how would you adapt a slow cooker recipe for the stove?

[nageov3t]

help me ATOT, you're my only hope

I was following along my Cook's Illustrated slow cooker recipe for meat sauce this morning. cooked my onions and garlic in olive oil, deglazed the pan with some red wine, and added it to the slow cooker along with various tomato products and seasonings. stirred in my *uncooked* ground beef, and turned on my slow cooker intent to set it for 10 hours on low.

then, surprise! my slow cooker is dead tried a few different outlets, but the thing doesn't turn on at all.

so, with 12 cups of uncooked sauce and raw ground beef, how would you go about cooking it on the stove top? simmer for a couple hours on a low burner?

 

[sdifox]

sear first then simmer at the lowest setting.

 

[blackdogdeek]

Can you buy a new crockpot?

 

[pwoz]

If you have a dutch oven I'd put it in that and braise it in the oven for some temp/time ratio. Lower temp and longer time will simulate a slow cooker better. Just not as energy efficient as the slow cooker.

 

[jaedaliu]

I would do what you suggest. Yes.

Well, I would probably use medium heat first to get it to simmer more quickly. Or high heat with constant stirring if you have a multi-layer-bottomed pot.

I'm surprised cook's illustrated didn't have you brown the beef first. Maillard reactions are tasty.

 

[nageov3t]

Can you buy a new crockpot?

not in time for dinner tonight

I was planning on replacing this one after the holidays anyways, so I already had my eye on an upgrade, but it's not going to arrive from Amazon until Friday.

I'm surprised cook's illustrated didn't have you brown the beef first. Maillard reactions are tasty.

me too. actually read the recipe like 3 times to make sure, since I nearly always end up browning meat first before adding it to a slow cooker recipe. the little article before the recipe actually said that they were able to save time and get the same flavor by just browning the aromatics instead of the beef.

 

[Nintendesert]

Go to the store and buy a new crockpot. DERP.

 

[NetWareHead]

Do you have a dutch oven? Buy yourself a cast iron one and you slow cook the food in the oven for 10 hours.

I wouldnt do it on the stove since even at the lowest setting, the heat is all concentrated at the bottom. That would require to stir the food every so often to prevent burning, for 10 hours so you couldn't go to sleep like you could with a slow cooker or food in an oven.

 

[zinfamous]

If you have a dutch oven I'd put it in that and braise it in the oven for some temp/time ratio. Lower temp and longer time will simulate a slow cooker better. Just not as energy efficient as the slow cooker.

yep.

This is what I do, actually, without a slow cooker. sear on stove (for roasts), then place dutch oven in the, uh, oven, and set at lowest setting--usually around 200 F

 

[nageov3t]

it's sitting on the stove now, waiting to come to a boil then I'll let it simmer (covered) for the next 3-4 hours (stirring occasionally). my big concern is the ground beef not cooking thoroughly, since I can't judge the doneness by eyesight (hard to tell if meat is browned when it's covered in tomato sauce)

 

[NetWareHead]

it's sitting on the stove now, waiting to come to a boil then I'll let it simmer (covered) for the next 3-4 hours (stirring occasionally). my big concern is the ground beef not cooking thoroughly, since I can't judge the doneness by eyesight (hard to tell if meat is browned when it's covered in tomato sauce)

If it is boiling then I would assume the ground beef is cooked at that point. Personally, I would have browned the ground beef by itself in a pot before adding it to the slow cooker, but that's just my cooking preference...

 

[nageov3t]

If it is boiling then I would assume the ground beef is cooked at that point. Personally, I would have browned the ground beef by itself in a pot before adding it to the slow cooker, but that's just my cooking preference...

yeah, I agree. that's what I normally do (and would have done if I'd realized my slow cooker was broken prior to mixing all the ingredients up), but the recipe specifically states not to for this recipe, and Cook's Illustrated is usually pretty reliable about that kind of stuff.

 

[jaedaliu]

yeah, I agree. that's what I normally do (and would have done if I'd realized my slow cooker was broken prior to mixing all the ingredients up), but the recipe specifically states not to for this recipe, and Cook's Illustrated is usually pretty reliable about that kind of stuff.

It's funny because on America's Test Kitchen (same company that makes Cook's Illustrated) they made a big deal about browning meat before tossing in slow cooker for superior flavor. I'm guessing a uniform texture is preferred in this recipe or something like that.

 

[Ksyder]

it could be that they want the fat to render into the sauce so they put the meat in raw.

It doesn't matter if you didn't brown the meat beforehand as it will cook just fine when the sauce is simmering for hours. You just won't get the browning on the meat like you would when you cook it by itself.

Just turn the stove down to the lowest setting and put a lid on the pot and its the same as a slow cooker more or less.

 

[summit]

enameled dutch oven.

 

[slag]

If you have a dutch oven I'd put it in that and braise it in the oven for some temp/time ratio. Lower temp and longer time will simulate a slow cooker better. Just not as energy efficient as the slow cooker.

Ditto.

 

[Red Squirrel]

I'd just go to the store to buy a new crockpot. They're not that expensive. Whenever you get around to fixing the one that broke you'll have two! You can make either more of the same thing to freeze portions, or two different things at once.

Though that particular meal is probably ruined. I would not trust ground beef that has sat at room temp for who knows how long.

 

[quikah]

it's sitting on the stove now, waiting to come to a boil then I'll let it simmer (covered) for the next 3-4 hours (stirring occasionally). my big concern is the ground beef not cooking thoroughly, since I can't judge the doneness by eyesight (hard to tell if meat is browned when it's covered in tomato sauce)

You don't need to eyeball it, just taste it. If you are bringing to a boil then simmering, the meat will be edible (not raw) after 20 minutes probably (if that).

 

[nageov3t]

I'd just go to the store to buy a new crockpot. They're not that expensive. Whenever you get around to fixing the one that broke you'll have two! You can make either more of the same thing to freeze portions, or two different things at once.

I use my crockpot a ton, so I wanted to upgrade to a better model (the one I ended up buying to replace the broken one today has the ability to sear meat right in the pot so you don't have to waste multiple pans; also has a steamer basket... but it's not going to arrive until the end of the week -- just in time to make turkey chili)

Though that particular meal is probably ruined. I would not trust ground beef that has sat at room temp for who knows how long.

I'll post again if I get sick it's been simmering for several hours and tastes/smells pretty good, though.

not too worried about the ground beef at this point. I literally:

-took the ground beef out of the fridge
-mixed it in with the sauce in the crockpot
-plugged my crockpot in and thought "oh shit, it's broken."
-pulled out the pot insert, put it in the fridge, and researched known issues for the crock pot model online

 

[who?]

Cook it for 35 minutes at high pressure in the pressure cooker then let the pressure drop naturally since it's beef.

 

[TastesLikeChicken]

A slow cooker is all about temperature control. The type of pot is not nearly as important as keeping the temp in the proper range.

What you need is a thermometer or something like a thermopen where you can periodically check the temps. If you want to cook at a low slow cooker temp you want to maintain the temp between 170F and 190F. A thermometer or thermopen allows you to figure out the setting on your stovetop that will maintain those temps over a long period of time.

 

[Howard]

Oven, not stove. You need to leave the lid ajar so that the evaporative cooling can moderate the temperatures. Probably 200 F with the lid slightly cracked will give you 170-180F. Still too high but it's a good starting point. If your oven can go even lower, great.

See "wet-bulb temperature".