New to the slow-cooker

[CanadianGuitarist 0]

How much water should I add? Is the amount of time I leave in in the Crock dependant on food? weight? What about marinating?

[Maztinho 0]

It's all dependant on everything, if you want something super primo.

 

BUT, a basic rule of thumb is about two inches. I don't know why, but my grandma puts everything in about two inches and nothing seems to be overly spoilt.

 

*shrugs*

[CanadianGuitarist 0]

This thread read "Replies 1, Views 0"

 

S'all I got.

[Maztinho 0]

Just check it periodically and if the water is gone... add more?

[NoCalMike 0]

You can use broth instead of water as well.

[Special K 0]

A ham hock and beans (pinto and navy) with a can of generic tomato sauce is bomb.

 

The day before you cook it, soak the beans in water, then throw out the water. It 'de-farts' the beans. Seriously. Then you're gettin' a stew on, baby.

[Kismet 0]

I use mine alot. Homemade chicken noodle soup( I gotta use a thickener, I don't like a thin broth), pot roast, chili left simmering on a winters day, and my favorite lately is a bbq meatball recipe I just tried out. Made subs from it for a few days.

 

As for leaving it on, it depends on the recipe and what you are doing. For the soups and such, it can be left on all day on a lower setting with occasional stirring. The bbq meatballs,I put them together and cooked the meatballs themselves for a bit til they were ready for the slow cooker. Then I cooked them on a higher setting til the sauce thickened, then left it on the lowest setting for an hour or two. All ready for when the better half got home. I like using it, as once whatever you made is put together, you usually don't have to sit and watch over it.

[kkktookmybabyaway 0]

The better half bought a bunch of crappy insta-meals (Or whatever those things are called; "insta" for a slow cooker? Yeesh.) and they were shit, which meant I had to wind up eating it all. Did ribs one time and that went over rather well.

[EricMM 0]

I tried to make oatmeal one time in mine, and apparently ours is crappy, Low is too low, and High scorches it...

[MrRant 0]

Just check it periodically and if the water is gone... add more?

 

You don't want to open the lid if at all possible as it defeats the purpose.

 

 

Try making some pulled pork. An easy way is to pick up one of the packages of seasoning, about a pound of pork roast, put it all in and go away for about 6-8 hours.

 

Stew is easy as well.

 

Check out http://allrecipes.com

[NoCalMike 0]

Corned Beef & Cabbage!!!

[CanadianGuitarist 0]

NoCal, I hate em both.

 

But my love of beer is at least satisfying my Irish ancestors.

[MarvinisaLunatic 0]

I tried to make oatmeal one time in mine, and apparently ours is crappy, Low is too low, and High scorches it...

 

The Oat Cuisine episode of Good Eats is what you need to watch, but I dont know when its on so you can just read that transcript and skip to scene 13 for the part about cooking oatmeal in a slow cooker. Alton even put his slow cooker next to his bed on low and let it go all night so that when he woke up, hed wake up to 5 lbs of oatmeal ready for him in bed. The transcript even has what to look for if you want to buy a slow cooker courtesy of W and Alton Gump...er..

 

Alton Brown = the King Geek of Food and one of my heroes.

 

Personally, one of my iritations with slow cookers is that they have a high setting..do not use it on high.

 

Theres a really good granola recipe on that episode too...but thats not slow cooker talk is it?

[NoCalMike 0]

You can also buy Turkey legs, put them in the slow cooker, sprinkle with whatever seasoning you like and cook them in there. My mom always made Cornish Hens in there. Good shit.

[Red Baron 0]

Ribs are amazing in a crock pot and cabbage rolls.

[razazteca 0]

pot roast or chicken + potatoes + carrots + onion + 4 ounces of broth or water = yummy

[BruiserKC 0]

Ribs are amazing in a crock pot and cabbage rolls.

 

 

I like to take a side of sirloin and put in the crock pot with a homemade BBQ sauce...the only thing better for BBQ is in a pit itself.

[CanadianGuitarist 0]

Thanks for all the ideas, by the way. I'd still been using my BBQ quite a bit when I started this thread...winter's pretty well here, and I've been using my slow cooker prolly three times a week.

 

My grandmother told me repeatedly when I picked it up that the great thing about it was the ability to throw basically whatever I want in a pot, and be able to add or take ingredients away as I like.

 

Also, great link Rant. Thanks. Check out www.tastycrockpotrecipes.com for a few good ones.

 

A few of my own concotions include a chili with a few things I won't share, shredded chicken with taco spices and cheese sauce, and stewing beef with carrots, dry onion soup mix, beer and potatoes.

[EricMM 0]

Yeah but a lot of that is water.

[Guest Legalise Drugs and Murder]

I've never eaten one thing from a crock pot that I liked. Everything just seemed..soggy. Or else was a soup, and I don't really go for soups or stews.

[EricMM 0]

I guess it sounds like you're adding too much liquids then, no?

 

But they're really for stuff that you want to stay as moist as possible, so...

 

Real good for soups, or steaming stuff.

[Guest Legalise Drugs and Murder]

I do almost all of my cooking on a grill or a skillet. I did get a pretty nice little dutch oven as an early christmas present though. I don't know how I've cooked so long without one.

[EricMM 0]

There are many many kitchen pieces I wish I could have, but I fear my roommates would either fuck them up or keep them dirty.

 

I really need to live on my own.

[MrRant 0]

I've never eaten one thing from a crock pot that I liked. Everything just seemed..soggy. Or else was a soup, and I don't really go for soups or stews.

 

Make some pulled pork or roast beef. Things like that work really well.