General Crock Pot Question

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Nina74
Nina74 Posts: 470 Member
in Recipes
I love all of your recipes for the crockpot and have one at home (that never gets used!). I want to try some of the recipes, but most of them say cook for 6-8 hours. I tend to be away from home for 12 hours a day and my pot isn't fancy (no timer or anything). Could I keep it on low for the whole 12 hours? I noticed a lot of you wrote about the chicken possibly getting too dried out. Should I add extra water, etc given the extra "cooking" time? I wanted to try the salsa chicken and the chicken with the cornmeal topping. Sounds delic!

Replies

  • seczneyd
    seczneyd Posts: 25
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    Maybe you could buy an outlet timer - you know, like the ones people use to turn their lamps & christmas lights on and off at certain times?
  • sweetbn
    sweetbn Posts: 318
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    I use the outlet timer that we use for Christmas lights! It works fantastic - just remember raw chicken/meat really shouldn't be above 41 degrees for more than 4 hours (when it starts having too much bacteria) so don't leave the food on your counter much longer.

    I also find using a bit more broth/water helps with the dryness. :) GL!
  • tamalea
    tamalea Posts: 107 Member
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    I have to leave my for that long also, so I use frozen chicken breast and put it on low. I never have any problems.
  • jrich1
    jrich1 Posts: 2,408 Member
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    I do pork tenderloin and stuff for 10-12 hours without problem, just make sure you have enough moisture
  • GooBeGone
    GooBeGone Posts: 439 Member
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    I do pork tenderloin and stuff for 10-12 hours without problem, just make sure you have enough moisture

    but what do u use for moisture? wouldn't water evaporate 2 soon?
  • jrich1
    jrich1 Posts: 2,408 Member
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    I do pork tenderloin and stuff for 10-12 hours without problem, just make sure you have enough moisture

    but what do u use for moisture? wouldn't water evaporate 2 soon?

    I have a recipe that I use vinegar, OJ and liquid smoke.. to make like a pulled pork
  • GooBeGone
    GooBeGone Posts: 439 Member
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    I do pork tenderloin and stuff for 10-12 hours without problem, just make sure you have enough moisture

    but what do u use for moisture? wouldn't water evaporate 2 soon?

    I have a recipe that I use vinegar, OJ and liquid smoke.. to make like a pulled pork

    liquid smoke? what's that? LOL. sorry but i'm not use 2 crockpot cookin altho i CAN cook, i'm just not a crockpot cooker. yet :happy:
  • maestrachistosa
    maestrachistosa Posts: 202 Member
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    I was having the same problem, and decided to have the crock pot cooking while I was asleep. I turned it on before bed, and then 7 hours later, I got up, turned it off, and put the pot in the fridge. (I also really like the idea of an outlet timer, but am concerned about the pot being "off" and the food just sitting there.)
  • ropsnik
    ropsnik Posts: 68 Member
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    I think the timer is your solution. And here is a good link someone posted on MFP long ago for crock pot recipes.

    http://www.50plusfriends.com/cookbook/crockpot/index-5b.html

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