Waste of money to get a crock pot?

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  • mariposaholly
    mariposaholly Posts: 3 Member
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    I love making veggie dishes in the crockpot! I make a fantastic lentil curry that is super healthy. Shop at an Indian grocery store...get chana dal lentils (split chickpeas) and other varieties- they taste great cooked in a slow cooker. Add seasonings like curry, garam masala, and tons of veggies. Yum!
  • earlnabby
    earlnabby Posts: 8,171 Member
    edited November 2015
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    I LOVE my crock pot. I make stews, soups, chili, and even do a really great lasagna and several really good meatloafs in it (yes autocorrect, the correct spelling is "meatloafs", not meatloaves). It is also indispensable for cooking up a couple of pounds of black beans for freezing so I can avoid all the salt in canned beans.

    I love how the slow cooking melds the flavors better, so much more than shorter stovetop or oven coking does. It really brings out the spices better.
  • magtart
    magtart Posts: 161 Member
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    I'm making Slow Cooker Chicken Parmesan Soup for tonight's dinner.
  • moyerbook
    moyerbook Posts: 2 Member
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    I use mine on a near weekly basis. Yes, sometimes it's for beef and pork, but also often for chicken-anything from breasts to a whole bird- and turkey. I made lentil soup in it today, cleaning out the crisper drawer. I started it this morning, ran errands, and it was ready by lunch. It's also really handy if you do "big batch" cooking on the weekend because you can have something going in the oven as well as in the slow cooker. If you like to cook and try new things, then go for it. You'll discover how to make it work for you.
  • aeisenberg93
    aeisenberg93 Posts: 4 Member
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    dude crockpots are amazing. I cook something in it every week and it gives me like 5 meals. I've made soups, lasagna, enchiladas. It's great for a broke college student like me.
  • Corjogo
    Corjogo Posts: 201 Member
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    I do a lot of slow cooking on the stove top (I'm retired) but I still have 2 crock pots that I use probably 4 days a week. Everything from stir fries to large roasts, legumes and even fruit - Makes applesauce very easy
  • emhunter
    emhunter Posts: 1,212 Member
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    I like crock pots because of their ease. You can throw the food in and walk away! If I'm really crunched for time, I put a meat and veggies in the crock pot, put it on the lowest setting, go to work, then come home to a tender juicy dinner.
  • prairieprana
    prairieprana Posts: 71 Member
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    I use my crock-pot almost every week! I use it to make a big batch of a recipe, package it into servings and voila: every morning I have lunch waiting for me (just have to take it out of the freezer the night before). Last night I made 2 huge batches (lentil dalh and vegetarian curry) and now have lunches and/or quick suppers if |I feel like it
  • youngmomtaz
    youngmomtaz Posts: 1,075 Member
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    I use my crockpot a minimum of twice weekly. But I do cook for 5. Roasts, small chickens, then I cook the bones into stock. Chillies, curries, stews, soups. My husband works full time and I work 3/4 time plus chase kids. We have a hobby farm as well so all those hours add up to not enough time in the house. We love it because we can turn it on and walk away. Check it 8 hours later when we get home and shut it off for an hour or two to cool before we serve. Leftovers get shoved in the fridge and feed us a few extra days. Always a healthy veg soup in the crude and always lots of protein. I still used it when it was just my husband and I but the crockpot was smaller and extras got frozen. Just as convenient. I guess it really depends how you like to cook though.
  • GBrady43068
    GBrady43068 Posts: 1,256 Member
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    catscats222 wrote: »
    I eat chicken, but no red meat or pork.

    If you eat chicken, there are LOTS of yummy crockpot chicken recipes. Do a google search on "crock pot chicken" and you'll find them. Our meal list for this week alone includes honey chicken and "Mexican" chicken and both are crockpot. Also great for doing pulled chicken BBQ.

    If you buy the crock pot liners, cleanup is pretty simple.
  • maryjay52
    maryjay52 Posts: 557 Member
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    i use my crockpot all of the time . i have a big one and i have gone through three of them in the last five years . my boys are teens so they eat alot and i work for a living so a crockpot is my savior . if you have time to stand over the stove and stir the pot every five minutes you are lucky. for me i use the crockpot because it saves me time and i dont have to worry about things burning because i forgot to stir something.
  • stealthq
    stealthq Posts: 4,298 Member
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    If you're not a fan of long-cooked foods that normally need baby-sitting (soups, stews, beans from dried, caramelized onions, pulled meats, jams, etc) then you're probably right. I like mine (it was a gift), but I wish I had a smaller size. Mine's a 7.5 qt, and I usually cook just for me.

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