I'm a crock pot failure :(

[lukenick1]

I wish I was good at crock pot cooking. Life would be so much easier for sure. However, everything i make in it either lacks flavor, over cooks, or under cooks. What gives??? I have this great book called "Fix it and Forget it" but have yet to eat something good from it.
Is it my crock pot? I am using a 16 year old Rival.

 

[Pooh Girl 71]

What are you making and what issues are you having? I can't make primarily meat. Anytime I need to add rice or potatoes (with the exception of potatoes with pot roast) it is always a failure.

The age of crockpot may be an issue. It could not be working right.

 

[lukenick1]

What are you making and what issues are you having? I can't make primarily meat. Anytime I need to add rice or potatoes (with the exception of potatoes with pot roast) it is always a failure.

The age of crockpot may be an issue. It could not be working right.

I think it may get too hot.

 

[Pigeon]

I think the older ones work better.

Meatloaf works well. Make your favorite recipe and place on a doubled up strip of foil to serve as a sling to lift it.

Pork loin with some herbs on a bed of onions and potatoes with about a quarter cup of vinegar is good.

The key thing is not using too much liquid or the food is tasteless.

 

[Pigeon]

The new ones cook hotter than the old ones.

 

[bekkiz]

This book is fabulous http://www.amazon.com/Cooker-Revolution-Editors-Americas-Kitchen/dp/1933615699

I've made a few things from it and they've turned out really well. The biggest problem I've found is that you really need to do some prep, I can almost never just dump things in. If I take the time to saute the veggies or brown the meat, the finished product is 100x better.

 

[Christine]

You might not be doing anything wrong. You might just not like how crock pot food tastes. I'm not a huge fan of it myself but there are a few things that do fine in it--barbeque pork/beef/chicken is something. Other than that, I sort of feel like you do. And I have crockpots ranging of 30 years old that I still have to a newer one that is about 8 years old. The food doesn't taste better in one of the other.

 

[Shmily1]

It may be that your crock pot's temperature is not constant. I have one that always gets too hot. It's sometimes a little bit too hot and sometimes way too hot. I bought a new one (or two ) to replace it and now all is fine.

 

[cepmom]

I find a lot of great crock pot recipes at skinnytaste.com

http://www.skinnytaste.com/search/label/Crock Pot Recipes

The Crockpot Sesame Honey Chicken is awesome! Also really liked the Santa Fe chicken and Pork and Green Chile Stew.

 

[Bob NC]

I wish I was good at crock pot cooking. Life would be so much easier for sure. However, everything i make in it either lacks flavor, over cooks, or under cooks. What gives??? I have this great book called "Fix it and Forget it" but have yet to eat something good from it.
Is it my crock pot? I am using a 16 year old Rival.

I think you are expecting too much. If you are expecting food cooked in a crock pot to taste like food cooked in a more conventional way you are going to be sorely disappointed.

Many people are willing to trade off taste, consistency of the food for ease and convenience.

I have tried to crock pot many times and I am simply not willing to make that trade off.

 

[Disneylover99]

I have a cheap blade roast in my old crockpot right now.

I put precut carrots on the bottom, a half of a cup of water and beef boillion poured over the carrots and then the roast on top seasoned with salt, pepper and garlic.

I turned it on low at 6am and we will eat at 5pm. Cheap cuts of roast are the only thing I cook in my crockpot, but it is yummy and quick with zero prep time.

 

[TifffanyD]

About the only thing I really cook in mine and it is awesome is a turkey roast with potatoes. I think I did a pork roast and my husband liked it.

I've done oatmeal and that was good but have to watch and stir.

Used to do pulled chicken but it is faster and better if I boil and shred.

I don't like how the things that come off the meat (fat? something else?) end up in the food... makes the texture weird...

 

[lukenick1]

You might not be doing anything wrong. You might just not like how crock pot food tastes. I'm not a huge fan of it myself but there are a few things that do fine in it--barbeque pork/beef/chicken is something. Other than that, I sort of feel like you do. And I have crockpots ranging of 30 years old that I still have to a newer one that is about 8 years old. The food doesn't taste better in one of the other.

I think you may be onto something here......

 

[lukenick1]

I have a cheap blade roast in my old crockpot right now.

I put precut carrots on the bottom, a half of a cup of water and beef boillion poured over the carrots and then the roast on top seasoned with salt, pepper and garlic.

I turned it on low at 6am and we will eat at 5pm. Cheap cuts of roast are the only thing I cook in my crockpot, but it is yummy and quick with zero prep time.

What is a blade roast?

 

[BuzznBelle'smom]

I love my crockpot, and make meals in it about once a week. I'm a fan of crockpot365 (it's both a website, and you can buy the books).

I will say, the crockpot tends to make the meat fall apart. If this isn't something you care for, that may be the problem. I like it for some stuff--pot roast, barbecued pulled chicken--but stuff with bones doesn't work for me.

I also couldn't be bothered to brown stuff on the stove first. If I'm going to do that, I might as well just cook on the stove. So, that's what I do for chili, spaghetti sauce, and so forth. I do soups on the stove, as well--mostly because we're big pasta fans, and pasta DOES NOT WORK in the crockpot.

It's well-known that older crockpots cook at lower temperatures. Keep this in mind, and go for the lower range of cooking time. I wouldn't recommend you get another crockpot until you figured out if it's really worth your while. While I like mine, I don't think it's something everybody MUST have.

 

[java]

These are 2 good ones IMHO
http://www.food.com/recipe/crock-pot-whole-chicken-33671

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/paula-deen/pot-roast-recipe/index.html

Other than those 2 I rarely use it. I think of it as cold weather fare.

 

[bookgirl]

1. Crockpots work best with long cooking times and lower heat. Any piece of meat that is lean is better in a quick cook method. Fatty and marbled meats work best. You can do loins or chicken but the cook time needs to be no more than 3-4 hours.

2. Do not open the crockpot to check on the food. The nature of crockpots is to have a steady temp. If you open the lid you change the temp and then the pot has to 'come up to temp' again. Every time you open the crock you have to add about 30 minutes to your cook time and that up and down will just ruin the food.

3. It really is a matter of taste and texture. I do pulled pork, salsa chicken, soups/stews, I've even done country ribs, but they are all foods that do well when the flavors have time to marry and the meat doesn't have to be 'firm'. If you don't like those charecters of food you're not going to like crockpot foods. I've done a few whole chickens and potroasts (beef and pork), but I have to plan to use the meat for enchiladas or tacos or as a component or just plan to serve it as shredded meat. If you try to serve a crockpot chicken or roasts as a sliced meat it just doens't have the right consistancy.

 

[Disneylover99]

What is a blade roast?

I think a blade roast comes from the shoulder (or just below) of the cow. It's usually a tougher piece of meat. When I cook it on low for 10-12 hours it is quite tender in the crock pot.

 

[njmom47]

I have a really old Rival crockpot and use it often.
Lately, I've made chili, pork roast (which I threw back in the next day with bbq sauce for pulled pork sandwiches), beef pot roast, stew, and sausage/meatballs (with spaghetti sauce).
I can't cook a roast in the oven to save my life but we were very happy with a roast done in the crockpot (I used a bottom round, dumped some water and a package of Lipton Onion Soup mix in there, and let it go).

I don't know what the response to your statement is, but bookgirl had some good points.
Keep trying...you'll get the hang of it!!

 

[Ponygirl]

I love the idea of a slow cooker. I just don't like the taste and texture. I'm not that crazy about what I feel like is boiled food.

However, I do love Reynold's slow cooker liners. If you use your crock pot, you gotta have these: http://www.walmart.com/ip/Reynolds-Slow-Cooker-Liners-4-ct/11027103

Cheap and no clean up. Amazing!