How can crockpot recipes taste good?

tomatoey

This is super flammable, I'm sorry in advance.

With ordinary cooking, timing and temperature and all the rest of the bag of tricks make a HUGE impact on flavour and texture.

I honestly do not see how putting a raw onion in with a frozen chicken and a can of soup and cooking that for 8 hours can taste good.

Even the foodies at Chowhound don't know what to do with it (see e.g. threads like "Why do my slow cooker recipes always taste bad?").

(I am genuinely curious)

Flame away!

cindytw

I love the slow cooker for certain things...like pulled pork, copy of Chipotle's Barbacoa Beef, soups, stews, I have a cheeseburger meatloaf recipe that comes out good, bone broth, shredded chicken for other recipes...It will not brown most things, and will not crisp anything. Keeping that in mind there's a lot of great things you can do in it.

unsuspectingfish

Well, for starters, don't use frozen meat.

Alatariel75

I do a lot of pre-cooking when I slow cook, browning the meat, cooking off the onion, garlic, herbs etc and only then do I combine and bung it in to slow cook for a few hours.

I generally agree that just throwing random raw stuff in and switching it on ends up tasteless, at best. I've tried and yeah, no, though I've not been as bad to go frozen chicken and raw onion, ew.

So I don't slow cook for convenience, just for that lovely fall-aparty end result after doing all the same prep work.

Train4Foodz

*shakes head*
Can't say I've ever thrown a frozen chicken, raw onion and a can of soup in a crockpot together and expected it to taste good...

What I have done on many times however is combined a selection of ingredients, some prepped and part cooked before hand (such as sausages) and a load of other lovely things, like chopped tomatoes and spices to create an infusion of flavors, sausage casseroles and the likes.

Crockpot is simply a method of cooking, it isn't a method of preparation, with no preparation you have no meal.. with the correct preparation crocpot or not, your meal should taste good!

Quick tip for ya, fishing to get flamed at.. it's not a particularly genius idea.. especially on a website designed to help you!

tomatoey

Ok, this all makes sense. I was contemplating *maybe* getting a crockpot expressly for convenience, but I think I'd be unhappy with the results if I treated it that way.

I bet all of you are fab cooks

harlequin0318

I refuse to put my chicken in the crockpot, because I can't make it turn out to be tasty or whole - it always ends up shredded. So I now only use the crockpot for soups and chili

Velum_cado

It's a method of cooking. It depends on what you're putting into the crockpot. One of my favourite recipes, which I make quite frequently, is crockpot red beans and rice with chorizo added. It's fabulous!

jenilla1

harlequin0318 wrote: »

I refuse to put my chicken in the crockpot, because I can't make it turn out to be tasty or whole - it always ends up shredded. So I now only use the crockpot for soups and chili

If you put a whole roasting chicken in the crock pot, it's glorious...and you have leftovers!!! (*)

harlequin0318

jenilla1 wrote: »

harlequin0318 wrote: »

I refuse to put my chicken in the crockpot, because I can't make it turn out to be tasty or whole - it always ends up shredded. So I now only use the crockpot for soups and chili

If you put a whole roasting chicken in the crock pot, it's glorious...and you have leftovers!!! (*)

I've never used a whole chicken! I'm only one person so I wouldn't know what to do with all of that lol

Train4Foodz

jenilla1 wrote: »

harlequin0318 wrote: »

I refuse to put my chicken in the crockpot, because I can't make it turn out to be tasty or whole - it always ends up shredded. So I now only use the crockpot for soups and chili

If you put a whole roasting chicken in the crock pot, it's glorious...and you have leftovers!!! (*)

+1

cblue315

I gave up on my Crock Pot years ago. I bought one of those oval roasters. Mine is Nesco Brand. I love it. And you can brown things in it. Yes, do the prep work. You will have good results.

TrevaFitzgerald

Try "Pass Me The Paleo's Paleo Slow Cooker Recipes" on Amazon

Diet_Soda

Put a turkey breast in the slow cooker, season as you wish, no water, and cook for 7 hours on low - perfect turkey!

Train4Foodz

cblue315 wrote: »

I gave up on my Crock Pot years ago. I bought one of those oval roasters. Mine is Nesco Brand. I love it. And you can brown things in it. Yes, do the prep work. You will have good results.

I tend to use a different piece of equipment depending on what I'm cooking.. I seem to have compiled a good range of different kitchen equipment over the past few years. From slow cookers to mini ovens, from george foremans to griddles.. and every prepping thing inbetween. It's something of a hobby.
My point is, every piece of equipment can reach its full potential if used correctly. On the turn of a coin, if not used right.. you might as well microwave.

Lounmoun

I have had tasty slow cooker meals.
Do not put raw frozen meat in a slow cooker. That isn't safe.
I don't use recipes with canned soup much. I think slow cookers are great for things that do well cooked a long time at a low temperature like a stew or roast but not so good for other things. You need to check out some different recipes.

crockpot365.blogspot.com/2011/11/slow-cooker-shredded-korean-beef-tacos.html

You need to choose the right size cooker for your item or it can cook wrong.
You might brown some foods before adding them to increase flavor.

MissJay75

I use frozen chicken in my crock pot all the time, I've never had a problem. I have a couple recipes I LOVE, but I don't have a problem with shredded chicken.

I needed something simple and effortless for dinner tonight. This morning I threw some frozen chicken in the crock pot with some sugar, soy sauce, garlic, ginger, pepper, and apple cider vinegar. Took me less than 5 minutes. About half an hour before dinner, I added some corn starch, and threw some rice on the stove to cook. Fantastic chicken teriyaki that everyone in my family eats.

sugaraddict4321

Adam2k10 wrote: »

...What I have done on many times however is combined a selection of ingredients, some prepped and part cooked before hand (such as sausages) and a load of other lovely things, like chopped tomatoes and spices to create an infusion of flavors, sausage casseroles and the likes.

Crockpot is simply a method of cooking, it isn't a method of preparation, with no preparation you have no meal.. with the correct preparation crocpot or not, your meal should taste good!...

+1 A little prep goes a long way to making a flavorful crock pot meal. Raw everything and no spices is a recipe for disaster. I enjoyed making chili, a roast, or doing pulled pork or chicken. I like the idea of crock pots because you can safely leave them on low all day when you're not home, whereas you would not think to do that with the oven. Play with it a little and you might find you like the flavor and the convenience.

kxbrown27

I put frozen chicken in the crock pot all the time. It still gets up to a safe internal temp.
I make stuffed peppers, chili, meatballs and oatmeal in mine. Wrap a potato in foil, and after 8 hours on low you have a delicious baked potato. I also make different soups (black bean, potato) and you can even make certain cakes. There are tons of recipes out there that are healthy and flavorful.

Judie1933

America's Test Kitchen (or Cooks Country which is the same ) has a marvelous cooker book out. Try their recopies, and SEASON>

tomatoey

I'm thinking it might not be for me, just because I'd probably use it for things I can already address with my existing non-crockpot pot, but thank you for the tips!

earlnabby

I also use the crock pot as a cooking method and my meals are wonderful and tasty. I generally use it for soups, stews, and anything that is best with super tender fall apart meat. Like much of cooking, flavor is all in the ingredients and seasonings.

NoelFigart1

Crock pot meals are best with anything that is supposed to have cooked all day in a pot -- peasant cooking. Soups, stews, chilis, some curries, root vegetables, tough cuts of meat...

If the carmelized taste and lower fat cuts of meat are what makes food taste "good" to you (and it's why sautees and stir frys are wonderful) then skip the crock pot. It ain't your thang.

I use both methods. I do have a repertoire of foods that I prep, throw in freezer bags and then thaw to pop in the crock pot for dinner. Chili, chicken curry, a chicken bean soup, Butternut squash soup, beef stew, and several others. This is useful on busy days so I am not tempted to dial the Magic Sushi Phone when I don't feel like cooking. They're tasty, but high-end cooking? Lord love you, no. (Though I do not use what my mother calls Redneck mushroom soup cooking techniques)

I know of people who would put a whole bird in a crock pot. It does make the meat very tender. Me? I like roasted meat better, so I am more likely to use an oven for that. I don't like many veggies in the crock pot unless they're good soup veggies. Peppers, broccoli, and things like that, I prefer in sautees or roasted.

randomtai

:huh:

Ang108

tomatoey wrote: »

Ok, this all makes sense. I was contemplating *maybe* getting a crockpot expressly for convenience, but I think I'd be unhappy with the results if I treated it that way.

I bet all of you are fab cooks

I am not American, nor do I live in the US and therefore crock pot cooking was unknown to me most of my life. I got interested when I came across this blog:
( http://www.365daysofcrockpot.com/ ). If you check something like " 365 days of crcok pot recipes ", you'll find several.
Obviously I did not cook all recipes, but I personally never prepared a recipe that had canned soup in it. They might exist and some people might like them, but no one will force you to use any of those recipes.
Just like with anything creative in life, your cooking will taste as good as you make it.
I make stews, heavy soups, curries and the like in a crock pot, which I find very convenient. I made chicken & rice which turned out delicious against all expectations. I would for example never make Chicken Cordon Bleu in it, even though there are recipes. I have also tried apple pie and cheese cake made in a crock pot. It was acceptable, but I would prefer the traditional way of preparation.
You make it sound like there is nothing but recipes with raw onions and canned soup and that is just not so. I would suggest that if you don't want to use a crock pot....just don't.

Lounmoun

I think this addresses the frozen raw meat issue pretty well- twohealthykitchens.com/2014/02/03/is-it-safe-to-use-frozen-meat-in-your-crock-pot/
If you don't want to thaw your meat before putting it in a slow cooker that is up to you but it is a risk and isn't recommended.

There are a lot of recipes out there that are good and some that aren't. Look around some more.
One of the laziest things I have made in the slow cooker was just dumping a jar of salsa on chicken breast and it was tasty to my family.

libbydoodle11

tomatoey wrote: »

This is super flammable, I'm sorry in advance.

With ordinary cooking, timing and temperature and all the rest of the bag of tricks make a HUGE impact on flavour and texture.

I honestly do not see how putting a raw onion in with a frozen chicken and a can of soup and cooking that for 8 hours can taste good.

Even the foodies at Chowhound don't know what to do with it (see e.g. threads like "Why do my slow cooker recipes always taste bad?").

(I am genuinely curious)

Flame away!

I will often make a chili or soup in my crockpot. I have also only used fresh ingredients. I have never used canned soup or frozen chicken in my crockpot.

Try googling some recipes and see what you come up with.


http://www.eatingwell.com/healthy_cooking/healthy_cooking_101_basics_and_techniques/food_safety_guide_for_cooking_with_crock_pot

http://www.eatingwell.com/blogs/healthy_cooking_blog/7_tricks_for_better_slow_cooking_in_your_crock_pot

lmr0528

I get all my recipes from Pinterest. This past weekend I tried a whole chicken in the crockpot, with just some Paprika & Steak Seasoning on high for about 4 1/2 hours. It came out so juicy and delicious!!!

talonspiritcat

tomatoey wrote: »

I honestly do not see how putting a raw onion in with a frozen chicken and a can of soup and cooking that for 8 hours can taste good.

Bone-in pork chops seasoned with salt and pepper.
Layer thin sliced potato and onion on top.
Mix 1 can cream of mushroom soup with half a can milk and pour into crockpot.
Cook on low for 8 hours. Enjoy.

Basic but it works. Good enough to serve to company. Tastes better if you add thyme, garlic, other seasonings to the soup mixture. Sear the chops and brown the onions first for even more flavour.


Pour BBQ sauce over ribs and bake 8 hours on low for fall-off-the-bone tender.


You just have to learn what foods work best, as other people posted.

JoRocka

I've pretty much tossed a whole can of stock- 2 whole chicken breasts- which were right off the shelf of the store- so the insides appeared to be unthawed- outside were thawed...
- 2 bags of veggies- an onion and some celary about half way through.
- salt/pepper/little dash of garlic/italian seasoning/chili pepper flakes.

boom- delicious chicken soup.

it's not the SAME as a well prepared delicious steak- no- but it's still good- and took nothing but 5 min to prepare and then eat after 6-8 hours. Sometimes there's a trade off- not EVERY meal has to be gourmet deliciousness- sometimes it can just be 'good'.

SToast

I put everything in the crock pot. You just have to use spices and seasonings like with any other type of cooking. Most of the time I use frozen meats as well. BUT I believe in having good meats to begin with. None of that grocery store bought crap for me. We raise our own or buy pasture raised meats only. Makes a huge difference.

If you throw frozen chicken, onion, soup, basil, lemon pepper, and carrots you'd have something. Would it taste like a gourmet fillet meal? No. Will it be good? Yes.