Slow cooker duration for various food items on low.

Hey pals, if you have used please post in the duration and ingredients user to cook and how was the outcome.

Ingredients list :
Duration on low:
Outcome:
Brand:

Thanks in Advance. It will help many to make decision for buying.

Replies

  • missysippy930
    missysippy930 Posts: 2,577 Member
    I cook quite a bit with a slow cooker. I have 3 different brands and sizes. If I had it to do over, I’d get an instant pot. I am trying to justify getting an instant pot.
  • kshama2001
    kshama2001 Posts: 27,843 Member
    My newish, bigger slow cooker is a slightly older model of this: Hamilton Beach Programmable Slow Cooker, 7 quart with Clip-Tight Sealed Lid, Stainless Steel (33476), Silver

    I don't use most of the features - I just manually set it to Low or High. It cooks hotter than my older, smaller crock pot, but can't quantify that. I use it for big recipes / whole cuts of meat.

    My older, smaller crock pot is also a Hamilton Beach. I bought it @13 years ago and it is still going strong, although I think the Low is a little low, so run it on High for an hour or two at first to get it up to temp.

    Typical use - prep chicken cacciatore at lunch time. Use 1.5# boneless thighs. Get it in the small pot by 2, ready at 6. Last time I browned them lightly first. I sometimes skip this step to save prep time, and in this case would get them in the pot an hour or so earlier. If I were using bone-in, skin-on thighs I would allow 6 hours of cook time, an hour or two more if not browned first.

    Crock pot temps are highly variable, so I suggest experimenting on a day when you are around to check for doneness early.
  • NovusDies
    NovusDies Posts: 8,940 Member
    JagaSrik wrote: »
    Hey pals, if you have used please post in the duration and ingredients user to cook and how was the outcome.

    Ingredients list :
    Duration on low:
    Outcome:
    Brand:

    Thanks in Advance. It will help many to make decision for buying.

    Outcome is subjective. If you think you will use one enough to avoid just using a pan in the oven or broiler oven then pick a moderately priced model with a no hassle 30 day return policy and give it a try.

  • barbp68
    barbp68 Posts: 1 Member
    I love my instant pot 3qt. I use it weekly. for soups, pot roast, rice, chicken chili..as a slow cooker. It's one pot meal you can saute the slow cook, or pressure cook. tons of recipes on line.
  • kshama2001
    kshama2001 Posts: 27,843 Member
    NovusDies wrote: »
    JagaSrik wrote: »
    Hey pals, if you have used please post in the duration and ingredients user to cook and how was the outcome.

    Ingredients list :
    Duration on low:
    Outcome:
    Brand:

    Thanks in Advance. It will help many to make decision for buying.

    Outcome is subjective. If you think you will use one enough to avoid just using a pan in the oven or broiler oven then pick a moderately priced model with a no hassle 30 day return policy and give it a try.

    I find it very difficult to get a good simmer on electric stoves. I've agonized over stove top corned beef, then went to using a slow cooker for that with much better success.

    I also really like my crock pot for cooking dried beans and making stock from bones.
  • NovusDies
    NovusDies Posts: 8,940 Member
    kshama2001 wrote: »
    NovusDies wrote: »
    JagaSrik wrote: »
    Hey pals, if you have used please post in the duration and ingredients user to cook and how was the outcome.

    Ingredients list :
    Duration on low:
    Outcome:
    Brand:

    Thanks in Advance. It will help many to make decision for buying.

    Outcome is subjective. If you think you will use one enough to avoid just using a pan in the oven or broiler oven then pick a moderately priced model with a no hassle 30 day return policy and give it a try.

    I find it very difficult to get a good simmer on electric stoves. I've agonized over stove top corned beef, then went to using a slow cooker for that with much better success.

    I also really like my crock pot for cooking dried beans and making stock from bones.

    I meant in the oven for slow cooking not on the stove top. A good thick pot like a cast iron works great and once you know your oven there is no mystery on cooking temperature. If you have a big enough broiler oven that works well too and saves on some electricity.
  • kshama2001
    kshama2001 Posts: 27,843 Member
    NovusDies wrote: »
    kshama2001 wrote: »
    NovusDies wrote: »
    JagaSrik wrote: »
    Hey pals, if you have used please post in the duration and ingredients user to cook and how was the outcome.

    Ingredients list :
    Duration on low:
    Outcome:
    Brand:

    Thanks in Advance. It will help many to make decision for buying.

    Outcome is subjective. If you think you will use one enough to avoid just using a pan in the oven or broiler oven then pick a moderately priced model with a no hassle 30 day return policy and give it a try.

    I find it very difficult to get a good simmer on electric stoves. I've agonized over stove top corned beef, then went to using a slow cooker for that with much better success.

    I also really like my crock pot for cooking dried beans and making stock from bones.

    I meant in the oven for slow cooking not on the stove top. A good thick pot like a cast iron works great and once you know your oven there is no mystery on cooking temperature. If you have a big enough broiler oven that works well too and saves on some electricity.

    Aha, gotcha.

    I am getting a cast iron Dutch oven for my birthday but only plan to use it during the colder months - I rarely use the oven when the AC is on.
  • DanyellMcGinnis
    DanyellMcGinnis Posts: 315 Member
    I have the actual Crock Pot brand (bought from Target, no fancy digital display) and I use completely variable cooking times, typically on low, though.

    I do pre-cook certain things first, like onions (just a quick saute in oil) because I don't like the flavors of these ingredients thrown in there raw or I think the texture improves from this (e.g., carrots, celery). Sometimes I do this the night before and store in the refrigerator. I usually add spices at this point, too.

    For ingredients, I'm a vegetarian, so we are talking mostly canned beans (pretty much any kind from chickpeas to pinto beans to black-eyed peas, etc.) and fresh vegetables (potato, sweet potato, bell pepper, zucchini, yellow squash, turnip, celery root, etc.), canned tomatoes, and sometimes frozen vegetables (usually green beans, corn, and peas). If greens are involved I will buy them frozen and throw them in at the end. (Stuff like cooked rice or pasta, or fake sausage will also get cooked separately and thrown in at the end. I have put lentils in there from the start and they've turned out OK but would not do that with dried beans.)

    Because I am vegetarian and most of the things I am cooking can be eaten raw or nearly so, I am not so concerned with cooking times. Typically something put in the Crock Pot at 1 would cook for 7-8 hours before eating, although I had to leave it for 10+ hours recently (unplanned trip to the emergency vet) and it was fine. It is a pretty forgiving method.
  • sgt1372
    sgt1372 Posts: 3,971 Member
    Sorry, OP. Can't help you. .

    I've got an electric slow cooker but never use it. The only reason I keep it is because I inherited it from my mother and it reminds me of her.

    I'd rather "slow cook" my food on the stove top or in the oven.