Am I a crockpot candidate?

[Anonymous]

I've seen a couple of posts about crockpot recipes and I've been thinking about getting one. I love to cook but I mostly do everything on the stove which means I'm standing in the kitchen for the entire time I'm cooking. This is getting more difficult with an infant. I would love to start learning to use my oven more, but that's a whole different thread. So what's the deal with crockpots?

Do you really let stuff cook for hours and hours? Do you have to be home while it's on? (I'm SAH, so it's ok if you have to be there).

I picture crockpot meals being like beef stew or chili and that's about it. Is it used for anything less heavy/hearty?

[Anonymous]

I don't use my crock pot very often, but have made some good meals in it. Yesterday I actually made turkey chili and I have also made pulled pork, lasagna, and some other things. I usually start it in the morning and then when I get home later in the afternoon, it is done. Some things are hits and some are misses, but it is nice to just come home and have everything ready. I would like to make some more soups, etc, so I will look into that.

[Anonymous]

Crockpots, aka slow cookers, are good for cooking foods on low heat for a long time. Great for inexpensive cuts of meat.

We have one with a timer so that we can leave it on while we are out of the house, and it automatically switches to warm after the prescribed amount of time.

For ideas on what you can cook with one, peruse http://crockpot365.blogspot.com/. The left column lists categories (chicken, soup, Italian, dessert, etc).

[Anonymous]

I can't for the life of me picture how you make lasagna in one of those things. Do you cook the noodles first? What would be the difference between lasagna cooked in the oven vs the crockpot.

I should also ask, do you typically just put in uncooked ingredients and, poof, it turns into food? Or do you still have to brown the meat first or anything?

[Anonymous]

For lasagna, you use the no-boil noodles and pre-cook the hamburger. It does work similar to an oven - anything that would require hours in the oven is perfect for the crockpot. I've made turkey and stuffing in mine. And yes, you can brown roasts before you put in the crock pot, but you don't have to. Soups, stews and beef roasts are the standard crock pot meal.

[Anonymous]

I love mine!

If you get one, definitely get the programmable kind, as PP described, so it will switch over to warm when the food is done.

Yes, you essentially put raw foods right in and several hours later, you have a meal. For some things, you would want to brown the meat first on the stovetop but for others, you put it directly in the crockpot as is. Depends on the recipe.

I like to cook also, so I don't use it daily, but there are times when it's indispensable. I work & have 3 elementary-age kids, and some days I know everyone's on a different schedule and will be running around with activities in the evening and I will have zero time to cook b/c I'm chauffering everyone around. So it's great to have a meal in there that everyone can eat whenever they get home. So I might get home from work, feed one kid, leave to go pick up another kid, in the meantime DH gets home with kid #3 & they eat dinner, then I get home and feed kid #2. We like to do things like bbq/pulled pork or chicken (just make your sandwich whenever you get home) on nights like that. There are also some really good vegetarian/bean recipes for the crockpot, and it's great for soups.

I know you can make lasagna in the crockpot. I have not tried that, but I have made ravioli in it! Sounds bizarre, but it was pretty good & the kids liked it. It was more like a baked ravioli, with cheese melted on top.

[Anonymous]

I am the PP who made turkey chili last night. It was really good and easy, although a little spicy for my kids. I am sure you could adjust that...here is the recipe:

http://allrecipes.com//Recipe/lauras-quick-slow-cooker-turkey-chili/Detail.aspx

I agree with getting the programmable one.

[Anonymous]

Programmable definitely, love my slow cooker.

I do think it is hard to find good recipes. Many of them are so-so. But when you have a winner, it can't be beat.

I'm making chicken noodle soup right now -- my husband has a cold.

[Anonymous]

You can get a crockpot for little money around this time of year (Target often has them for under $20), so it wouldn't be much of an investment to start. The low-end ones don't have any bells and whistles and they don't have a long life, but they are a good buy to see if you would use it.

I love my crockpot. I started with stews and chilis, have have found some really good recipes for other stuff. For meat, you do have to like a "braised" type of cooking. If you are looking for a perfectly cooked medium-rare filet, a crockpot is not for you.

I've also done some good roasted veggies (when we need a veggie side but the oven is full with a turkey or roast) and I even did stuffing once. It wasn't bad.

The website link above is a good one. My favorite recipes are vietemese chicken, roasted chicken, peanut butter porkchops, and roasted veggies.

I'll admit to often just cooking recipes for longer than they say (since I'm not home). Often the meat just gets more tender. But if there isn't enough liquid, stuff can get burned (or at least taste overcooked). I have one with a timer, but the problem is if there is a power outage -even a short one - the darn thing turns off. It's happened twice (we have overhead power lines and our lights often go out for a second).

[Anonymous]

I agree with what's already been posted. I use mine a ton in the winter because I can have meals ready after daycare pickup without having to do much of anything besides set the table. I use it for stuff that you can easily make on the stovetop for just that reason. I esp like it on days I work from home-- I can throw stuff in over my lunch break and then it's ready for dinner (assuming it's not a recipe that needs 7-8 hours to cook). Stuff like homemade marinara- I toss the tomatoes, veggies, spices in and then it's ready to go and hot whenever we are ready to eat. Keeps it at a safe temp w/o burning so you are all ready to serve.

Dishes I like are:
pulled pork (throw in pork loin and BBQ sauce, shred w/ fork after 8-10 hrs or so)
chili and chicken chili (throw in raw chick breasts, shred w/ fork before serving)
various soups (minestrone, beef barley, etc etc)

lots of ideas on the 365 blog too

[Anonymous]

William Sonoma has some great starters to make stews and things in the crock pot. They are a little pricey but make a great meal when you have little time.

[Anonymous]

We do chili, Cinncinnati chili, beef stroganoff, pork (for BBQ sandwiches), sometimes I do a roast w/ veggies - add a package of dry onion soup mix, water and let it cook all day. So good and easy. I've done a few desserts to. Get a crock pot cookbook or find some recipes online. Oh - we did cabbage roll casserole on Wed. It was really good.

[Anonymous]

I just got a crockpot for the first time and I have discovered some cookbooks with healthy recipes that I am excited to try. I used to associate crockpot cooking with people just dumping in canned soups and a hodgepodge of other unhealthy ingredients that never really sounded appealing to me but you can actually make healthy meals in it.

I just got the Indian slow cooker cookbook and the recipes look so flavorful. They do require a little more prep work up front (browning meats for example) but I don't mind doing this for a better end product.