Cooking Crock pot crazy

[kg66]

Just thought I'd chime in here to say I've tried 2 of the recipes listed here. Both from early posts in this thread. The beef stew with mushroom soup , sour cream and wide noodles was AWESOME . I did add a can of beef gravy to the soup and beef. That recipe was from disneyfan551. The 2nd recipe was for the pork roast with BBQ sauce, not sure who it was from right now, but I know she said her kids beg her for it. It was AMAZING. I can't wait for hubby to try it when he gets home. Thanks all.

 

[disneyfan551]

Wish I could take credit for it, but the recipe was actually from dizneenut! I had posted asking for her recipe, because it sounds SO yummy! Thanks for posting to let us know how the recipes turned out for you!

 

[lisafromkraft]

Hi - I work in the Kraft Kitchens and this recipe is one I make in my slow cooker - it is really easy.

Don't you love the slow cooker - coming home to dinner all ready after work or play? And I love that Tip that was posted, about adding water and deterg. to the dirty slow cooker and putting on low for a while for easy clean-up. I will definitely try that next time.

Has anyone tried those "slow cooker liner bags" that are available now (with the plastic wrap and foil) - I think those are a great idea.

Here is my slow cooker meatball recipe, Enjoy

Slow Cooker Saucy Meatballs

Prep: 10 min.
Total: 8 hours 25 min.

1 pkg. (6 oz.) Stove Top Stuffing Mix for Turkey
1-1/2l b. lean ground beef
1 egg, lightly beaten
1/2 cup water
2 cups sliced mushrooms
2 medium green peppers, sliced (about 2 cups)
4 cups spaghetti sauce
1 pkg. (1 lb.) spaghetti
1/3 cup Kraft 100% Grated Parmesan Cheese
COMBINE stuffing mix, meat, egg and water. Shape into 1-inch balls. Place in slow cooker; top with mushrooms, peppers and spaghetti sauce. Cover with lid.
COOK on LOW for 6 to 8 hours (or on for HIGH 3 to 4 hours).
COOK spaghetti as directed on package; drain. Serve meatballs with sauce over spaghetti. Sprinkle with cheese.
Makes 8 servings.

Serving Suggestion:
Serve with a mixed green salad tossed with your favorite Kraft Light Done Right! Reduced Fat Dressing.

Cooking Know-How:
Every time you lift the lid of your slow cooker, precious heat is lost. So, keep the lid on and resist the urge to peek!

Make it Easy:
Make your slow cooker preparation even faster. Prepare the meatballs and cut-up vegetables the night before. Cover and refrigerate until ready to add to the slow cooker. Top with the spaghetti sauce and continue as directed.

 

[DreamDelta]

I have a Rival crockpot (the stoneware kind, not metal cooking pot) and I put frozen roasts in all the time. In fact I've rarely put it in defrosted & have never browned the meat first. The directions recommend adding a cup of cold water/liquid to the crock if your meat is frozen.

I don't add anything but sauce when using frozen meatballs.

I just bought a Rival crockpot, metal on the outside... Is the stoneware kind better? I got the metal one because it has more features... Help!

 

[DreamDelta]

http://www.target.com/gp/detail.htm...alt_view=custReviews&asin=B00008KIWH&start=41

This is the one I bought...

Whaddya think?

 

[piratesmate]

http://www.target.com/gp/detail.htm...alt_view=custReviews&asin=B00008KIWH&start=41

This is the one I bought...

Whaddya think?

Sorry - that wasn't clear. Only the interior cooking "pot" is stoneware. It sits in a metal heating unit. Mine is like yours, just doesn't have as many features. DH bought it for me for Christmas last year and didn't think I needed the "programmable" feature.

What do most men know about cooking? Mine had to cook for a week to 10 days while I was in the hospital years ago....I came home and found that the new 10 lb bag of potatoes I'd just gotten was gone. He literally ate baked potatoes - and only baked potatoes every single day!

 

[DreamDelta]

What do most men know about cooking? Mine had to cook for a week to 10 days while I was in the hospital years ago....I came home and found that the new 10 lb bag of potatoes I'd just gotten was gone. He literally ate baked potatoes - and only baked potatoes every single day!

My DH thought that the crockpot was a deep fryer! When I brought it home he said, "That's a really big french fry maker!" Poor thing

 

[TPCShauna]

Sorry - that wasn't clear. Only the interior cooking "pot" is stoneware. It sits in a metal heating unit. Mine is like yours, just doesn't have as many features. DH bought it for me for Christmas last year and didn't think I needed the "programmable" feature.

What do most men know about cooking? Mine had to cook for a week to 10 days while I was in the hospital years ago....I came home and found that the new 10 lb bag of potatoes I'd just gotten was gone. He literally ate baked potatoes - and only baked potatoes every single day!

Hi Deb!

I have a friend who has the programmable one and she hates it. It doesn't allow you to just simmer something all day. You have to set the time and it cooks it on high for a portion of the time and then puts it down to low automatically. If you are making a pork roast or something that needs to simmer a long time at a really low temp, there is no way to do it in that crock pot. She has burned more stuff in hers because it cooked it too fast.

Give me my good ol' HIGH/LOW setting any day!

 

[tammyandtommy]

This all sounds good, anyone have any new ones? I am making a huge file for my computer of what to make for dinner!

 

[piratesmate]

Hi Deb!

I have a friend who has the programmable one and she hates it. It doesn't allow you to just simmer something all day. You have to set the time and it cooks it on high for a portion of the time and then puts it down to low automatically. If you are making a pork roast or something that needs to simmer a long time at a really low temp, there is no way to do it in that crock pot. She has burned more stuff in hers because it cooked it too fast.

Give me my good ol' HIGH/LOW setting any day!

Hmm...I'm glad to hear that! Not that I was sitting here wishing I had a programmable one, but I really would have considered it if this one needed replacing. And honestly, I much prefer most of my things to be cooked on low all day...or all night. I often will buy boneless chicken breasts in bulk and throw them in the crock overnight. Then I have all day to cool them so I can shred them and get them in the freezer for later. When I do them during the day I find it difficult sometimes to finish everything before bedtime...just because I get busy with something else.

 

[GoldenAfternoon]

I love this thread! Thanks for all of the great recipes Here is my beef stew recipe:

3 carrots, sliced
3 celery ribs, cut up
3 potatoes, cut into 1 in. cubes
2 lbs. beef, cut into 1-2 in. cubes
2 onions, quartered
1 cup beef broth
1/2 tsp. minced garlic
1 tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
Salt & pepper to taste

Combine all ingredients in crock pot. Stir well to mix seasonings. Cook on high 5-6 hours. It's delicious! Enjoy!

 

[BWVDenise]

I don't know if I have a "super" crock pot, or what... but if I cooked boneless chicken for 4-6 hours on high, my chicken would be stone. Even if I put frozen boneless chicken in my crock, I can't cook it for more than 2-3 hrs. Do I have a extra fast crock pot?

 

[piratesmate]

I don't know if I have a "super" crock pot, or what... but if I cooked boneless chicken for 4-6 hours on high, my chicken would be stone. Even if I put frozen boneless chicken in my crock, I can't cook it for more than 2-3 hrs. Do I have a extra fast crock pot?

Hmmm....I don't know either. I do mine on LOW and I usually add water for the broth. I shred the chicken and keep the broth for making tortilla soup, or for my rice pilaf recipe, etc. It beats buying College Inn. And I'm talking about doing 3+ pounds at a time. I have done it on high when I was in a hurry and I do think it took 4 - 6 hours.

The crockpot I got last Christmas (2005) does cook much faster than my older one...I had that one maybe a good 10 yrs or more.

 

[cryssi]

I've found that if you are going to be cooking chicken for any length of time (8+ hours), you have to use chicken on the bone with skin. I only use breasts, but found that what worked best when i was commuting was to use the ones with bone and skin. They stay moister, and you can just peel off the skin before you eat it. Also, add 1/4 to 1/2 c. alcohol, like white wine or beer. That is the trick to keeping your meat moist. The alcohol flavor cooks out, so you don't really taste it.

good luck!

 

[piratesmate]

Now see, I never use bone-in chicken in the crock anymore.

Thirty plus years ago, when I first got married, I used to make a whole chicken in the crock while I was working. It was in 8+ hours and I never noticed a problem with bone-in chicken in the crock.

I also used to make a recipe called "5 Flavors Chicken" that called for bone-in chicken to be made in the crock. It said to do it for 6 hours on LOW. I loved this recipe until about 15 yrs ago. Maybe it was the newer crock, but I hated the recipe with the bone-in chicken. The bones nearly dissintegrated! They were impossible to remove whole & you were left with "grit" in the meat because you couldn't get rid of them all.

 

[cryssi]

hmm, I do know what you mean about the bones falling apart, but so far it hasn't really been a problem for me...well, except to remember not to dump the leftover contents of the crock down the garbage disposal... b/c of the little bones. I've never tried a whole chicken though...I imagine I'd be frustrated too!

I don't really do chicken in the crock anymore, though, since I work a lot closer to home now...

I'm going to have to give your boneless on low all night a try...


btw (just went back and read some threads), I have that programmable Rival, too. I usually set the timer for 10 hrs LOW (or whatever, depending on what I make) and it switches to warm after it is done cooking. You're not supposed to leave it on warm for more than 4 hrs, though , so I haven't really tried any new chicken recipes...

 

[GlennandAnn]

I want to make one of the recipes posted on this thread for the beef roast with a jar of Heinz gravy (sorry, I can't remember who posted it), butI have a question. Will the gravy be thick or more watery? I'd like to have a thicker gravy. I know I can add corn starch, but how much would I add just to thicken the gravy up a bit? Do any of you Crock Pot Goddesses know the answer?

TIA,

Ann

 

[piratesmate]

hmm, I do know what you mean about the bones falling apart, but so far it hasn't really been a problem for me...well, except to remember not to dump the leftover contents of the crock down the garbage disposal... b/c of the little bones. I've never tried a whole chicken though...I imagine I'd be frustrated too!

I don't really do chicken in the crock anymore, though, since I work a lot closer to home now...

I'm going to have to give your boneless on low all night a try...


btw (just went back and read some threads), I have that programmable Rival, too. I usually set the timer for 10 hrs LOW (or whatever, depending on what I make) and it switches to warm after it is done cooking. You're not supposed to leave it on warm for more than 4 hrs, though , so I haven't really tried any new chicken recipes...

Oops - what I posted wasn't clear at all!

OK - The recipe I was talking about with the disintegrated bones called for pieces..not the whole chicken. And the reason it was so bad (even on LOW) was that at the end you were supposed to take the juices, add cornstarch & cook to thicken and serve it as a sauce. Unfortunately, the bits of bone made the impossible. I really screwed that up!

Oh - and one "warning" about cooking a big bag of boneless overnight. I find the smell to be...ummm...well, a bit sickening first thing in the morning. DH likes it, but I think the smell of chicken for breakfast is what does me in. But if I've forgotten to put it one early enough during the day, I'll do it. I don't want to set the alarm to turn off the crock. LOL

Then I just put it in the refrigerator until it's cook enough to shred & repackage into meal-sized portions.

Actually I find that I use the crockpot less often...maybe it's because I'm not working & have more time for cooking and maybe it's just because those recipes seem bland & boring now. Mostly I use it to cook chicken, beef or pork for the purpose of shredding it.

 

[cryssi]

yikes! lol One of my recipes that I posted here, the one with chicken, fat free italian dressing and white wine...DH likes to spoon the sauce over it when eating, but since it's just us, we navigate the bones...lol

Oh - and one "warning" about cooking a big bag of boneless overnight. I find the smell to be...ummm...well, a bit sickening first thing in the morning.

hmm...

 

[GrayFal]

Hmm...I'm glad to hear that! Not that I was sitting here wishing I had a programmable one, but I really would have considered it if this one needed replacing. And honestly, I much prefer most of my things to be cooked on low all day...or all night. I often will buy boneless chicken breasts in bulk and throw them in the crock overnight. Then I have all day to cool them so I can shred them and get them in the freezer for later. When I do them during the day I find it difficult sometimes to finish everything before bedtime...just because I get busy with something else.

Hey Deb......
I would like to try that...read about it someplace - cooking, shredding and then freezing in portion size.
So how do you do it?
what do you add?
TIA