I am not entirely sure I understand the point of using crockpots/slow cookers. Through my library I ordered many books on cooking with a crockpot and in general, most of the recipes could easily be done on the stove in no time at all. In fact, most of the recipes called for browning meat and onions before putting the food in the crockpot. You have to add the vegetables toward the end so they do not get overcooked. You have to add the spices towards the end of the cooking process or else most of them lose their flavour… Sounds a lot like making a stovetop meal to me but it a longer process!
For me, there are a few benefits that help me out. First, you can use tougher cuts of meat that fall apart after stewing in the crockpot a long, long time. Yum! Second, you can avoid turning on your stove or oven in the summer and still have a hot meal. Lately the heat has been taunting me, making my kitchen beg me to not heat it any higher, so I took out my crockpot and filled it with chicken broth, herbs like rosemary from my garden, bay leaves, peppercorns and dried minced onion in order to make flavourful and tender chicken breasts. It worked! I have been using the chicken for my pasta salads, sandwiches…you name it.
I know there are a lot of crockpot enthusiasts out there and I am wondering, what is it about crockpot cooking that makes your life taste better? How does it help you in the kitchen?
I have to confess; I’m a fan. Part of this is because if I have a busy day ahead it’s nice to know most of supper is already taken care of. A large part of this is because I live in the Southeastern US. It’s going to be 97 F today with the heat index topping 100. Tending the stove or firing up the oven holds little appeal today!
That said, I also appreciate what my husband calls “cooking with gusto”: aka taking up every square inch of counter space and every burner on the stove (even if cleanup isn’t so fun!).
As you know, I was up early this morning prepping dinner to go into my crockpot. Usually, the crockpot is an easy meal for me. I dont typically bother braising or anything else. I throw a roast or something in there, put it on low, go to work and when i come home it is shredded, tender and juicy. Then I incorporate the meat into several meals throughout the week.
Linnea, that’s exactly what I figured, especially with the heat it’s a wonderful tool to avoid making a hot kitchen any more unbearable yet still having a great meal.
I did the same with my chicken Tanaya, have been using it all weekend which was a treat! It’s perfect for meat!
I’m somewhere in the middle on using my crockpot. I love the meals that come from it… however, I tend to forget about using it! Sometimes the prep work seems more trouble than it is worth.
I’m putting pork in the crockpot in about40 minutes, we will have pulled pork for supper today. I hate cooking in the heat. Wish I was more familiar with my BBQ.
I have never used a crockpot, just the “cooking with gusto” ( I like that!!) *LOL*
sounds like a cool idea, put it in and at the end of the day have this great meal. although as a solo person, i don’t know that i would want to eat anything for a week! 🙂 might be good for dinner parties though, hmmmm
giving me something to think about! 🙂
For me it’s mostly a time issue. Since my husband and I both work full time, if we want to prepare something like a roast and waited until we got home to throw it in the oven, we wouldn’t be eating until well after 8 o’clock. I try to choose my recipes so they don’t require braising or adding much last minute. However, if it’s just a few spices and some starch to give the sauce a bit of thickening, we usually do that right after coming home and then eat in about a half an hour and enjoy all the leftovers on sandwiches and such throughout the week.
I looove my crockpot. I don’t use it much in the summer – alot the rest of the year though. I make everything from pot roasts to brownies. I use it alot to make applesause and apple butter. With my busy schedule – kids and art and kids etc..having it done by dinner time is heavenly.
We worked a horse ranch ten years back.(a whole other story) The trailer had one electric plug. No stove or running water (was a bit of a surprise). I learned to cook almost anything in that crock pot – still can cook most anything on an open flame!! So..I guess you could say I am a big fan!!! Hugs, Sarah
First of all I have to say that I hardly ever use my crockpot. That said, there are some reasons I still keep it around.
1. You don’t have to babysit it. I’m comfortable leaving the crockpot on when I’m not home, but not the stove or oven. Even if I am at home, I can just forget about it. This is great for cooking beans and things that take forever.
2. You can have a hot meal ready when you walk in the door after being gone all day. Even if you could make the same thing with much less time, when you walk in the door starving for dinner, it’s nice not to have to wait the extra 30-60 minutes it would take to get dinner on the table.
Great discussion!
I just like being able to cook dinner while I’m at work. The slow cooker isn’t good for everything (beef stew turns to mush) but the convenience can’t be beat.
I love using my crockpot. Try to do it at least once a week. Hubby and I work long days and when we get home it’s nice to have dinner ready. I definitely prefer the recipes where you just drop in a bunch of ingredients and leave it. No fussing around.
And if you like pulled pork, this recipe is AMAZING.
I absolutely *love* using my crockpot. I love how tender the meats get and how full of flavor the food gets (given the right recipes)! Our favorite crockpot recipe is Beef Burgundy over whole wheat noodles.I want to experiment and use the crock pot a lot more than I already do.
If you haven’t found it already, there is a fantastic blog called A Year of Slow Cooking–
http://crockpot365.blogspot.com/
This woman used her crock pot/s every single day for a year and made everything from soups, cassaroles, drinks & deserts! She gives the recipes, talks about how easy/difficult it was to make and how the recipe was liked (or not)her family. Sometimes she gives hints on how to improve recipes, as well. Its a fun blog!
Like others, I sometimes use it for cooking during the day. I also use it to make soup stock – I keep a bag in my freezer for onion & garlic skins, the ends of carrots & aspargus, etc. When the bag’s full I dump it into a pan or my crockpot (sometimes with chicken or other bones) & add a few fresh bay leaves & other herbs, then simmer for awhile. I don’t cook a lot of meat, so use it more for baked beans & such.
The other use may give you a chuckle (or a sigh) – I have a beautiful oval crockpot in my massage office, for ‘hot stone massage’ – mmmm! You can spend booko bucks on a fancy ‘stone cooker’ that’s basically a crock pot, but more expensive!
Mine has three settings. I cover my river rocks (gathered here in the NW) with hot water & add a scoop (~ a Tbsp) of rock salt, & turn on high for an hour. I have a matching bowl (stainless steel on the outside, with an inner food storage bowl of plastic) about half full of cold water, for slightly cooling the stones. & a slotted spoon (locally made by my wooden spoon guy 🙂 to dip them out of their ‘bath.’ I usually turn the pot down during the massage. Works great!
& yes, I get requests (esp my daughter, lol) for ‘hot rocks’ even on hot days, as our office is ~ 70* so it does feel good!
For crockpot meals I usually go with the ones that are:
Step 1) Throw everything in
Step 2) It’s ready!
There are lots that require more work but I don’t use them, or I alter them to meet the two steps above.
I used to have crockpot meal every Sunday because I was around the house but busy all day. That tradition stopped somewhere along the way, I wonder why.
crockpots are good for melting your beeswax to do encaustic art 🙂
Lots of cooking miracles to you, Suzie!
k-
One of my husbands favorite meals during the winter is beans and corn bread and the crockpot is perfect to use since the I managed to burn the beans the few times I tried to cook them on the stove. Pretty simple I soak the beans overnight and put them, some water, and pinto bean seasoning in and switch it to high for 8 hours. I also found a french dip recipe a few years ago that I tend to make in the fall since I don’t cook much during the summer months.
I figure crockpots are like any other kitchen tool if you use it and enjoy it then it’s an excellent appliance to have but if it stays put up most of the time and you don’t like using it then get rid of it and find something that you love to work with when your in the kitchen.
I love my crockpot! I’m still learning how to use it. I want to cook things in it more often, but I find it harder to use in the summer time.
Funny, I just got both of mine out to use this week. I realized I can put things in there and then focus on other stuff. I love them. There’s even a vegetarian crockpot book. I usually do soup or chili or even a spiced cider in mine. Also good for when people are eating at different times too.