Cooking Question: Crockpots

[hjo3]

Hi. Just got a crockpot from my grandma. It's only got three settings: high, low, and off. Anyway, I looked up a bunch of recipes on the web... can I put raw meat in the crockpot? I didn't think it got hot enough to safely cook it...? A lot of the recipes seem to suggest slow cooking stuff like ground beef for 6-8 hours. Does that really work? Or am I sposed to be cooking the meat separately before I put it in the pot?
TIA
(<-- total cooking newb)

 

[rgwalt]

If you are in doubt, get a digital thermometer, fill the pot with water, and see what temp the water is heated to. You don't need to get ground beef above maybe 150 or 160F.

R

 

[baZillionaire]

Yes you use the meat raw. Even though it is a low temperature it is covered and the cover kinda makes a seal once it gets hot and moisture builds up inside. I have used mine lots and never, ever had a problem with the meat. The trick is also not to add much liquid as it will create a lot on it's own from the meat and vegetables you put in it. Here is another tip: if you cook a stew or something with potatoes, put the potatoes on the VERY top and keep them in good sized chunks because if not they tend to overcook and turn to mush. It's an especially useful appliance for someone who works or is out all day. Throw the ingredients in it in the morning, cover and turn it on low, leave and come back 8 hrs later. The house will smell great and the food will be totally cooked. Good luck!

 

Yes, you can put raw meat in the crockpot. I do it all the time.

When you set it to low, it's usually 6-8 hours, high, 3-4. Keep in mind, the longer you cook, the more tender it will come out.

 

[hjo3]

rgwalt - Good idea, thanks.
baZillionaire - Great, thanks for the tips!
SampSon - Thanks for the confirmation!

 

I have a great recipie for pork chops.

 

[Jzero]

Last night's recipe: Cranberry Roasted Pork.
1.5 lb. Pork Tenderloin
1 cup chopped cranberries
.25 cup honey
pinch of ground nutmeg, pinch of ground clove.

Mix the cranberries, honey and spices.
Throw the pork in the crockpot, dump the sauce over top.

Set on low for 8 hours.

Serve with baked potato and apple sauce YUM.

 

[HomeBrewerDude]

Put this in your crockpot in the morning. set on high. Eat for dinner that night.

1 chuck roast
3 potatotes
1 onion
1 can of chicken or beef broth/stock
another can of water
oregano
garlic
salt
pepper

 

[Jzero]

Originally posted by: yamahaXS
Put this in your crockpot in the morning. set on high. Eat for dinner that night.

1 chuck roast
3 potatotes
1 onion
1 can of chicken or beef broth/stock
another can of water
oregano
garlic
salt
pepper

I can vouch for the pot roast. I put carrots in there, too.
Also works with a cup of dry red wine instead of broth.

Gets so tender it just melts in your mouth

 

[Thraxen]

Mmmm... I need a crockpot now. Reading this thread has made me wish I had one back home cooking roast right now.

[edit] Any suggestions on brands/models?

 

[Jzero]

Originally posted by: Thraxen
Mmmm... I need a crockpot now. Reading this thread has made me wish I had one back home cooking roast right now.

It's so great when you walk in the door and you can smell dinner's a-cookin'!

 

[TubStain]

Hmm...this crockpot thing seems interesting... always gave it a passing glance, but the idea of putting stuff in there and coming home to cooked food is very appealing.

<--runs to find a deal on a crockpot, and do more recipe research

 

[slag]

crockpots are good..

Stewed pigs feet with sauerkraut... mmm, a holiday tradition!!

 

[Thraxen]

Hmm...this crockpot thing seems interesting... always gave it a passing glance, but the idea of putting stuff in there and coming home to cooked food is very appealing.

Yup, same here. Guess I never thought about it much. It's usually a restaurant or a can of soup for me every night since I'm too impatient to cook anything after work. But I really like the idea of throwing some food in a crockpot before work and coming home to a nice home cooked meal.

 

[vi edit]

Good crockpot cook book

 

[TubStain]

Originally posted by: Thraxen

Hmm...this crockpot thing seems interesting... always gave it a passing glance, but the idea of putting stuff in there and coming home to cooked food is very appealing.

Yup, same here. Guess I never thought about it much. It's usually a restaurant or a can of soup for me every night since I'm too impatient to cook anything after work. But I really like the idea of throwing some food in a crockpot before work and coming home to a nice home cooked meal.

I am a pretty good cook, and make a vast variety of stuff (I find the cooking channel interesting!), but what I really like is the fact that the meat is really tender when it is done due to slow cooking, and I'm usually mad hungry when I get home after work.

I wonder if I could improvise on the crockpot, and pretty much just cook stuff on an electric stove and really low heat. Hmm... maybe not.

 

[TubStain]

I find it amusing that the microwave was invented for people who dont like waiting so long for things to cook, and then a crockpot is created which goes the opposite direction and really extends the time it takes to cook, and it too is a hit..

different strokes for different folks I guess.

 

[Jzero]

Originally posted by: TubStain
I find it amusing that the microwave was invented for people who dont like waiting so long for things to cook, and then a crockpot is created which goes the opposite direction and really extends the time it takes to cook, and it too is a hit..

different strokes for different folks I guess.

It's not all that surprising if you look at them as completely different tools for completely different tasks. The microwave is supposed to be for speed and convenience, but it sacrifices certain qualities because of the way it heats.

You would not want to steam vegetables or bake potatoes in your crock pot.
You would not want to cook a stew or a pot roast in your microwave.

They both have similar convenience qualities in reality. For the pot roast recipe above, it will really only take you about 10 minutes to season the meet and chop the vegetables. The rest of the "work" doesn't require your interaction :-D

When I made the pork roast, the meat was cooked in the crockpot, the potato was baked in the microwave. I also steamed some vegetables on the stove top.

 

[TubStain]

Originally posted by: Jzero

Originally posted by: TubStain
I find it amusing that the microwave was invented for people who dont like waiting so long for things to cook, and then a crockpot is created which goes the opposite direction and really extends the time it takes to cook, and it too is a hit..

different strokes for different folks I guess.

It's not all that surprising if you look at them as completely different tools for completely different tasks. The microwave is supposed to be for speed and convenience, but it sacrifices certain qualities because of the way it heats.

You would not want to steam vegetables or bake potatoes in your crock pot.
You would not want to cook a stew or a pot roast in your microwave.

They both have similar convenience qualities in reality. For the pot roast recipe above, it will really only take you about 10 minutes to season the meet and chop the vegetables. The rest of the "work" doesn't require your interaction :-D

When I made the pork roast, the meat was cooked in the crockpot, the potato was baked in the microwave. I also steamed some vegetables on the stove top.

Can you recommend a brand? Amazon's reviews are pretty conflicting, and I dont mind spending some $$ up front for quality.

 

[TremblingFool]

Crockpots are great and you'll love it. I recommend a Pork Roast cooked in some beer and you're favourite spices. Throw in an onion too. You'll know it's cooked when it's about to fall apart

A good tip if you're cooking potatoes in it. I like to take the potatoes out about 15-20 min before I'm ready to eat. Put them in the oven for about 10 min or so and they get crispy on the outside. Turns out great.

 

[Jzero]

Can you recommend a brand? Amazon's reviews are pretty conflicting, and I dont mind spending some $$ up front for quality.

Maybe it's a "Mom knows best" kind of thing, but she told me to always stick to the orignal Rival Crock Pots. She said the slow cookers from other manufacturers just did not work as well.

Aside from that recommendation, the size and style is up to you and your needs. I'm not sure if they make them with non-removable liners or plastic lids any more, but if they do, I highly recommend a glass lid, and the removable liner can come in handy.

 

[TubStain]

Originally posted by: Jzero

Can you recommend a brand? Amazon's reviews are pretty conflicting, and I dont mind spending some $$ up front for quality.

Maybe it's a "Mom knows best" kind of thing, but she told me to always stick to the orignal Rival Crock Pots. She said the slow cookers from other manufacturers just did not work as well.

Aside from that recommendation, the size and style is up to you and your needs. I'm not sure if they make them with non-removable liners or plastic lids any more, but if they do, I highly recommend a glass lid, and the removable liner can come in handy.

Hmm, the best sellers on Amazon seem to be the West Bend brand. Geez I'm getting hungry thinking of wonderfully soft meat <drool>

I'll look into the top end models of the Rival and see what I can find. Thanks Jzero

 

[baZillionaire]

About doing the same thing on the stovetop with low heat.... it doesn't work near as well cause it seems the heat is too concentrated from the bottom.... in the crock pot the CROCKERY walls get heated up too so it heats from all around. Also, the stove top seems you wouldn't want to leave it on and leave for 8 hrs.... might really get a disaster going if it dried up, stuck to the pot, etc etc. - ack.
Another thing that comes out well in the crock pot is baked beans or bean soup, comes out so tasy after cooking all day.

 

[Toasthead]

A crockpot could cook a shoe into a delicious evenly cooked meal in 6-8 hours

 

[waggy]

I love my crockpot. its great.

We use it a lOT in the winter time. so we got a good 2qt one. We are thinking of gettinga 3-4qt one now. but the 2qt is fine.

we made chili in it last week. Man it was great.