Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Crock pots are for long, slow cooking. Roast potatoes , onions and carrots. Stews , roasts, beans and chili. Plenty crock pot recipes . Wife says these are good ones.
I have made everything from stews to whole chickens, corned beef and cabbage, chicken and rice, roast beef with potatoes and carrots and onion, to chicken con queso dip, they are wonderful.
Hello. My name is Oildog, and I love to use the crockpot once the temperature gets below 60F. Chicken and dumplings, beef stew, rueben casserole...oops I just burst a ventricle.
I received a crockpot last year for Xmas and never used it. This may be a stupid question but multiple people on here stated saying they like using it when the weather gets colder. Is it because the crockpot warms the room up somewhat or just the food out of the crockpot is good for that type of cold weather environment?
Location: Finally made it to Florida and lovin' every minute!
22,677 posts, read 19,257,904 times
Reputation: 17596
We live in SW Florida and I've just gotten back into crockpot cooking. You see, since it's never really cold here, we've decided not to eat "seasonally" any more. By that, I mean, if we want chili and it's 94 out there, we have chili. And I find that the crockpot is great to have something like that without heating up the entire house.
So far, I've done swiss steaks, spaghetti sauce w/meatballs and sausage, lentil soup, and some other stuff I'm sure I've forgotten. I find you generally get a richer flavor from slow cooking. Oh, our favorite thing in the crockpot? BBQ'd baby back ribs! They come out so tender and DH doesn't have to stand outside in the blazing sun, waiting for them to cook. They're wonderful.
Happy anniversary. Ain't nothing you can't cook in a crockpot.
Here's a tip: Say you're making chili, but you don't feel like watching the pot to keep it from burning. Dump it in the crockpot, and at least double the usual stovetop cooktime on high, and quadruple it on low. If you want some liquid to evaporate -- I make spaghetti sauce in the crockpot a lot (again, to avoid watching the pot, lazy butt that I am, LOL) -- tip the lid a little to vent the pot.
Oddly enough, the veggies take longer to cook in a crockpot than meats. You'll see recipes that tell you to put the veggies in first, then layer the meat over top. Sounds weird, but that's the best way to do it.
Simple meal: Dice a half an onion, put it in the pot. Top with Italian sausage, and pour in enough spaghetti sauce at least to cover the meat. Cook on low 6 hours; 4 on high. You can make a sandwich out of it on a long roll, or serve it with pasta.
Before you use your crookpot pick up Reynold's Crockpot liners, invaluable and no cleanup afterward.
I do a lot of catering and my crockpots do all the work.
Chili
Soups
Spaghetti sauce
Stuffed peppers & cabbage
Stews
They do not generate a lot of heat and you can leave for work and when you come home dinner is done. Get yourself a good crockpot cookbook and start enjoying the convenience of not having to stir a pot.
*NOTE, every time you lift the cover to check, you lose 20 mins. cooking time, so don't be tempted to pick up the lid.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
