobe sauce, brown sugar, salt) is heaven on buttered, broiled ciabatta rolls. My mom makes a plum sauce that involves pitting plums, putting them in the crockpot and letting them go until they're mush and putting them through a food mill. It's so good, makes everything delicious. Also excellent for apple sauce. It's the first cooking appliance I recommend to new cooks, because you can cook many delicious meals with very little skill. Second appliance would probably be an immersion blender.
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I don't regret my slowcooker, not one bit, but I find the sort of recipes people typically make frequently bland (same as with say, a Vita-mix-- makes things decently, but often not superbly). I limit my slow cooker to:
- Making a very big batch of jam, incl. chilli jam
- Thermos for making yoghurt
- Making large amounts of sugo
- Soups with specific stock bases, e.g. pho (makes amazing pho soup base!)
- Meat stews where meat is thoroughly browned first to seal in flavour
- Bone broth (what my mum always called '24h stock')
- Small steamed puddings in basins
The fact that it can do all these things easily is reason enough for me to have one. But in general my every day cooking tends to be more stir-fry and salad based than anything.
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I like them, but the newer models seem like low boil and high boil machines... Older models seemed to slow cook at sub boiling temps with better results, and I'd guess some sort of regulation has made slow cooker temps much higher than previous models.
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Lately I've noticed a trend that could lead to crockpot regret - the interwebs/facebook is full of little articles entitled "3 ingredient crock-pot meals" and the like. These recipes all sound fantastic, theoretically, but when you think about what's in them, there is no way they could actually taste good. Sometimes food does actually have to be seasoned.
So used correctly, you aren't going to see much regret. Used by someone who doesn't really know how to cook and sees these recipes as an easy way to learn? I think you are going to end up with someone who thinks a crockpot just produces a bunch of bland, crappy meals.
I don't use mine that often, partly because I LOVE to cook and slaving over a stove actually relaxes me after a day at work. Mine was a gift from my mother-in-law after she replaced it with a new one. Pretty sure, based on the color/age, that it was made in the late 1970's. Still works like a charm!
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I like my crockpot, but I honestly use it less that I imagined I would. I actually like hands on cooking. I also don't really follow recipes when I cook so tasting along the way is important to getting the final flavor profile I'm looking for.
That being said, there is a class of stuff that I always crockpot. Later this week I'll do a shredded chicken recipe that will keep us in tacos for days! Yum.
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I am a terrible cook. I have made some truly revolting meals out of the "Fix It and Forget It" cookbooks. BUT! I have also found some sure-fire, work-every-time crock-pot recipes.
I have two slow cookers - a 4 qt and an 8 qt. I use the 8 qt to make a chili recipe that turns out perfect every single time, and a double recipe can either 1) feed an army; or 2) feed my family from the freezer for six meals.
My favorite thing to make in the 4 qt one is steel-cut oatmeal, which is one of those "works every single time" recipes. I get 10 servings for $.08 each and it's super easy. The longest part is parceling out the batch in half-cup portions into baggies to put in the freezer.
I've learned never to include pasta or rice in a slow-cooker recipe. Or stuffing. Or Lipton Onion Soup Mix. Don't ask: I'm still getting over the trauma.
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I like them, but the newer models seem like low boil and high boil machines... Older models seemed to slow cook at sub boiling temps with better results, and I'd guess some sort of regulation has made slow cooker temps much higher than previous models.
+1
I have an older one, because I specifically wanted a crockpot to replace what my mother's slow-combustion stove would do with a decent cast-iron pot with a firm lid. Gas cooking is great for stir-frys, but I don't feel like I can leave it on low for hours on end...
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+1 on steel cut oatmeal. Waking up to a hot delicious bowl of pupmkin spice, apple cinnamon, or mixed berry oatmeal in the morning is awesome. I have found the key to using the crockpot well is searing the meat before and topping with fresh ingredients after.
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I'm not a fan. I just prefer to make crockpot type meals on the stove top.
I still use it to make vegetable stock.
If I still ate meat, I would probably still use it for pulled pork and ham.
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I like them, but the newer models seem like low boil and high boil machines... Older models seemed to slow cook at sub boiling temps with better results, and I'd guess some sort of regulation has made slow cooker temps much higher than previous models.
Amen. I make chicken stock on low overnight and in the morning all the onion scraps/etc that float have burned. How in the heck?
I voted "Meh." We use it about once/month to (over) cook a chicken, and every few months to make stock. That was in the 7 quart with only a manual control knob. I just bought myself a Crock Pot 4 quart "programmable" that will switch to warm after 4 or 6 hours on High, or 8 or 10 hours on Low. 3 chicken thighs, resting on a bed of potatoes, started on low at 7:30 am today for 8 hours on low - we'll see how they are at 5:30 tonight. [Edit: Yay! Falling off the bone tender but NOT dried out like with the old pot. A win!]
I also had a "little Dipper" style 1 quart pot and tried to make overnight oatmeal. Also a burned mess, the only setting is "plugged in" which apparently maps to "High". However, it's great for fondue or keeping dips warm at parties.
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My husband is another who is not a fan. He's not big into soups or stews...which just makes me sad.
Where the crock pots come in handy for me is on holidays. I do our dressing and mashed potatoes ahead and then heat them the morning of in the crock pots. Saves time and space Thanksgiving morning, especially.
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We love to cook, but during the week a crock pot might be useful (don't own one).
Two questions: 1) what is the longest that you would be comfortable setting the "cook time" for? Is a 9-5, or 7-5 type job a necessity? 2) related, what happens if you unexpectedly get delayed at work for 2 or 3 hours, so that dinner is at 9 or later, rather than the planned 7?
(These questions are a large reason why we don't have a crock pot--maybe we made wrong assumptions about the answers.)
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DH finally told me that he hates crock pot meals.
Mine is not such a fan either, but I see this as a plus. Cook crock pot meals, store in freezer as needed. Thaw/warm/supplement-as-needed/serve on those days that DH looks like a deer in the headlights when I say, "What's for supper?" and remind him that he always has the option of doing more cooking.
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Crock pot recipes can be okay. I say this as a guy who can cook pretty well, but the truth is that a single guy like me with hobbies and an interest in my job doesn't need to spend much time cooking. Essentially, my skills are wasted on myself.
I cook lunch and dinner about once a week, all at one go. It takes me about a half hour of prep to dump carbs, meat, and vegetables into a crock pot, and that's food for the next week. It usually comes out okay. Not the best thing you'll ever eat, but I keep it healthy and nutritious, and if your view of food is that it's fuel first and entertainment second, it works out just fine.
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For cooking beans it's brilliant.
For everything else, it's shiite.
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I gave mine away and regret it. But I have a sous-vide now which can do slow cooking, though it's not the same.
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I'm still getting into the world of crockpot cooking, and so far I'm really enjoying it. I love my slowcooker. http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B005LLUXNM/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o03_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 It has three different settings; program the time, manual, or temperature probe. It also has a lid that I can latch down if I'm taking it over to a friend's for a potluck. It's extremely fancypants, but it's totally awesome and feeds my nerdiness. I'm still wanting to try out different recipes like chili, gumbo, and a few others, but some of my favorites so far are the pulled pork and mulled wine.
Yes...totally make mulled wine in that sucker. Since I have a temp probe, I can set the temperature I want, and once it hits that temperature, it switches over to warm. Perfect for heating up some mulled wine while not letting it get too hot and burning off all the alcohol.
I like to whip up a crockpot dish on the weekend, and it'll often last me the rest of the week. Simple, and allows me to free up time instead of having to do so many dishes.
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We love to cook, but during the week a crock pot might be useful (don't own one).
Two questions: 1) what is the longest that you would be comfortable setting the "cook time" for? Is a 9-5, or 7-5 type job a necessity? 2) related, what happens if you unexpectedly get delayed at work for 2 or 3 hours, so that dinner is at 9 or later, rather than the planned 7?
(These questions are a large reason why we don't have a crock pot--maybe we made wrong assumptions about the answers.)
I'm out of the house for about 12 hours most workdays and use the crockpot for soup/stew/chili type meals. These types of meals seem to work out ok even if they were cooked for 12 hours, but we went for a crockpot that has a timer feature. I set the time and heat in the morning (most recipes I make call for 8 hours of cooking on low) and then it switches to a "warm" setting until I get home and turn it off, which I think might answer both your questions.
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I'm out of the house for about 12 hours most workdays and use the crockpot for soup/stew/chili type meals. These types of meals seem to work out ok even if they were cooked for 12 hours, but we went for a crockpot that has a timer feature. I set the time and heat in the morning (most recipes I make call for 8 hours of cooking on low) and then it switches to a "warm" setting until I get home and turn it off, which I think might answer both your questions.
Thanks! Have to reconsider in light of that.
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The only thing I don't like about my crock pot is that it only holds 6 quarts of food, which just is not enough. I guess I could get a second one. It's also slightly annoying that you can't cook things from frozen, I suppose.
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I use mine for all the stuff that used to simmer on the wood stove when I was growing up. Beans, bones, soup, stew, etc. Having been brought up cooking like that I learned that the big trick for that kind of food is knowing what to add at the very end to brighten the flavor. A chopped fresh tomato added to beef stew and just returned to a boil before serving does amazing things for the flavor.
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It was an absolute essential in the 70s when I was feeding 3+ people from our homestead production (the plus was my husband who worked outdoors in Michigan weather and ate like 3 men). Our only sources of animal protein were venison, squirrel, and old chickens. I hate the gamey taste of venison, and older free range chicken is the worst kind of tough. The crockpot (and the pressure cooker) made any meat tender and could cut the gamey taste if the right seasonings were used. I also used it for reducing applesauce to apple butter and, of course, cooking beans low and slow. So in those days, those were my 2 most essential kitchen gadgets.
When I worked, our lab had a weekly crockpot lunch. Every Wednesday whoever was signed up brought a meal prepared in the company crockpot. It was very popular and pulled people into the break room for conversation. My favorite was Indonesian curry chicken.
Today when I cook for one, I use the slow cooker less than once a month and I tend to prefer to make soup on the stovetop. I still have a 1.5 qt model for occasion fix it and go stews. So now, my most essential appliances would be 1)Magic Bullet blender 2) microwave 3)immersion blender. Add those to a working stove (and indoor running water) and I am very happy!
I never could understand the rice cooker concept. It is so easy to get fluffy rice on the stovetop, why waste valuable counter/cabinet real estate on another gadget?
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I use it for a few things and it's convenient, but there are many things that would be good cooked in the crock pot for 4-6 hours, so they're overcooked if left on all day while at work. If I'm going to be home anyway, I'd rather do some other form of cooking. I find it best for doing chile verde, pork shoulder, chuck roast or chili when we have a busy week and I know there won't be time to cook.
Right now my big regret is that I'd like to have an Instant Pot to replace my slow cooker, rice cooker and pressure cooker.
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I use it to cook dried chickpeas while I'm at work. Then I make them into something when I get home. It's extremely useful for that, since it lets me buy dried rather than canned chickpeas.
I make apple butter as well sometimes.
Otherwise, I just haven't had much luck with it. I don't eat meat, so roasts or chickens are out. I much prefer stovetop chili and soup. I do have a few slow cooker cookbooks. Maybe I need to try out some more recipes.
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Right now my big regret is that I'd like to have an Instant Pot to replace my slow cooker, rice cooker and pressure cooker.
I'm getting one for Christmas and I can't wait to open the box!
I have a regular slow cooker right now which I only use once in awhile, on the days that I'm home. It doesn't have a timer feature and the days I work, I'm out of the house for about 12 hours or more, so that really wouldn't work out well. I'm super excited for the Instant Pot because I can slow cook with the timer and braise in the same pot (fewer dirty dishes!). I don't use my current slow cooker much on my days off, mostly because I forget to start the meal early enough, but now if that happens, I can just speed cook with the pressure cooker option.
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We use ours every week.
Beans, chili, roasts, pulled pork, soups, curry, stews . . . so fricking awesome. Plus you can usually use the cheaper cuts of meat because they come out so tender and yummy.
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I enjoy mine, but I'm considering replacing it with an electric multi cooker. (Pressure cooker, crock pot, steamer, rice cooker, all in one.) I usually use crock pot for chills, stocks, and my favorite dish corned beef and cabbage. It's super easy, but a pressure cooker, I think, would be more versatile.
Funny story: One time I made chili without browning the meat first. It turned into what I can only describe as "meat oatmeal". Super gross. My boyfriend still ate it. He'll eat anything. Well, anything except potato salad.
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I brought two @ $7 each at a thrifty shop several years ago when I was serving tamales at a party and that was a good way to keep them warm. Re-donated one right away. Still have the other and occasionally use when canning (crockpot blueberry butter, etc.).
I've never used for cooking meals. In part it's because I'm retired and when something needs long cooking I pick a day when I'm home. When I worked it wasn't worth the planning of when to assemble and any pre-step required. I think there is also a learning curve what meals work for you and what you need to brown ahead of time so it tastes "right".
Not worth it to me. Well as a $7 tamales warmer it worked great.
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Crockpots are great! We have three different sizes (we bought the largest one, and the two others were gifts), and we use them all, depending on the quantity of food needed. Potlucks, casual dinner sides, appetizers, cheese for nachos on game days, homemade chili/soups/stews in the winter...I just got hungry again.
Now a microwave oven? Don't have one, don't need one, don't want one. THAT leads to interesting conversations the first time we have new guests over on the weekend. You'd think we were cooking over a campfire by the comments we get.
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I am a fan of my crock pot, but it will always come in second to my pressure cooker, which I love. One trick that has helped me with the crock pot is to assemble the meal in the evening, slap it in the fridge and pull it out to start cooking before I leave for work.
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When I got a pressure cooker the crock pot was retired. My experience is that the crock pot cost more energy to run and tended to produce "muddy" food. The pressure cooker can do anything the crock pot did and more.
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When I got a pressure cooker the crock pot was retired. My experience is that the crock pot cost more energy to run and tended to produce "muddy" food. The pressure cooker can do anything the crock pot did and more.
I too have "graduated" from crockpot to pressure cooker for the most part. I do still use my crockpot for larger meals though because it's a 6 quart vs my 4 quart pressure cooker.
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Two questions: 1) what is the longest that you would be comfortable setting the "cook time" for? Is a 9-5, or 7-5 type job a necessity? 2) related, what happens if you unexpectedly get delayed at work for 2 or 3 hours, so that dinner is at 9 or later, rather than the planned 7?
As long as the crock pot can get the internal temperature of the food to 165ºF or higher and then maintain it at 135ºF or higher, the food will still be safe to eat even if held for quite a while beyond the 8-hour cooking time.
Regarding quality / taste, IMO most "good" slow cooker recipes will be designed such that they're impossible to overcook. Braised meats, for example, tend to just keep getting better the longer you cook them (within reason).
I never could understand the rice cooker concept. It is so easy to get fluffy rice on the stovetop, why waste valuable counter/cabinet real estate on another gadget?
Imagine you're Asian and eat rice with every meal. If you're using it that much, it becomes worth optimizing (particularly since it allows you to walk away from the stove without worrying about it overcooking).
Plus you can usually use the cheaper cuts of meat because they come out so tender and yummy.
This is the key. Between my crock pot and my offset smoker, I'd rather have $4/lb beef brisket than $10/lb steak.
That said, one of these days I'm going to get a pressure cooker / pressure canner...
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I'm a big of soups and stews, therefore the crock pot is a favorite. I'd love tons of kitchen gadgets but I have a tiny kitchen so I limit it to essential items. That really helps the bank account too. For me, my favorite gadgets are the hand blender, food processor and crock pot.
My crock pot is really solid and I use the pot/lid for regular and oven cooking as well. So yes, it's used all the time. Totally worth the $15 I spent buying it new off Craigslist. It doesn't have an internal timer so I do not want to overcook something, I just plug it into an external timer.
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Mine is a stupid piece of garbage. It only has two settings: too high and too low. Too low is a lot like off, whereas too high burns everything on the bottom solid black and causes it too boil over, thereby running over the uninsulated sides evaporating and eventually burning on the way down, and leaving a large puddle of crap on the counter. It is also way too small. I figured at that point I should just use my electric stove, because I can control the temperature and choose the appropriate pot size. I now have one less pointless electronic device laying around.
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I voted for "never use it/waste of money", but it wasn't actually a waste of *our* money. Wedding gift. Never used. We also have a wedding gift toaster that we've never used. OTOH, we have a nice little counter top convection oven that we use a TON instead of the main oven (uses about half the power for the smaller meals that a family of 2 eats). :-)
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Love ours...Make a lot of meals set in the morning ready when we get home. Big family with a busy lifestyle so couldn't really do without it and can still cook healthy.
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My first crock pot was a 70s hand-me-down from my parents. I loved it, but eventually I upgraded to a better model with a removeable insert (easier to wash). Now I have three crock pots in varying sizes, and I probably use them twice a week.
If you're looking for good instuction on using the crock pot, look at http://www.365daysofcrockpot.com/ .
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I can't recall if we bought one for like $10-20 at Walmart or if someone gave us ours. We don't use it very much. Maybe a few times per year, mostly to cook dry beans. Occasionally for making shredded chicken or pork for taco filling. We have enough kitchen cabinets to store it, otherwise it would be out the door (right after our bread maker that we received for free that never gets used).
Rice cooker, on the other hand, gets used at least weekly, and sometimes more often. We even took it with us on what was supposed to be a month long road trip up the east coast and into Canada. And used it multiple times on that trip.
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We have an electric mutli-cooker (InstantPot). We use it almost daily. You can saute/sear in it directly before slow-cooking. It is thermostatically controlled and heats fast - this can eliminate a lot of the mushiness problems of old-style crock pots. And with the pressure cooker function, a frozen roast is tender (and cooked) throughout in under and hour.
I put ours on the Kill-A-Watt meter, and it costs us about $0.04 for the first half-hour and $0.01 for each hour to run thereafter to slow-cook with a full load. This is at $0.16/kWh. This is much more economical to run than the stove top or *gasp* the oven.
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My husband abhors the crockpot, claiming anything I make in it tastes slimy. He also doesn't like soups or stews so that cuts out a lot of potential crockpot meals. So, I've decided not to press the issue and I only use the crockpot to make applesauce, red sauce, large batches of chicken and broth. It was a wedding gift and if it stops working I doubt I'll replace it.
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I use mine for making yogurt (very cheap,) chili, soup, lasagne, pulled pork, bread pudding.
Took 2 on a family vacation. Cooking for 15. Worth it's weight in gold. I was responsible for making dinner one night. Veg soup in one and pasta sauce in other. Everything was cooked and basically just had to heat.
Here's the best part. After cleaning kitchen from dinner, set up crockpot for breakfast. Made a rice porridge for breakfast. Put in ham hock, rice, and water, turned it on and went to bed for the night. In the morning, breakfast is served self service style. Just fill bowls with hot steaming porridge, and no one had to get up early to make breakfast. Also used it to heat up tamales for lunch. After breakfast, loaded up the crockpot with already made tamales and let it heat up lunch while we went out and toured around the area.
I had planned the veg soup and spaghetti for my "cooking dinner" night. However someone else made enough food to last for 3 dinners, so I was spared. Everything was cooked and basically just had to heated. So I had planned on pouring in soup ingredients into 1 crock pot and pasta sauce in other pot. Then all I had to do was cook the pasta. I figured worst case scenario (you know the kind with hungry savages) I would keep them busy drinking their soup while I cooked the spaghetti.
Don't think we'll do a repeat of the same 15 people family vacation, but if we did I wouldn't hesitate to pack my 2 crock pots. They proved to be incredibly useful and actually used several times a day. Last time I had to pre pack them, so I didn't have access for several weeks. I did have separation anxiety. A good friend offered me hers in case of emergency. Note: 1 crockpot is 6 qts and the other is 6 1/2 quarts.
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For cooking beans it's brilliant.
For everything else, it's shiite.
+1
Also, stinks up the whole house.
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I love my slow cooker, but I don't buy crock pot brand because their glaze contains led that leaches into food. They argue that it is below safety standards, but I'm not going to cook food for hours and hours in a leaching pot. Hamilton Beach's glaze does not contain lead.
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I love my slow cooker, but I don't buy crock pot brand because their glaze contains led that leaches into food. They argue that it is below safety standards, but I'm not going to cook food for hours and hours in a leaching pot. Hamilton Beach's glaze does not contain lead.
Is this an issue with new Crock Pots, old ones, or both? I'm not a big fan of lead, but I've got a hand-me-down (at least 20 years old) Crock Pot that I'd like to keep using...
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I'm one of the 7 'regret' votes. My CostCo Aroma Rice Cooker ($40) does triple duty as a much better Crock-Pot / slow cooker, AND steamer, AND rice cooker. My crock pot slow cooker sadly sits in the most in-accessible cabinet (on purpose). I should really store it on CraigsList.
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I inherited my grandmother's crockpot from the '70s. It is burnt orange and smaller than I'd like, but it still works great.
I do find that most crockpot recipes, as written, are way too bland for my liking. I double or sometimes triple the amount of spices, herbs, chili paste, etc. that is called for... and I don't even like really spicy food.
I'm vegetarian so I can't speak to how it handles meat.
Really excited to be making mac 'n cheese from scratch in the crockpot on Xmas Eve. Mainly because Boyfriend has a tradition of eating Shells 'n Cheese Dinner for Xmas - but this year he'll be eating a real food version without neon cheese that's full of chemicals and god only knows what.
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I was a big fan of the crock pot back in my bachelor days. I'd prep everything the night before: a nice roast of venison, onions, peppers, carrots, new potatoes, seasoning, etc. Put it all in the ceramic pot then stick in the fridge. Then before work I'd set it onto the crock pot & let her rip all day. That night i'd come home to a delicious manly feast. Since marrying we don't use it so much... we've gotten on a kick once or twice, but it hasn't seen the light in quite some time. The crock pot is kind of like a waffle maker. Either you use it regularly or it'll sit on a back shelf in a lower cabinet for several years collecting dust.
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I use it but I'm kind of meh. The dishes that come out great require a lot of browning of ingredients. I don't want to have to clean up an extra pan and spend the time doing that. Plus, the newer crocks do cook hotter. For the crock to be useful, I need recipes that take a very long time to cook because I'm out of the house for at least 10 hours at a clip. Most things get overcooked.
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First, let me say I cannot believe there are people out there that don't like slow-cooked style meals. I would eat stews, braises, etc. everyday if I could (and often do!).
That said,
When I got a pressure cooker the crock pot was retired. My experience is that the crock pot cost more energy to run and tended to produce "muddy" food. The pressure cooker can do anything the crock pot did and more.
this thread confirms that I should not get a crock pot.
I love my pressure cooker, but the downside is it's not really hands off. I can reasonably balance the the pressure on the second (high pressure) bar, but I still can't walk away for more than a few minutes without risking coming back to an over- or under-pressure situation. So I basically have to stay within ear/eyeshot of the stove. Also, some braises still take 30-60 min, and it would be nice to have something ready right when I get home.
For those reasons, I was considering a crock pot. But I guess I'll just have to bite the bullet and get an instantpot sometime.
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OMG well talk about being brought back to reality. The "love-it"s still have it by a whisker but I can see that there actually are two sides to this story. Thanks everyone for the replies, I'll try and pick out a couple and reply to them.
I can't even remember how I got my first one. My mother used to make all sorts of things in it, in particular corned beef. I think I asked my mother for one for xmas or birthday when I was about 21 and of course she was all enthusiastic about that (lol@ mothers!) and the rest is history. First recipe I made was Irish Stew, followed by Apricot Chicken. When I moved to Japan it was one of the first things I sought out to buy (and trust me it wasn't easy back then).
Agree with everyone who said that it's handy as an extra portable/space-saving element in the kitchen when cooking up a massive meal. Particularly useful for those of us who don't have a massive industrial-size kitchen with 6-burner stovetop.
Good to see some very creative uses here (soap!) I've made a soup for ramen in it from pork neck, that's about as creative as I get
And I'm not the only person who makes curry in the crock pot! Yellow Thai curry is my go-to (I throw in about 2 pounds of bone-in ribs - yum), but I've done Indian curries and just added the spices or rue towards the end.
Tris Prior - I'm surprised that you find the recipes are bland as my experience has been the opposite. Cooking at low heat over a period I find you tend to lose a lot less flavour from the herbs/spices, and if I put the same amount as for the same meal in a pot on the stove then it'll be almost overpowering in flavour.
For cooking beans it's brilliant.
For everything else, it's shiite.
+1
Also, stinks up the whole house.
LOL each to their own I guess. When I was a bachelor this was one of the things that I loved about it, coming home after a hard day's work and being able to smell dinner from down the hallway.
We use ours every week.
Beans, chili, roasts, pulled pork, soups, curry, stews . . . so fricking awesome. Plus you can usually use the cheaper cuts of meat because they come out so tender and yummy.
Not just meat but vegetables that you discover at the back of the fridge too (YMMV). If I was making stock from Friday night's BBQ chicken carcass then the dried out carrot or half an onion from last week would also find their way into the mix, pending "smell test."
And sinewy cuts are made for the slow cooker, 'nuff said.
We have an electric mutli-cooker (InstantPot). We use it almost daily. You can saute/sear in it directly before slow-cooking. It is thermostatically controlled and heats fast - this can eliminate a lot of the mushiness problems of old-style crock pots. And with the pressure cooker function, a frozen roast is tender (and cooked) throughout in under and hour.
I put ours on the Kill-A-Watt meter, and it costs us about $0.04 for the first half-hour and $0.01 for each hour to run thereafter to slow-cook with a full load. This is at $0.16/kWh. This is much more economical to run than the stove top or *gasp* the oven.
I heard of these mythical appliances back before Web 2.0 but have never read a review - thanks for yours. My concern of course is that it doesn't do any one of the functions well but it sounds like that's not the case.
Regarding quality / taste, IMO most "good" slow cooker recipes will be designed such that they're impossible to overcook. Braised meats, for example, tend to just keep getting better the longer you cook them (within reason).
Agree!
As per a couple of the other commenters my current one has a timer that switches it to a "keep warm" setting once the preset cooking time elapses, but my old one didn't and I'd regularly leave it on "low" while I was out of the house for 12 hours at a time.
Mine is a stupid piece of garbage. It only has two settings: too high and too low. Too low is a lot like off, whereas too high burns everything on the bottom solid black and causes it too boil over, thereby running over the uninsulated sides evaporating and eventually burning on the way down, and leaving a large puddle of crap on the counter. It is also way too small. I figured at that point I should just use my electric stove, because I can control the temperature and choose the appropriate pot size. I now have one less pointless electronic device laying around.
LOL for what it's worth it sounds to me like it could have been a problem with the actual crock pot. I've had the "overflow" problem before but that has always been my own fault. The only thing I have burnt in the slow cooker is lasagne and something else that had a low amount of liquid, can't remember what exactly. Anyway, congratulations on clearing the clutter, it's a constant battle.
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I like mine a lot, but I am one who likes stews and curries, etc. I hate making veggie side dishes...would much rather throw the veggies in one pot. My most successful recipes have been the 4-6 hour ones that I make on weekend afternoons. Good all-day recipes are much harder to find.
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I went with "use it sometimes", because I can imagine life without it but that sucker is handy! I use mine for roasts, "pulled" meat, soups, and bone stock.
If you don't have enough meat or the protein is generally easy to dry out (i.e. chicken breasts) then it can overcook but I've only done that once where H and I were both caught up at work late and it was on for 14 hours. After that we switched to one that automatically goes to warm after a set amount of time like a PP.
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(http://i.imgur.com/I8TDLRq.jpg?fb)
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I had one for a while but just didn't really like the way it cooked the food. Lots of people love them and I tried it quite a few times but I just preferred to do my casseroles in the oven (still one pot) and preferred my roasts in the oven also rather than kind of soggy like they were when they came out of the slow cooker. Maybe I was using it wrong. I ended up selling it.
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For cooking beans it's brilliant.
For everything else, it's shiite.
+1
Also, stinks up the whole house.
Nothing worse than a house that smells like delicious food . . .
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For cooking beans it's brilliant.
For everything else, it's shiite.
+1
Also, stinks up the whole house.
Nothing worse than a house that smells like delicious food . . .
Ewww, food? That's what poop's made of!
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I use my crock pot for set it and forget it stew/soup.
I have a perfect lentil/liquid ratio recipe for which I only change the vegetable and or spice mix. It's a daily task to put it on before bed, and pack it up at breakfast for a work lunch. And this particular slow cooker has no setting other than "on" for the purchase price of $10. I am not saying it is that the creators of the machine made a winner. But that I learned how to use it via trial and error.
For example, I prefer mushy soupy, my husband prefers firmer stew like. Depending on who is getting dibs, I adjust the amount of beans and/or what time I start it. Between 6-10 hours is the perfect window for eating. Longer and it starts sticking to the crock, less than and you get chewy beans.
I otherwise use it to prep dry beans to use for stove recipes, potatoes and cabbage in balsamic vinegar, and keeping soups warm for events. I have never tried nor have any desire to make some lasagna or casserole or some other weird "use the crock as an oven" thing. I have a rice cooker for rice and a grill pan for veggies. And the only time I've successfully made restaurant quality Indian bean masala was in a crock pot.
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USDA standards do not support cooking hunks of meat in crockpots or slow cookers, the temperature just isn't high enough to stave off bacterial growth.
While I don't worry too much about that, I just don't like "wet" meats. I will use the slow cooker for ribs, though, there is so little meat on them and it is easy to use. I don't purposely buy ribs, but they come with the packaged home raised meat we get from DH's family farm.
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USDA standards do not support cooking hunks of meat in crockpots or slow cookers, the temperature just isn't high enough to stave off bacterial growth.
While I don't worry too much about that, I just don't like "wet" meats. I will use the slow cooker for ribs, though, there is so little meat on them and it is easy to use. I don't purposely buy ribs, but they come with the packaged home raised meat we get from DH's family farm.
http://www.fsis.usda.gov/shared/PDF/Slow_Cookers_and_Food_Safety.pdf (http://www.fsis.usda.gov/shared/PDF/Slow_Cookers_and_Food_Safety.pdf)
That's funny. The USDA that produced that fact sheet says otherwise . . . and that slow cookers are perfectly safe, and are completely able to stave off bacterial growth. What USDA are you talking about?
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http://www.fsis.usda.gov/shared/PDF/Slow_Cookers_and_Food_Safety.pdf (http://www.fsis.usda.gov/shared/PDF/Slow_Cookers_and_Food_Safety.pdf)
That's funny. The USDA that produced that fact sheet says otherwise . . . and that slow cookers are perfectly safe, and are completely able to stave off bacterial growth. What USDA are you talking about?
Ok, you win. If that's their current position, that's their current position. But some years ago I read that it was not their position for large cuts of meat.
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I only use mine to make my delicious homemade spaghetti sauce. I cook it for about 20 hours on low once it is really hot. It always turns out perfect. I am not a big fan of stews,etc.
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My mom bought me one when I was in college; I never even used it, opting to leave it at my parents' house instead.
Why?
Well, I have a cast iron dutch oven. And an oven into which it can go. If I want to cook something for many hours - it goes into the dutch oven, and ends up being way better. "But you can't leave the oven on when you leave the house!" Says who? I wouldn't leave gas on, but electric, I have no problem whatsoever. The flavor from the dutch oven is better, and the method by which it cooks is better, and the construction is not just better but is reminiscent of comparing infinity to zero. It can be used for far more, and survives much higher heat - you can't take your crockpot and put it onto a bonfire, can you?
I also have cast iron pans, which can similarly go into any situation, any heat, for any length of time.
I don't particularly want or need hot food cooking all day waiting for me when I get home, either. It's really not that much work to make something.
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I love my crock pot! I use it several times a week in the fall/winter. It works for me because:
- DH and I like stews, chilis, lentils, etc. when it's chilly out.
- I don't always come home at the same time. If I come home late, I don't feel like cooking.
- It's easy to make large quantities of food, to make for lunch during the week.
- I can use smaller amounts of meat and still feel satisfied. (I'm a carnivore!)
I love it. I have a big one and a small one. The small one I use for sauces and taco meat (chicken + salsa on low for 8 hours).
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I'm a lazy cook. Super lazy. The crock pot is the perfect kitchen gadget for me. I'm cooking a huge batch of chicken taco bowl right now (double everything except the chicken http://www.budgetbytes.com/2011/07/taco-chicken-bowls/).
I understand there are methods of cooking that produce higher quality food. BUT all of the ways require more effort. 5 minutes tossing stuff in a pot and then leaving it until I eat? I'm sold.
I also love my rice cooker for the same reason. I frequently make vegetable and rice dishes in my rice cooker while my slow cooker is going.
Does anyone have a good chicken based soup recipe for the slow cooker?
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Does anyone have a good chicken based soup recipe for the slow cooker?
Somewhat related, throw your Christmas chicken/turkey carcass into the slow cooker with a chopped onion, carrot, celery, garlic, salt, a bay leaf and top it up with cold water. 8 hours later strain out the solids and you'll have a fantastic chicken stock that can be frozen.
PRO TIP: use an ice tray to create ~30ml portions, and then move them to a ziplock freezer back for more convenient portions.
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We have an induction stove and super-efficient oven (the highly insulated door hardly lets any heat escape). Also, at least one of us is home most of the time and electricity is cheaper overnight and on weekends. All this means that it's more efficient for us to use the stovetop (which is highly adjustable for things like rice, beans, or even melting chocolate) or the oven with a crock or Dutch oven inside (for soup stock, stews, etc.) than a Crock Pot would be. We also have very limited counter space, so I prefer to use the tools we already have.
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- Thermos for making yoghurt
Oh! Can you share this recipe?
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I too prefer other cooking methods. I find that a crockpot often cooks past the point I enjoy. Flavours get too melded and aren't as bright and interesting. It is very convenient though.
This is how I feel as well. I prefer my pressure cooker for soups or my dutch oven used in my oven. On the other hand, a crockpot is very useful to keep food warm at parties.
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I recommend using a meat thermometer to check the internal temp of the meat...should be 165 degrees.
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Mine was a wedding gift, so there's no purchase to regret.
I'm in the camp that HATES the texture of crock pot food. Mushy, chewy, stewed -- just gross all around. And then the recipes that have you sear something in a pan before putting them in the crock pot are just ridiculous. If I'm going to all that trouble I'll just cook the damn thing on the stove in the first place.
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I use mine for all kinds of things from Pulled Pork to Spaghetti Sauce.
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Mine was a wedding gift, so there's no purchase to regret.
I'm in the camp that HATES the texture of crock pot food. Mushy, chewy, stewed -- just gross all around. And then the recipes that have you sear something in a pan before putting them in the crock pot are just ridiculous. If I'm going to all that trouble I'll just cook the damn thing on the stove in the first place.
Mine was a Christmas present from an ex-boyfriend soon after we broke up. I stored it away and have never used it. I recently moved and looked at it again and thought to myself that I should really try it out some day, but still haven't. I guess I'm just not used to cooking with it.
I've seen some cooking shows that mention pre-searing meats and all and I agree that it sounds like too much work. If I am already dirtying a pan to cook something, why would I want to transfer it to another receptacle that also needs cleaning? I hate cleaning up.
I've slow cooked in the oven and on the stove top and continued to do other stuff around the house as it cooked, and haven't found the need for the crock pot yet. I'm more of a hands on cook that likes to taste stuff as it's cooking and adjust seasonings as necessary.
I'm also not a big fan of leaving something plugged in cooking while I am away from the house. Something can happen while I'm away (accident, traffic jam) that would delay my return and then I'd be all worried that the house was on fire when I returned. I'm a little paranoid that way.
Oh well, some day I will get around to using it.
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I recommend using a meat thermometer to check the internal temp of the meat...should be 165 degrees.
Note that some types of meat have had the temperature revised downward (but with a sitting time) recently: http://www.fda.gov/downloads/Food/ResourcesForYou/Consumers/UCM257049.pdf
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Does anyone have a good chicken based soup recipe for the slow cooker?
I have one for chicken tortilla soup with garbanzo beans. I can send it to you tomorrow if you like.
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I prefer and use my pressure cooker over my slow cooker probably 5 to 1.
No overdone or dry meat. No stinky smells. Complete meals in 45 minutes or less.
Easier than falling off a log.
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I love my Crockpot, it is probably the main form of cooking (as opposing microwaving stuff from Costco) that I do. That said my sister,and other friends who are gourmet OCD cooks don't. (My sister use to ground her own flour, to bake break with a mortar and pestle.) My sisters dislike is for the same reason others said food is generally over cooked.
For me it is partly the convenience but also the health. I'll make myself a green salad, but as far as cooking vegetables pretty much never happens outside of crockpot.
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Just made a pastry-less quiche in the thing last night.
1 sweet potato, grated
2 zucchini, grated
500g bacon, chopped (optionally fried in the pan, but not necessary)
1 onion, chopped
1 red bell pepper, chopped
a couple of mushrooms, chopped
a bit of basil
salt
Mix all these up in the crockpot, then pour a beaten mixture of the following over the top:
8 eggs
200ml heavy cream
Sprinkle a little grated cheese, salt and pepper on top, set to Low for 8 hours and go to bed.
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There's a lot of things that a crock pot is great for, and for that I think it's a great kitchen tool. I find that a lot of people try to oversimplify the recipes and that's where it fails.
I primarily use mine for roasts. Number one, I always brown the meat and vegetables in cast iron first. I only put in enough wine and or tomatoes to braise the meat, maybe an inch or two of liquid. I also keep it low, I think high dries out the food.
I might use mine once a month, but it's still worth it for days that I'm not in the house and can't spend 3 hours tending to corn beef or marinara. I don't think I'd ever use it for food that doesn't have a ton of connective tissue though, it just doesn't seem to be the right tool.
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I have one but have not used it enough. Honestly, I love the idea that the food is done by itself but everything involving vegetables seems overcooked. Is it just me?
I do looove to make my beans in it though!
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Just made beans in the crock pot yesterday. 1.5 lbs dry beans equals 12 0.5 cup portions frozen in silicone cupcake pans, plus enough to eat for dinner and a cup or two leftover for consumption over the next few days.
We were out of the house for a few hours yesterday, and I didn't hesitate to leave the crockpot running while we were out. Returned home to a big ole pot o beans. Mmm.
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We were never able to really get into crockpot meals, until we realized that we could use it to cook dry beans without soaking. Now, we use it about twice a week for beans and I can't imagine life without.
I imagine it's other good use would be for cheaper tougher cuts of meat, but being vegetarian, this isn't useful for us.
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After our Christmas turkey meal this year I cut off all the meat I could to save in the fridge. Then rather than toss the carcass out I tossed it in the crock pot. Added enough water to cover the bones, then set it on low and went to bed.
This made the most awesome tasting soup stock I have ever had which was ready the following morning. After a few minutes fishing out the bones and scraping off the soft meat, the amount of wasted turkey was drastically reduced from what we usually toss out. We've frozen half the stock and are making a kick-ass stew out of the other half.
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Hmm. I think the real value of the crockpot comes in when we're going to be gone all day and the choice is either put something in the crockpot before we leave or be forced to eat out. Aided by the fact that the crockpot itself was not very expensive and has lasted years.
That said, I mostly make chili or broccoli cheddar soup in mine. It makes decent shredded beef or pork if spiced well. It makes chicken taste like ass.
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Mine was a gift; I've regifted it years ago. I have a newer type pressure cooker for beans and dutch oven for stews/soups which can brown things before the liquid is added. I can also add ingredients later that don't benefit from those long cooking times.
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When I got a pressure cooker the crock pot was retired. My experience is that the crock pot cost more energy to run and tended to produce "muddy" food. The pressure cooker can do anything the crock pot did and more.
I too have "graduated" from crockpot to pressure cooker for the most part. I do still use my crockpot for larger meals though because it's a 6 quart vs my 4 quart pressure cooker.
Me too! I still have a crockpot and don't plan to get rid of it, but the pressure cooker is what I now feel I can't live without. Crockpots are so cheap (mine was anyway), there's no shame in having one even if it only gets occasional use.
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Very helpful thread! I've wondered whether I "should" get one, but the points here tell me no.
I work from home, I LOVE to cook stovetop (i.e., have a whole interaction with ingredients and process right before eating), I like to do different processes with different ingredients at different points, I'm loath to give up any of my minimal counterspace, and I'm not stellar with managing leftovers so I intentionally cook different amounts based on needs per dish.
I carry a giant stock pot with me on all my moves, and that does the trick: bone broths, rice, chickpeas, stews, curries, etc.
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Mine was a wedding gift, so there's no purchase to regret.
I'm in the camp that HATES the texture of crock pot food. Mushy, chewy, stewed -- just gross all around. And then the recipes that have you sear something in a pan before putting them in the crock pot are just ridiculous. If I'm going to all that trouble I'll just cook the damn thing on the stove in the first place.
Cooking a 4lb roast on the stove is not exactly a quick task. :P
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Aren't crock pots like $8 new?
I guess I have bigger financial mistakes to regret :-)
I do use our crock pot to make stew and chili. I cook and like to have a pot of stew simmering when the wife comes home from work. Her schedule can be hectic and yet it does not matter if the stew has been in the crock pot for 4 hours vs 6 hours. Actually the longer the better.
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I'm in the camp that HATES the texture of crock pot food. Mushy, chewy, stewed -- just gross all around. And then the recipes that have you sear something in a pan before putting them in the crock pot are just ridiculous. If I'm going to all that trouble I'll just cook the damn thing on the stove in the first place.
We never used to use it since I thought everything would be mushy and stewed until we realized we could make awesome shredded chicken or beef for tacos in it. But you have to brown the meat and just use a splash of liquid. On low I don't have to worry about anything burning which I would on the stove top and it comes out great in 5-6 hours. We also use it for making Asian type meals, cheap cut of meat, lots of spices and smaller amounts of liquid. I make the vegetable separate. Coconut green curry beef with extra siracha, yum.
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We use ours occasionally. Certainly could use it more. I've been eyeing one of those instantpots though. I really would like to make our own Yogurt, and none of our devices will maintain heat at such low temperatures. I'd also like to be able to do the pressure cooking stuff. My wife would kill me if I brought home another kitchen appliance though. I certainly would have to "replace" our current crock pot.
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I don't use my crockpot as much as I should. Yet I still want two more.... One small one for dips and the new larger casserole one to reheat my frozen casseroles that take forever to thaw.
Few things:
You don't need to drown things in liquid to cook in the crockpot...
Cooking a rotisserie chicken in the crockpot. Rub a full chicken with spices (I use blackened). Place on top of foil balls to allow the fat to drip down so the bottom isn't soggy. Cook on low. The skin doesn't get crispy but its great to come home to! I've done the same with chicken legs or breasts on top of the foil balls.
Also, wrap washed potatoes in foil. Place directly in the crockpot and cook for easy baked potatoes.
Homemade yogurt? Buy a heating pad. Heat the milk up to 160F on the stovetop. Cool to 100F then add your starter yogurt. Wrap the pan in a towel and place on the heating pad overnight. Perfect every time!
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It makes chicken taste like ass.
I find that specifically it doesn't do chicken breast well. A whole chicken or apricot chicken from drumsticks/fat-on thighs comes out fine.
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We use ours a lot for roasts, soups, pheasant, stews, etc. Really enjoy it, even if it isn't used for anything close to the majority of meals.
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An essential tool and method for cooking, particularly cost effectively.
Not THE essential tool.
But AN essential tool.
Pot roast. Boom.
Beef stew. Boom.
Chicken that falls off the bone. Boom.
Bone broths. Boom.
Pork shoulder bubbling in a BBQ sauce that melts in your mouth. Boom.
Several weeks ago I bought a "beef neck" from the very upscale and expensive San Francisco area butcher named Belcampo Meat Company. This particularl grassfed cut cost about $7/pound. I stuck that mother fucker in my slow cooker with chopped up mushrooms, onions, carrots, salt, pepper, garlic, and herbes de provence -- plus 18 ounces of very good red wine. I let it bubble for eight hours. It was mother fucking GOOD!! Oh, I almost forgot. Boom.
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To the OP, if you do decide to get one, because you are Australian I would strongly recommend one of the Women's Weekly Slow Cooker books. Someone from another forum kindly posted one to me as it was a double-up gift, and it came with good reviews from that forum. Can usually purchase that series from the newsagents I think. Recipes branch out a little more than the typical casserole or stew as mentioned here.
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I love mine and use it a couple times a week. I took over cooking about a decade ago when my wife was having several health issues so I need all the help I can working full-time.
I use allrecipes.com for most of my recipes and to make my grocery list each week I add the desired recipes to my shopping list and it adds all the ingredients. Print the list and voila! Made Slow Cooker Marmalade Curry Chicken last night that was delicious.
http://allrecipes.com/recipe/slow-cooker-marmalade-curry-chicken/detail.aspx
Another couple of my go to recipes:
http://allrecipes.com/recipe/slow-cooker-chicken-parisienne/detail.aspx
http://allrecipes.com/recipe/ericas-delicious-slow-cooker-beef-roast/detail.aspx
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Or Lipton Onion Soup Mix. Don't ask: I'm still getting over the trauma.
When I was growing up, I never knew a roasted braised meat that hadn't been cooked in a crockpot with onion soup mix. With Julia Child's help, I can now make boeuf bourguignon from scratch but sometimes I just need pork butt with onion soup mix. :-)
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To the OP, if you do decide to get one, because you are Australian I would strongly recommend one of the Women's Weekly Slow Cooker books. Someone from another forum kindly posted one to me as it was a double-up gift, and it came with good reviews from that forum. Can usually purchase that series from the newsagents I think. Recipes branch out a little more than the typical casserole or stew as mentioned here.
Thanks stripey I'll pick that up next time I'm in Australia (currently in Japan). Sorry if I wasn't clear but I am already a heavy crockpot user, but always looking for new recipes.
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I'm using mine a ton now since I've gotten a chicken recipe that the husband says he wants as often as possible... basic dry rubs for chicken. I've done jerk chicken, ginger lime curry chicken, and the one below and they're all winners.
Dry rub for chicken (drumsticks, thighs, breasts, whole chicken - whatever is on sale/clearance)
4 teaspoons salt
half teaspoon black pepper
2 teaspoons garlic powder
2 teaspoons onion powder
2 teaspoons thyme
2 teaspoons sage
2 teaspoons rosemary
Rub chicken all over generously with dry rub. Layer chicken pieces in crock, then add 1/4 cup of lemon juice and 1/4 cup of water. Cook on low 4 hours for fall-off-the-bone tender, flavorful chicken (we remove the skin, so it not crisping isn't an issue). BONUS: remove chicken from crock, add 2-4 cups of water and simmer for 1 hour, cool, and strain out the bits for an AMAZING chicken broth. Just used the broth to make egg drop soup and it was better than restaurant quality.
Just made a lovely chili in there too. Loved being able to throw the ingredients in and go do something else while it cooked.
I use my crockpot to make tender pork roast too. I NEVER braise it (we don't like the hard or crunchy outside on roasts). I just unwrap, plop in the pot, add some onion soup mix and fill with water to cover, then cook for about 8 hours on low. Add carrots and potatoes the last hour or so and eat with a bit of salt and pepper, then once we're tired of straight pork roast, shred it and add BBQ sauce and have pulled pork sandwiches for the rest of it.
I can't imagine not using it at least once a week really.
Oh, and I found a Chicken Tikka Masala that I'm going to try REALLY soon:
http://www.thekitchn.com/recipe-slow-cooker-chicken-tikka-masala-recipes-from-the-kitchn-211284
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Not a meat eater so I might be biased. I had one and gave it away. Now the household has one and I did use it to make apple butter. It was the best apple butter I've ever made, however that doesn't justify the crockpot love for me.
It seems as though a lot of recipes require pre-browning and other pan work, why not just make the whole thing on the stove?
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To the OP, if you do decide to get one, because you are Australian I would strongly recommend one of the Women's Weekly Slow Cooker books. Someone from another forum kindly posted one to me as it was a double-up gift, and it came with good reviews from that forum. Can usually purchase that series from the newsagents I think. Recipes branch out a little more than the typical casserole or stew as mentioned here.
Thanks stripey I'll pick that up next time I'm in Australia (currently in Japan). Sorry if I wasn't clear but I am already a heavy crockpot user, but always looking for new recipes.
No worries ;)
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My Mom bought one in the 70s when they were all the rage (about the same time she bought the fondue set). Used a few times, it was forgotten in the back of a cupboard. My father used it once in a while (since he didn't know how to cook). Crock pots are kind of a crock. They overcook everything leeching out all of the taste and no doubt most of the nutrition. We cook fresh these days.
Most if not all kitchen gadgets are a crock. The crockpot, invented by Rival, is a good example of companies wishing to make money on gadgets: inventing a "need". You don't need them. We have and have had all manner of nonsense kitchen gadgets from a Pavoni espresso machine to a $400 Dualit toaster and you really don't need any of them. This goes for coffee makers and grinders, toasters, blenders, mixers, dishwashers, etc. The only ones I would sanction at this point are the microwave oven and possibly the electric kettle. Everything else you are better off doing by hand with conventional tools or avoiding altogether (espresso coffee, toast, fondue).
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You know, a lot of people here are complaining about the recipes that call for per-browning meat. I'll just say I've made tons of such recipes, have never pre-browned for any of them, and have never had a problem.
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You know, a lot of people here are complaining about the recipes that call for per-browning meat. I'll just say I've made tons of such recipes, have never pre-browned for any of them, and have never had a problem.
It isn't just meat. Pre cooking onion and garlic, softening veggies, etc. To me, that isn't fix it and forget it. It's "follow a bunch of normal steps, then wait 6 hours for the end result. It would probably just take an hour on the stove top."
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I brown the meat because the pan glazings add so much flavour. Deglazing the pan also makes it super easy to wash. But pre-cook vegetables? No. And I prefer the crockpot to on-the-stove-top because I use it for things that do take hours, and I don't want the burner on that long. If something can be done faster (chili, spaghetti sauce), it does go on the stove. It is just examining which process is more effective for what you want to cook. Meats with lots of connective tissue do best with long slow moist cooking = crock-pot.
I just popped stew on this morning - browned the meat, cut up onions and carrots in big chunks, added beef bouillon, wine, bay leaf, all-spice, cloves, and Montreal steak spice. It took maybe 10 minutes total? It smells so good. And it is just sitting there cooking while I declutter the office and take breaks here.
You know, a lot of people here are complaining about the recipes that call for per-browning meat. I'll just say I've made tons of such recipes, have never pre-browned for any of them, and have never had a problem.
It isn't just meat. Pre cooking onion and garlic, softening veggies, etc. To me, that isn't fix it and forget it. It's "follow a bunch of normal steps, then wait 6 hours for the end result. It would probably just take an hour on the stove top."
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Don't have one and have no plans to get one. I am at home with kids, so I have time to simmer beans and chili in a regular pot on the stove.
I have wondered if my electricity usage would drop a bit if I used a crockpot rather than the cooktop. My stove is 60 years old, so it may be an energy pig.
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I wonder that too - but hard to compare the crockpot (with a kill-a-Wat) and the stove. I just figure the enclosed container is probably more efficient than the pot sitting on a burner, with so much burner area exposed to the air. I know I don't feel much heat coming off the crock-pot.
I have wondered if my electricity usage would drop a bit if I used a crockpot rather than the cooktop. My stove is 60 years old, so it may be an energy pig.
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You know, a lot of people here are complaining about the recipes that call for per-browning meat. I'll just say I've made tons of such recipes, have never pre-browned for any of them, and have never had a problem.
It isn't just meat. Pre cooking onion and garlic, softening veggies, etc. To me, that isn't fix it and forget it. It's "follow a bunch of normal steps, then wait 6 hours for the end result. It would probably just take an hour on the stove top."
I've never done any of those things, though, and never had a problem, I certainly wouldn't soften veggies or precook garlic. I could maybe see caramelizing onions because caramelized onions are, in fact, the best thing ever, but I've never done it for a crockpot meal. Always turns out just fine.
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You know, a lot of people here are complaining about the recipes that call for per-browning meat. I'll just say I've made tons of such recipes, have never pre-browned for any of them, and have never had a problem.
It isn't just meat. Pre cooking onion and garlic, softening veggies, etc. To me, that isn't fix it and forget it. It's "follow a bunch of normal steps, then wait 6 hours for the end result. It would probably just take an hour on the stove top."
I've never done any of those things, though, and never had a problem, I certainly wouldn't soften veggies or precook garlic. I could maybe see caramelizing onions because caramelized onions are, in fact, the best thing ever, but I've never done it for a crockpot meal. Always turns out just fine.
I had totally forgotten this! Sharing to make Rural happy :)
http://www.dinner-mom.com/slow-cooker-caramelized-onions/ (http://www.dinner-mom.com/slow-cooker-caramelized-onions/)
Easiest caramelized onions ever! Makes a boat load and can be frozen to add that awesome flavor to any dish you are making super easy!Hubby's brother (after making a batch for Christmas Eve appies) stood in my kitchen shoveling them straight up into his mouth and asked for a jar to take home for Christmas. That's all he wanted :)
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I wonder that too - but hard to compare the crockpot (with a kill-a-Wat) and the stove. I just figure the enclosed container is probably more efficient than the pot sitting on a burner, with so much burner area exposed to the air. I know I don't feel much heat coming off the crock-pot.
I have wondered if my electricity usage would drop a bit if I used a crockpot rather than the cooktop. My stove is 60 years old, so it may be an energy pig.
I remember reading some comparisons and the crockpot came out much better in electricity used.
A couple of years ago I did a comparison and the crockpot was more than 75% better than our ancient 30-year-old oven and so I have gotten into the habit of considering crockpot first whenever the weather is warm. An added advantage is that it keeps the kitchen cooler.
However, it is cold here now. I lean towards using the oven because it helps heat the kitchen. Is it better to get food and heat at the same time?
It's been a couple of years since my last analysis and I would like to update my data.
I did a quick Google on this but couldn't come up with any recent comparisons from a reliable source.
Does anyone have data on this comparison?
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You know, a lot of people here are complaining about the recipes that call for per-browning meat. I'll just say I've made tons of such recipes, have never pre-browned for any of them, and have never had a problem.
It isn't just meat. Pre cooking onion and garlic, softening veggies, etc. To me, that isn't fix it and forget it. It's "follow a bunch of normal steps, then wait 6 hours for the end result. It would probably just take an hour on the stove top."
I've never done any of those things, though, and never had a problem, I certainly wouldn't soften veggies or precook garlic. I could maybe see caramelizing onions because caramelized onions are, in fact, the best thing ever, but I've never done it for a crockpot meal. Always turns out just fine.
I had totally forgotten this! Sharing to make Rural happy :)
http://www.dinner-mom.com/slow-cooker-caramelized-onions/ (http://www.dinner-mom.com/slow-cooker-caramelized-onions/)
Easiest caramelized onions ever! Makes a boat load and can be frozen to add that awesome flavor to any dish you are making super easy!Hubby's brother (after making a batch for Christmas Eve appies) stood in my kitchen shoveling them straight up into his mouth and asked for a jar to take home for Christmas. That's all he wanted :)
Thank you Swick!
This just made me really happy too :) (scurries off to the kitchen)
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You know, a lot of people here are complaining about the recipes that call for per-browning meat. I'll just say I've made tons of such recipes, have never pre-browned for any of them, and have never had a problem.
It isn't just meat. Pre cooking onion and garlic, softening veggies, etc. To me, that isn't fix it and forget it. It's "follow a bunch of normal steps, then wait 6 hours for the end result. It would probably just take an hour on the stove top."
I've never done any of those things, though, and never had a problem, I certainly wouldn't soften veggies or precook garlic. I could maybe see caramelizing onions because caramelized onions are, in fact, the best thing ever, but I've never done it for a crockpot meal. Always turns out just fine.
I had totally forgotten this! Sharing to make Rural happy :)
http://www.dinner-mom.com/slow-cooker-caramelized-onions/ (http://www.dinner-mom.com/slow-cooker-caramelized-onions/)
Easiest caramelized onions ever! Makes a boat load and can be frozen to add that awesome flavor to any dish you are making super easy!Hubby's brother (after making a batch for Christmas Eve appies) stood in my kitchen shoveling them straight up into his mouth and asked for a jar to take home for Christmas. That's all he wanted :)
Aw, hell. How'd you know I still have ~30 pounds of Vidalia onions in my freezer? Caramelized Vidalias are better than the best thing ever.
Guess I have a project (not much of one, but I do have to wash the crock). :-)
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I've never met anyone who has negative feelings towards a crock pot they bought/received. I think it could be a contender for the consumer good that spawns the most satisfaction in the world.
I'm happy to hear more stories of Crock Pot Love but this time I'm particularly interested in hearing from people who regret or are lukewarm towards their purchase.
Vote away!
Haven't read through all of the posts. I love my crockpot, so decided a year or so ago to buy one of those 3-crock appliances, so would be able to do 3 dishes at once. What a waste--used it at first, but haven't used it for a long time.
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You know, a lot of people here are complaining about the recipes that call for per-browning meat. I'll just say I've made tons of such recipes, have never pre-browned for any of them, and have never had a problem.
It isn't just meat. Pre cooking onion and garlic, softening veggies, etc. To me, that isn't fix it and forget it. It's "follow a bunch of normal steps, then wait 6 hours for the end result. It would probably just take an hour on the stove top."
When I know the next day is going to be long, I'll do the chopping, searing and put everything in the crock pot, stash it in the fridge and clean the kitchen before going to bed. In the morning, pull it out, set it to cook, and have a delicious meal ready to eat the instant I walk in the door. To me, it makes the most sense when your time is available many hours prior to when you want the food. With that said, I've started just throwing the pork in the crock for chile verde with no pre-searing and it comes out 95% as good as if I do the extra searing step.
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it makes the most sense when your time is available many hours prior to when you want the food.
+1
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You made me happy too - thank you.
I had totally forgotten this! Sharing to make Rural happy :)
http://www.dinner-mom.com/slow-cooker-caramelized-onions/ (http://www.dinner-mom.com/slow-cooker-caramelized-onions/)
Easiest caramelized onions ever! Makes a boat load and can be frozen to add that awesome flavor to any dish you are making super easy!Hubby's brother (after making a batch for Christmas Eve appies) stood in my kitchen shoveling them straight up into his mouth and asked for a jar to take home for Christmas. That's all he wanted :)
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Most if not all kitchen gadgets are a crock. The crockpot, invented by Rival, is a good example of companies wishing to make money on gadgets: inventing a "need". You don't need them. We have and have had all manner of nonsense kitchen gadgets from a Pavoni espresso machine to a $400 Dualit toaster and you really don't need any of them. This goes for coffee makers and grinders, toasters, blenders, mixers, dishwashers, etc. The only ones I would sanction at this point are the microwave oven and possibly the electric kettle. Everything else you are better off doing by hand with conventional tools or avoiding altogether (espresso coffee, toast, fondue).
I would add rice cooker to the list of kitchen gadgets worth owning. As they say, 2 billion Asians can't be wrong.
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If you are ambivalent, I recommend America's Test Kitchen's slow cooker cookbook. Made a big difference for me.
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We have 3. Love them! I make yogurt, caramelize onions many pounds of home-grown garden onions in them and use them at the holidays to serve side dishes out of. We throw freezer corn from our garden in and forget about it until it is time to eat.
We also use them for the usual soups and long, slow-cooked cuts of meat.
Absolutely indispensable here. I rely on them a lot.
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Just about to warm up our left over crockpot meal from last night.
Four Empire Kosher Organic Chicken Legs plus four chopped up sweet potatoes plus a jar (19.5 ounces) of sriracha BBQ sauce -- all purchased at Trader Joe's. It was a solid Sunday night meal with the addition of a simple salad on the side.
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Just want to chime in to see if in the only one who finds this thread hilarious and awesome at the same time. First off, the title has been cracking me up since day 1. Kudos OP. And the fact it gets so much activity - who knew so many ppl loved their crock pot? I'm feeling inspired to break mine out this week & whip up something badass. Don't worry I'll come back to post about it.
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Just did the caramelized onions after reading this. It really works. I may start cooking again. Maybe.
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My wife really loved the leftover chicken tonight. And yes, I am very passionate about my slow cooker (from October - March).
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Try making pho (Vietnamese soup with a subtly spiced beef broth and noodles, herbs like coriander and eryngo, and beef). The time-consuming bit is making the broth, which is made really easy with a slow cooker. The remaining cooking steps are relatively straight-forward. I usually have a container with pho broth ready to go in the freezer.
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I had one and sold it (for profit!) as I just...didn't like it. I prefer roasted or grilled meats for dinner and it really doesn't take that long to grill a steak/chicken breast whatever, steam some veggies and heat up a bit of sauce.
While I do a lot of batch cooking of curries, soups and stews for lunches I actually enjoy spending a couple of hours on a Sunday, glass of wine in hand, BBC radio 2 on, chopping and stirring in a pot.
I used the crockpot a few times and found that 1. I worried about leaving it on all day 2. everything was more watery and tasteless (I admit, this is (probably) because I didn't use it properly).
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Try making pho (Vietnamese soup with a subtly spiced beef broth and noodles, herbs like coriander and eryngo, and beef). The time-consuming bit is making the broth, which is made really easy with a slow cooker. The remaining cooking steps are relatively straight-forward. I usually have a container with pho broth ready to go in the freezer.
Recipe, please!
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For the past 3 years I have had a very small sized hand me down which I was indifferent to at best.
Just got a much larger crock pot and its a whole new world!
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We have multiple crock pots and I keep the largest one out all the time -- it's the one I use to make bone broth that simmers for days. The other main one is used for dinner multiple times a week. I also have a really small one that I used to make oatmeal overnight, but we no longer eat oatmeal, so it sits in a cabinet until I figure out what to do with it.
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Try making pho (Vietnamese soup with a subtly spiced beef broth and noodles, herbs like coriander and eryngo, and beef). The time-consuming bit is making the broth, which is made really easy with a slow cooker. The remaining cooking steps are relatively straight-forward. I usually have a container with pho broth ready to go in the freezer.
Recipe, please!
Ingredients
- 1-2kg chopped beef bones. Try and get some with meat on, e.g beef shins. Oxtail is a good addition.
- 1 large brown onion, chopped roughly
- 5cm piece ginger
- 2.5L boiling water
- 6 star anise (aniseed star)
- 2 cinnamon sticks (or 1 stick cassia bark, if you have that available)
- 10 cloves
- 2 tbs coriander seeds
- 3 vietmamese cardamom pods (if you can find them. Different from normal cardamom)
- 60 ml fish sauce
- 60 ml lime juice
- 2 tbs brown sugar
- 200 g rice stick noodles
- 250 g eye fillet or other very quick-cook meat, sliced thinly (optional)
- 150g (2 cups) bean sprouts
Condiments- use selection of:
- ½ cup firmly packed fresh mint
- ½ cup firmly packed fresh coriander (cilantro)
- ½ cup firmly packed vietmanese mint (vietnamese coriander, eryngo)
- 2 long red chillies, sliced thinly
- Spring onions, sliced thinly
Method
- Place bones and water in slow cooker. Cook, covered, on low, for anywhere between 6 and 12 hours
o Bonus tip: Roasting bones, and/or char-grilling the onion and ginger (then taking off the black bits so it doesn’t colour the stock) makes for a better pho, but takes more time.
o Another bonus tip: there’ll be a bit of scum particularly the first few hours and skimming (like you would with stock) is a good idea. There will also be a bit of fat coming from the bones too that you may want to skim off at some point.
- Add onion, ginger, star anise, cinnamon, cloves, coriander seeds and cook, covered on low, for 3 hours. Add sauce, lime juice and sugar. Strain liquid through muslin. Pick off the bones any meat that looks tasty and reserve.
o Bonus tip: freeze or refrigerate as a soup base after this step.
- Place noodles in bowl with boiling water, stand 15 minutes, drain.
- Divide noodles, cooked beef, and eye fillet into bowls and pour the hot liquid soup base over it all (the eye fillet will cook). Liberally garnish with mint, vietnamese mint, coriander, spring onion and chilli to taste.
So this sounds like a fair number of ingredients but if you don’t have/want anything on the list you’re under no obligation to put all of this in. The recipe itself is relatively straight forward.
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As a busy person with remedial skills in the kitchen, my wife and I get some of our easiest and tastiest meals from out crockpot. I would call it essential. Now if I was FIRE? Maybe not.
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I chose the second option. We probably use it 2-6 times per month. However, my wife is a SAHM and usually doesn't get dinner started until later in the afternoon. If we both worked, we would probably use it at least every other day. I did before I was married.
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my wife tries to get creative with the crockpot, and the proteins texture doesnt always seem to work out that well.
i think if we stuck more to soups, chilis, stews... etc, the success factor would end up a lot higher.
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Can I ask a question? I don't have a slow-cooker myself, and I'm not much of a meat-eater. Is there any advantage to cooking beans this way instead of simmering them on the stove? Could a slow-cooker be used for a tofu dish?
Thanks
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You can put the beans on in the morning, and come back home to them being cooked in the evening. A slow cooker is safe to use all day long while you're away . . . they're very low temperature, and much less complex (fewer things to go wrong) than something like a computer or set top cable box . . . which many leave running all day without a second thought.
There are a great many slow cooker/tofu recipes available if you google for them.
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Just want to chime in to see if in the only one who finds this thread hilarious and awesome at the same time. First off, the title has been cracking me up since day 1. Kudos OP. And the fact it gets so much activity - who knew so many ppl loved their crock pot? I'm feeling inspired to break mine out this week & whip up something badass. Don't worry I'll come back to post about it.
Hahaha I find it hilarious too! I didn't realize there were so many crockpot haters out there. I love ours, we use it at least once a week in the winter (much less in the summer, mostly just for beans). I'm totally being redundant, but it is awesome for cheap cuts of meat (pork butt, chuck roast) which can then be used in a jillion other meals. Plus soups and chilis. And I LOVE walking in the door to delicious-smelling food!
I don't think I would use it very much if we were vegetarian, though. And there are definitely some really shitty crockpot recipes out there, but hey, there are a lot of shitty non-crockpot recipes out there, too. It's trial and error but I think we have a pretty high success rate!
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Can I ask a question? I don't have a slow-cooker myself, and I'm not much of a meat-eater. Is there any advantage to cooking beans this way instead of simmering them on the stove? Could a slow-cooker be used for a tofu dish?
Thanks
Beans that have a 'kidney bean' shape really need to be cooked at higher temperatures than what a crock pot can guarantee, to break down the phytohaemagglutinins that may be present, which can cause what's sometimes called 'bean poisoning' at the worst, and at the least a bit of indigestion. The legume with the most phytohaemagglutinins present are red kidney beans. These legumes need to be heated to 100*C to break down the toxin, and heating to 80*C (what a lot of slow cookers operate at) will not. So if you make beans in a slow cooker, soak overnight, boil in fresh water 10-30 minutes, THEN simmer in slow cooker for as long as necessary.
Chickpeas (garbanzo beans) this doesn't apply to; feel free to place directly into slow cooker without any boiling etc.
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I bought one when I moved to my apartment, thinking I'd be using it a lot. Put things in it and run while I'm at work or while I'm asleep and have magic food. But in reality I've used it maybe three times in the last year. It's a decent sized machine, and I have very limited counterspace. Would have it run on the floor but the cat might get too curious.
Also when it comes to cooking things with more than 3 ingredients, my interest drops due to laziness and seeing it as too time consuming to prepare.
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I use mine for all the stuff that used to simmer on the wood stove when I was growing up. Beans, bones, soup, stew, etc. Having been brought up cooking like that I learned that the big trick for that kind of food is knowing what to add at the very end to brighten the flavor. A chopped fresh tomato added to beef stew and just returned to a boil before serving does amazing things for the flavor.
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I make frozen chicken breasts in it all the time and it comes out fantastic. I agree...you need to spice up the stuff that you are cooking in it, otherwise it is all bland and mushy. I also make baked potatoes in it, chicken/stuffing/green beans, tomato sauce, lasagna, all kinds of soups/stews, coconut chicken curry, apple crisp. Hubby jokes that if we lost the crock pot, I would not know how to make dinner!
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I use my rice cooker way more than the crock pot, and for more than just rice. I do whole lazy dinners with the rice cooker, toss in prepackaged side dish and chicken, or chicken, rice, and flavorings, some frozen veggies, and hit cook. I'm actually planning to sell my crockpot before my move to Cali in May.
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Aw, hell. How'd you know I still have ~30 pounds of Vidalia onions in my freezer? Caramelized Vidalias are better than the best thing ever.
Guess I have a project (not much of one, but I do have to wash the crock). :-)
Agreed that the Carmelized onion trick is one that the crockpot does very well. That, and beans.
Still not a big fan of the thing.
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You know, a lot of people here are complaining about the recipes that call for per-browning meat. I'll just say I've made tons of such recipes, have never pre-browned for any of them, and have never had a problem.
It isn't just meat. Pre cooking onion and garlic, softening veggies, etc. To me, that isn't fix it and forget it. It's "follow a bunch of normal steps, then wait 6 hours for the end result. It would probably just take an hour on the stove top."
I've never done any of those things, though, and never had a problem, I certainly wouldn't soften veggies or precook garlic. I could maybe see caramelizing onions because caramelized onions are, in fact, the best thing ever, but I've never done it for a crockpot meal. Always turns out just fine.
I had totally forgotten this! Sharing to make Rural happy :)
http://www.dinner-mom.com/slow-cooker-caramelized-onions/ (http://www.dinner-mom.com/slow-cooker-caramelized-onions/)
Easiest caramelized onions ever! Makes a boat load and can be frozen to add that awesome flavor to any dish you are making super easy!Hubby's brother (after making a batch for Christmas Eve appies) stood in my kitchen shoveling them straight up into his mouth and asked for a jar to take home for Christmas. That's all he wanted :)
Thank you Swick!
This just made me really happy too :) (scurries off to the kitchen)
+2!!!
OK, so this caramelized onions recipe was enough impetus to get me to dust off the old crockpot and give it a shot. It was amazing! I had it cooking overnight and could barely sleep with the smell of caramelized onions overtaking the house and swirling all around me in bed. It does help that I am an onion-fanatic (in all forms).
I actually used beer instead of balsamic vinegar in the recipe as I was hosting a beer-themed party. I then used the liquid oozed out from the onions to slow cook some dry-rub coated chicken breasts, with the addition of the rest of the bottle of beer. It was enough liquid to have 4 lbs. of chicken breast swimming in it. That cooked for about 9 hours during the day before the guests arrived.
Then, I saw the amount of liquid still in the pot and thought this should not go to waste. So I boiled the liquid on the stovetop, pulled out some couscous and crushed almonds, and cooked it in the onion/chicken broth. It was wonderful!
That liquid did not go to waste.
Looks like my maiden voyage on the crockpot wagon was a huge success with all of my guests. Maybe that ex-boyfriend that gifted it to me was on to something after all...I hadn't used it since he gave it to me years ago.
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Based on this thread, I made carmelized onions (plain style) this weekend, for the first time in the crockpot. I had a 10 lb bag of onions and a crockpot, so...
Still was not quite as good as on the extra large fry pan. I have no idea why. Definitely needs a touch of basalmic + butter + salt to bring out the goodness.
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Just wanted to share these tricks in case anyone else finds them helpful.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/01/16/slow-cooker-tricks_n_6486780.html (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/01/16/slow-cooker-tricks_n_6486780.html)
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I am another in the "love it" camp. I do a lot of large group lunchs (mtb Trail maintenance days) which the slow cooker comes in handy for, so much I've had to recruit friends slow cookers for even larger events!
Our house favorite is Butter Chicken in the slow cooker. Befor I had a slow cooker I hated using chicken thighs for butter chicken as I found the rubber-y tendons unappetizing, however in the slow cooker these parts of the meat are melted away leaving very flavourful and tender meat in my butter chicken sauce. The big win is the $$ saved by not having to buy expensive chicken breast meat.
I do meatless stuffing in my slow cooker which is always a big hit too.
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I am another in the "love it" camp. I do a lot of large group lunchs (mtb Trail maintenance days) which the slow cooker comes in handy for, so much I've had to recruit friends slow cookers for even larger events!
Our house favorite is Butter Chicken in the slow cooker. Befor I had a slow cooker I hated using chicken thighs for butter chicken as I found the rubber-y tendons unappetizing, however in the slow cooker these parts of the meat are melted away leaving very flavourful and tender meat in my butter chicken sauce. The big win is the $$ saved by not having to buy expensive chicken breast meat.
I do meatless stuffing in my slow cooker which is always a big hit too.
The slow cooker is growing on me. I just made some broth overnight with some bones leftover from a grilled chicken. That will get mixed up with some wilting veggies in my fridge for some soup the rest of the week.
I like the idea of travelling with it. However, it would have to be for road trips as I can't imagine lugging the slow cooker around in my luggage and taking up so much space in the much coveted and limited space required for airplane travel.
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NVDee - would love an idea of what goes into your Butter Chicken (doesn't have to be exact - yet another benefit of crockpot cooking!)
Daisy - hah I can think of nothing worse than traveling with a crock pot! But I'm a convert to bagless travel. For me, travel would be an excuse to not eat crockpot food for a bit, build up my appetite for some when I finally arrive home again.
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NVDee - would love an idea of what goes into your Butter Chicken (doesn't have to be exact - yet another benefit of crockpot cooking!)
Daisy - hah I can think of nothing worse than traveling with a crock pot! But I'm a convert to bagless travel. For me, travel would be an excuse to not eat crockpot food for a bit, build up my appetite for some when I finally arrive home again.
Bagless Travel? I thought I had it, when I went for 2 nights business travel with an oversized purse / laptop bag and a change stuffed in the bottom. What do you mean by bagless ?!? like the guy that travels with an awesome pocket vest for his miscellaneous toiletries.