Scared of my slow cooker
katieleggett_321
Posts: 37 Member
I have a slow cooker and literally have no idea what it does.
Will it blow my house up? will it turn itself off? wheres best for receipies?
Im out the house 12-13 hours a day, will this work for me?
Will it blow my house up? will it turn itself off? wheres best for receipies?
Im out the house 12-13 hours a day, will this work for me?
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Replies
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Slow cookers are great for stews, you need to read the manuel re whether it will turn itself off. It shouldn't get hot enough to be a risk unless you have pets that will jump on the counter and knock it off. I used to set it going on low, leave for work, back home 13 hours later to cooked dinner. There are lots of blogs, recipes Facebook pages full of slow cooker enthusiasts, but a basic almost no work meal, pound of chicken thighs, tin diced tomatoes, 1/3 cup dry red lentils, 1/2 cup red wine, or water, chicken stock cube or tsp of stock powder, 2 pounds mixed frozen veggies, put all into slow cooker turn on to low, leave for 12 or so hours, serve0
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I LOVE my crockpot/slow cooker. Many times its the only reason we eat actual meals! You can cook pretty much anything in it. My best suggestion is search for slow cooker recipes on Pinterest......there are what feels like gazillions! If you are truly paranoid they do make slow cookers that are wifi capable and can be controlled from your phone.5
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Just made taco soup (tons). Fantastic stuff.3
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Make sure it shuts off/has a timer - or I think you can buy a regular timer to plug it into!
I had a cheapo cooker, ($20?) was gone at work longer than I expected... my 8 hour chicken & dumplings cooked for 12... burnt on the bottom like a half inch thick and the handles disintegrated on the cooker!! They fell off all crumbly right in my hands.
So then I bought one that was like $50 w a timer shut off & had no more issues!!5 -
I love my slow cooker. You can do roasts. Stews. Anything really can be put in one. We both work and are busy so fantastic to come home after a long day to a already cooked meal, just steam some vegies or put on rice cooker & voila instant meal.4
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Don't be scared, they are the best!! If yours does not already have a timer you can buy a timer for your outlet because 12-13 hours is too long. Most recipes only need 6-8. You could also put the meals together before bed then have it ready for the next day. There are so many recipes out there. Pinterest is a great source, or here are a couple sites to get you started.
http://www.crockpotgirls.com/
https://www.365daysofcrockpot.com/5 -
Go for it, changed my life....
Only downside is that i find it slightly harder to estimate portion sizes as i usually batch cook1 -
We use ours probably 3, 4 times a week. There's a bolognaise in there as I type this. Both husband and I work fulltime and we have two children. So by the time we're all home at 6pm later, there will be a lovely meal ready. Just need to boil a little pasta to go with it and Bob's your uncle.
We just have a basic crockpot and we use a separate timer in the socket. So if, for whatever reason, we won't be home by 6, it will stop anyway.
Google and Pinterest are great for recipes. My favourites are stews, chili con carne, soups, pulled pork and bolognaise of course.2 -
Mine's running right now while I'm at work; I'm making this for my son's football potluck dinner tonight:
https://www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/smoky-baked-beans3 -
I love mine but I am kinda paranoid about leaving anything on when I leave the house because my dogs are home and crated. I won't even leave the dryer to finish.......9.5 times out of 10 nothing would happen but I just need that peace of mind........love those babies lol.5
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YUM! get it going!, let it do all the cooking. get out the wine and get sipping, then enjoy your full dinner!1
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katieleggett_321 wrote: »I have a slow cooker and literally have no idea what it does.
Will it blow my house up? will it turn itself off? wheres best for receipies?
Im out the house 12-13 hours a day, will this work for me?
What kind of slow cooker do you have? What do you want to cook?
I have 3 slow cookers. They have never exploded or caught fire.
Generally food is cooked for 8-10 hours on low but depends on what you are making.
One of my slow cookers has digital controls and is programmable. You can set it to stop cooking at a certain point. It has the most features. I would probably use this if I was going to be gone 12-13 hours and it was something that could overcook.
Another has a knob with 3 settings- keep warm, low and high- that you manually set. It does not shut off or switch settings on its own. I use this one the most.
The third and smallest just has a knob that goes from on to off. I use this least. The temperature is kind of very high and it is too small for most things. I would not leave the house with this one on.
I have a couple of slow cooker cookbooks. There are slow cooker recipes on recipe web sites like allrecipes. There are videos on youtube. There are blogs devoted to slow cooking. http://www.ayearofslowcooking.com/2005/01/table-of-contents-year-of-slow-cooking.html
https://www.chowhound.com/food-news/175311/slow-cooker-crock-pot-guide-beginners/
I place my slow cooker in a location so it is not touching anything on any side.
I most often use mine for large pieces of meat like a roast or soups or stews. I have used it for oatmeal, baking potatoes, corn on the cob, baked apples but those do not have as long of cooking times.2 -
katieleggett_321 wrote: »I have a slow cooker and literally have no idea what it does.
Will it blow my house up? will it turn itself off? wheres best for receipies?
Im out the house 12-13 hours a day, will this work for me?
I live and die by my slow cooker. It is wonderful for all kinds of soups, stews, and casseroles. You just have to dump your ingredients in, set it, and ignore it.
Any recipe site will have a section specifically for slow cooker recipes but one of my favorites that is only for the slow cooker is http://www.ayearofslowcooking.com/2005/01/table-of-contents-year-of-slow-cooking.html
ETA: my slow cooker is a Crock Pot from Rival that is 35 years old and still cooking great.
ETA2: Cook in it for a little while before trying to adapt recipes for it. The moisture content of foods cooked in a slow cooker is way different than that cooked in an oven so it would be better to get a feel for it first.
ETA3: I don't like the ones with timers. If you are not home when it turns off, the slowly cooling food (especially if there is meat) can be a breeding ground for nasties.0 -
The slow cooker is a GODSEND. However, if you're out of the house for that one and yours does not have a timer, you may want to invest in one that does. That's it. Seriously, it's one of the best culinary inventions ever. They are made with the purpose to be on for extended periods of time. For recipes, I'd start with Pinterest and go from there.0
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Derpy_Hooves wrote: »We use ours probably 3, 4 times a week. There's a bolognaise in there as I type this. Both husband and I work fulltime and we have two children. So by the time we're all home at 6pm later, there will be a lovely meal ready. Just need to boil a little pasta to go with it and Bob's your uncle.
We just have a basic crockpot and we use a separate timer in the socket. So if, for whatever reason, we won't be home by 6, it will stop anyway.
Google and Pinterest are great for recipes. My favourites are stews, chili con carne, soups, pulled pork and bolognaise of course.
@Derpy_Hooves Um, about that bolognese recipe...maybe share? Pretty please?0 -
Derpy_Hooves wrote: »We use ours probably 3, 4 times a week. There's a bolognaise in there as I type this. Both husband and I work fulltime and we have two children. So by the time we're all home at 6pm later, there will be a lovely meal ready. Just need to boil a little pasta to go with it and Bob's your uncle.
We just have a basic crockpot and we use a separate timer in the socket. So if, for whatever reason, we won't be home by 6, it will stop anyway.
Google and Pinterest are great for recipes. My favourites are stews, chili con carne, soups, pulled pork and bolognaise of course.
@Derpy_Hooves Um, about that bolognese recipe...maybe share? Pretty please?
Second the request. You share yours and I will share my reduced fat crock pot lasagna recipe
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Don't fear the crockpot! I'm using mine today to make bean soup. Mine has 4 settings (4 & 6 hour high and 8 and 10 hour low). It goes to warm setting when the time is up. Never have had a problem with burning.0
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skymningen wrote: »
Low is still high enough of a temp to prevent bacteria growing (190° where the recommended lowest temp for food is 140°).
As you should with all food, something cooked in the slow cooker should be refrigerated immediately, not allowed to cool on the counter.2 -
If you are gone for 12 hours most recipes are for 6 to 8 hrs I set my crockpot to turn on such that the time I get home it is perfect cooked. Black bean soup, pulled pork or chicken, chilli are all favorite choices. Also homemade stock2
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BRILLIANT thread!
I PANIC at the thought of using a slow cooker.0 -
If you are gone for 12 hours most recipes are for 6 to 8 hrs I set my crockpot to turn on such that the time I get home it is perfect cooked. Black bean soup, pulled pork or chicken, chilli are all favorite choices. Also homemade stock
The beauty of a slow cooker is that it is almost impossible to overcook something. If I am going to be gone longer than the 8 hours, I don't worry about it because the food will keep. I am more worried about the safety of food sitting out for a couple of hours before it starts cooking.
(My grandfather had a restaurant so my Dad was a stickler for food safety. He trained me well)0 -
They sell bags for the slow cooker. Totally worth it. It helps so I barely have to rinse the pot before putting it away!0
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Don't fear the crockpot! I'm using mine today to make bean soup. Mine has 4 settings (4 & 6 hour high and 8 and 10 hour low). It goes to warm setting when the time is up. Never have had a problem with burning.
One tip - you shouldn't cook dried beans in a slow cooker (especially kidney beans). It doesn't get hot enough to get rid of certain poisonous toxins. Dried beans should only be cooked via normal stove/oven or pressure cooker.
Canned beans are fine in a slow cooker.0 -
I love my slow cooker, but there are only a few recipes I find acceptable on work days. Even with the timer, things like chicken or lean pork loin turn into unpalatable mush during any cook time over 6-8 hours. I prefer soups/stews and recipes that use tougher, fattier cuts of meat like pot roast or pork shoulder on long cook days. Beans are the BEST! I like to save chicken and lean pork for quicker cooking methods that work better the grill or oven.1
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You should be scared. There is a reason why the Colonials referred to the Cylons as "Toasters" after all.1
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nakedraygun wrote: »You should be scared. There is a reason why the Colonials referred to the Cylons as "Toasters" after all.
That's why I don't have a fracking toaster oven.1 -
Don't fear the crockpot! I'm using mine today to make bean soup. Mine has 4 settings (4 & 6 hour high and 8 and 10 hour low). It goes to warm setting when the time is up. Never have had a problem with burning.
One tip - you shouldn't cook dried beans in a slow cooker (especially kidney beans). It doesn't get hot enough to get rid of certain poisonous toxins. Dried beans should only be cooked via normal stove/oven or pressure cooker.
Canned beans are fine in a slow cooker.
While I do agree kidney beans should not be slow cooked, pinto beans work well, I make "refried" beans in mine.2 -
Here are my two easiest ones.
Generic pulled pork good for pork tacos, pulled pork sandwiches, adding to rice and beans, I sometimes will eat it wrapped in lettuce
Put a Pork Shoulder in there
Pour in some white wine maybe a 1/2cup, just pour some in there whatever you do it'll be fine. (make sure you have some for yourself too)
add a chopped onion
add a few scoops of pre-diced jarred garlic
Salt
Pepper
Dont worry about stirring anything... it will look like you need to... if you want to go ahead and do it.
Set on Low for 9 hours or however long you're gone (it will be fine)
Remove meat from liquid and pull it into shreds with a couple forks
Devour
Spicy Italian Beef great for sandwiches and (Freezes really well)
Get a Beef Roast however big you want, you are an adult. (I usually use about a 5 lb rump roast)
Put in Slow cooker
Poor in an entire jar of giardiniera (mild or hot depending on how spicy you like stuff)
Set on low for however long you are gone
Come home and scoop some on a bun.
Eat until you regret it.
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