I recently purchased a crock pot. It seemed a brilliant plan at the time.
OK, perhaps what tipped the scales in favor of purchasing an appliance I've managed to go 45 years without even ever wanting, was the fact that it was on sale (a measly $14.99), and came in brushed stainless steel. I'm just a slut for stainless steel appliances.
I've got this freakin crock pot that I figure must be good for something, but I haven't quite figured out what yet.
So far I used it exactly one time--to make a pot of split pea soup. And I wasn't all that crazy about it because I used yellow split peas, not the usual green ones I like, so it was different, and I guess I'm not all that good with change.
Since then the crock pot has been put away in the dread cabinet where the appliances go to die. (Think of it like the Island of Misfit Toys to be completely seasonal about it, only for appliances–hand crank pasta machines, immersion blenders, and the like.)
But I think that if I knew what to do in this stupid crock pot it would be great, especially since it's winter time, the season of hearty, slow cooked, yummy things.
Then I had a flash of brilliance today. There must be crock pot recipes on the internets. I mean, the internets have (has?) to be good for something besides reading blogs, playing cribbage, and shopping. No? I mean I've heard it's simply chock full of useful information.
So I Google "crock pot recipes" this evening. This seems a brilliant plan on the face of it, but I've come to find out that most slow cooker recipes have the words either creamy or cheesy or
I promise you all, that none of the things mentioned here were destined for the crock pot.
But I am stalwart, and will find something I can do with it. Maybe I’ll take up batik. I hear it’s coming back into fashion.
Posted by beth at December 3, 2004 11:16 PMBeth, I don't know if you're into stews at all, but crock pots are perfect for that. Then again, I'm a big fan of the "throw it together and walk away" style of cooking. I like to cook, but I hate having to stand over things.
Despite this, I use my crock pot for one thing only - my version of my mom's chili. Granted, it resembles a spicy tomato stew more than real chili (Mom's Midwestern cooking ways aren't exactly authentic), but it's pretty gosh darned good. And since I make chili about 2-3 times a year, definitely worth the $15 cost of the crock pot 9 years ago.
I think I'm going start making my version of my mom's potato stew. That was pretty yummy, as I recall.
Posted by: Carol at December 4, 2004 08:52 AMI second Carol's stew suggestion. Put it up in the morning before you go to work and when you come home, you and the family will have one kick ass pot of beef stew!
We use ours mostly for 'Chulent' (which is a form of stew that we put up Friday afternoon and have for lunch on Saturday). Yum!
Posted by: David at December 4, 2004 03:48 PMThanks for the suggestions re stew, but I make kick ass stew already. I brown all the meat, then the veggies, and cook it in the oven for hours in my beautiful All Clad LTD dutch oven. And Zoe hates stew anyway.
The crock pot thing is do you brown first or not or does it depend on what you're making?
My real hope was that I could get Chuck to put some things in there while I'm at work and come home to dinner. And any sort of multi-step cooking situation exceeds his kitchen skills.
Chuck did, however, find a website with a list of some really delicious sounding desserts that involve the crock pot.
Posted by: beth at December 4, 2004 04:14 PMHi Beth,
I like to cook barbeque boneless pork ribs in our crock pot. Easy two steps for Chuck...three if he's up to the challenge. Throw in a pound or two of lean boneless ribs, add a large bottle of your favorite BBQ sauce, a cup or two of water and slow cook on low to medium for the day. Step three would be to wash some small red potatoes and throw them in with the skins on. The BBQ sauce really flavors the meat, but isn't a heavy BBQ flavor. It is moist and tender. Add a toss salad form the bagged assortment that's available today and it's a meal. Oops! That makes it a four step process. What the heck, go for it.
Darrell
Posted by: Darrell at December 4, 2004 06:44 PMLike David said, we use our crock pot primarily for cholent (a kind of stew) which gets put up Friday afternoon and slow-cooked until lunch on Saturday. I do brown the meat first (to keep it moist and from disintegrating in the process). Cholent is different from most stews in that it has a hearty helping of barley in it and is a mucher thicker consistency than traditional stew....let me know if you'd like the recipe....
Likewise, mushroom barley soup slow cooked in the crock pot is REALLY good! Seems that barley slow cooked is a good thing.... :-)
Posted by: zahava at December 4, 2004 10:19 PMHi, I don't know if this would really help you or not, but my sister (when she bought me my huge crockpot) sent me a one-dish meal cookbook that included a rather nice smoky beef and beans recipe with black eyed peas, a small roast, bean with bacon soup, carrots, and not a whole lot else. Simple, easy to do, and my husband goes nuts over it.
Also, I do all of my beef roasts in it anymore. Since they always seemed to dry out in the oven despite my best intentions, I just put potatoes, carrots, and onion in the bottom of the pot, chuck a roast on top with a little bit of seasoning, dump some water in to cover at least half of the roast, and set it go for several hours.
Just a few extra ideas.
Posted by: Ang at December 5, 2004 11:59 AMIt turns out that you can just put a pot roast in a crock pot and cover it with Lipton's onion soup mix. Set to low and walk away! It's not the best, but is it easy enough for 'ya? I've made it (and eaten it). Brisket is somewhat better.
Posted by: ball-and-chain at December 5, 2004 01:33 PMI, too, have a new crock pot, and I'm in almost exactly the same boat with it. Except that I haven't even used it once yet. I also looked up recipes on the 'net, but I haven't yet found anything that looks reasonable.
Posted by: Stan at December 6, 2004 08:00 AMUh, Missy, you may craft on the batik all you like but you can't wear it, per Super Bethra's Fashion Rule #1 - if you did the trend when it was fresh, you cannot do same trend when it retros. Further to the crock pot, I crock'd a pot roast yesterday and post-dinner Hubby made a big ol' pass at me. And what a lovely way to begin our working week, with a ribald reference to beef.
Always your fan...
Posted by: GraceD at December 6, 2004 08:05 AMBeth,
Far be it from me to comment on Crockery, so I won't. :)
Was your use of the term "internets" a little jab at our president? If so, wonderful! :D
Posted by: Jim at December 6, 2004 08:25 AMMoi? Jab at El Jefe? Never.
Posted by: beth at December 6, 2004 09:01 AMI make a chocolate cake in mine
Posted by: Cathy at December 6, 2004 05:41 PMCame across your post and thought I'd add that CookingLight.com has some nice slow-cooker recipes that are neither cheesy nor creamy. I love their Chicken Provencale. I also use mine to make a delicious bean soup (a favorite of my kids until they got old enough to say "disgusting!").
You can also throw in some chicken breasts with a can of tomatoes, put it on low for about 4 hours and then use the chicken in enchiladas, tacos, pasta, etc.
I'm a fan of my Crock Pot, but then I'm of the fix-it-and-forget-it type.
Posted by: evieballerina at December 7, 2004 07:11 PMWithout having read all the comments, I'll just mention what I do in mine.
(God, that sounds so... odd.)
Anyway, I do chili, pot roast, stews or stuff with hunter sauce, ribs... stuff like that. Anything that can only get better, the longer (and slower) it cooks.
Oh God... I just had another thought... chicken done in BBQ suace. Slowly and throughly...
And, there's dinner.
Gotta go to the store, now...
*waves*
OK kids, first a big thank you to everyone for your suggetions.
I had my first crock pot outing the other day. I put some chicken, italian sausages, mushrooms, onions, 7 herbs and spices, and some tomato sauce in the crock pot, turned it on, and crossed my fingers. What came out wasn't bad. I served it with pasta.
The chicken was falling off the bone tender, and the crock pot is the new hot ticket for cooking italian sausages (if you have all day). They were incredibly moist and tender.
The outcome was an admirable first attempt, so much so that I am encouraged to try again.
If you have recipes that are delish, send them my way but don't bother if beans are involved. I don't like em. Zahava, I'm interested in the mushroom barley soup recipe--I've yet to find one to my liking.
Posted by: beth at December 9, 2004 04:54 PMMy favorite is to put in a whole chicken, giblets and all, plenty of veggies (definitely include carrots), and season liberally with garlic salt, sage, and ground thyme. Mmmmmmm!!
Posted by: Joan at December 10, 2004 11:01 AMI have tried the Internet crockpot recipes and they aren't much good. I recommend the Fix It and Forget It Cookbook. Happy crockin' :)
Posted by: Darla at December 13, 2004 05:38 AMOhmigod how darling are you?? Okay.
Keldog to the rescue. I'm a crockpot slut.
Get that Chuckie to cookin'.
Here's my faves:
HUNTER'S STEW
I'm not a hunter, nor do I date one, but if I did, I would probably make this upon his sweaty return from a long day of procuring buffalo meat for me.
It's delish.
Chicken pieces - thighs, drumsticks, breast if you like. 3-4 of each or a just a whole chickie cut up.
Skin 'em if you don't like the chickie oil, but bones are great for flavor
Dry, then salt n' pepper those suckers
Green pepper - i don't like this normally,
but oddly don't mind it (or taste it!)
in this stew for some reason
1, chopped fine
1 onion, or a few shallots, chopped
1, 2, or 3 chopped cloves of garlic (I put 4-6, but I'm also a garlic slut. They mellow with cooking. You can even put them in whole. )
1 can chopped tomatoes - average or jumbo, depending on how much you like tomatoes
16oz fresh mushrooms, chopped - yum. save a few for your salad if you like that sort of thing
1/2 c. rice
1 & 1/2 c chickie broth
Stir that shit together, throw in a bay leaf,
1/2 tsp of thyme, maybe a clove & parsley in cheescloth if you're feeling all creative,
and set that baby to simmer for 4-8hours.
Slippery chickeny goodness will result.
Omit the rice and
throw in some chopped red or white teeny potatoes
instead if you prefer. It's all good.
KAHLUA PORK
I made this for a potluck work lunch one day, and the simmering scent alone prompted a staunch vegetarian to give up his vows for a day and
eat a steaming hunk of pork. I was so pleased to be such an instigator. Anyway, it got rave reviews.
He's probably going to hell though.
This is so easy to make it's embarassing. Pretend you you've been slaving over the stove all day if you have guests.
True Hawaiians roast an entire pig in a pit in the earth for this dish. We shallow capitalists can use our crock-pots instead.
1 pork roast, boned or boneless, whatever's cheaper, just trim off the excess fat if it's boned. Boned gives better flavor, btw.
Just make sure it will fit in the crock.
Spray inside of crock with non-stick spray.
Rub pork roast down with a generous dowsing
of soy sauce, (1/4 to 1/2cup depending on size, you don't want it swimming in sauce, but you
want it thoroughly coated)
then salt & pepper lightly, (don't overdo the salt! you've got soy sauce, remember)
then a touch (1/2tsp)of liquid smoke if you like a light but not overpowering smoked flavor. Not big on the smoke myself, even though I'm from Texas, but this works. Rub that in too. Feels good.
Use 2 TB of smoke flavor if you or your spouse is from Texas.
Crock that bad boy for 8hrs cuz you don't want to get salmonella from pork.
Serve with rice steamed with green onions, and drizzled with pork juices.
Oh my god is this good. Makes great pulled-pork sandwiches after the fact, too.
Big yum.
Glad to be of service! Love!!
Kel
Posted by: Kelly at December 22, 2004 12:49 AMMy whole family loves this crock-pot chicken recipe (it's been modified from one I found online a few years ago):
about 20-24 oz. [6-8 small] boneless (skinless)
chicken breasts (can be frozen or fresh/defrosted)
(1) 4 oz. can chopped chiles
(1) 8 oz. can tomato sauce
2 Tbs. chili powder
1/4 tsp. garlic powder
1/2 tsp. onion powder
1 small chopped onion
Put all in crockpot, in no particular order. Cover and cook on high for 5 hours or low for 8-ish hours. It's done when it falls apart into shreds, or you can easily break it into shreds with a spoon (or fork, I guess, if you want).
Serve in tortillas with whatever additional things you like in tortillas (cheese, tomatoes, onions, etc...).
Leftover warning -- this gets spicier the next day.
Posted by: Tina at December 23, 2004 05:36 PM