Which SLOW Cooker???

[diamondfan]

I think I love her...pretty!

 

[FireGoddess]

I love it...it''s my favorite color!!! Definitely check out the crockpot recipe thread...lots of good starter recipes there. Can''t go wrong with a roast or a whole chicken even!! And if it''s brrrrr chilly by you....it''s great for making a whole vat of mulled cider!!!! mmmmm

 

[strmrdr]

4qt will do a whole chicken with room to spare.
4.5qt oval will do a 12lb turkey.

 

[Mara]

lol! deco i love it!! the red is soooo cool.

in terms of cooking, cp cooking is pretty hard to mess up...but gotta say that i didn''t love one recipe that i made before the last few that i have made...most regular cp recipes are so darn bland.

however now i got the hang of it and the crockpot chili i just made, divine. i''m doing a chicken soup tomorrow morning...can''t wait.

i''m really all about flavors so i think you have to find your comfort zone with the CP. so many things taste better when they have all day to sit together and meld together. but you have to help it along with the right spices.

have fun...in terms of what is foolproof, we did the chicken with veggies and broth around it when i first started out. worked out great but it was really bland. now i''m a spice whore so i just throw lots of whatever in and it seems to work. hahaha.

 

[diamondfan]

the slow cooker needs liquid (moisture) and there is an order that things should be layered, but I think a lot of regular recipes can be adapted to the slow cooker...you might be able to find out online, and then add or delete the appropriate stuff...

 

[FireGoddess]

When I do a whole chicken...I throw onions and carrots on the bottom, stuff some lemons inside the bird and salt/pepper the cavity, rub a little compound butter (a pat of soft butter with tarragon, garlic, lemon zest, whatever spices you like) between the breasts and skin, season the top of the bird and let it go. Enough juices will come out of the bird that you don''t need to add any liquid to it.

 

[FireGoddess]

New MSN article on 10 Slow Cooker Soup Recipes

 

[monarch64]

You all inspired me to make a little spinach artichoke dip in the 4qt. cp tonight...here''s a recipe:

1/2 c shredded mozzarella
1/2 c shredded/grated parmesan
8 oz. 1/3 less fat cream cheese
1/2 c mayonnaise
1 package frozen chopped spinach
1 can medium artichoke hearts
fresh minced garlic to taste (I use about 1.5 tbsp.)
salt, pepper to taste

We like it on blue corn tortilla chips or Pepperidge Farm pumpernickel sticks.

FG: I have also made cider in my 6 qt. cp...but I totally cheat and use Trader Joe''s spicy cider in the gallon jug, some orange slices, and pour into a mug over a shot of brandy in the fall. DH has even brought it to Bears games this season as a "hot toddy" for tailgating. The guys have one of those portable generators that runs off the car battery so they can plug it in, lol.

 

[Mara]

yummy monarch...the one that i make doesn''t have spinach and it doesn''t have mozz...it has sour cream, parm, artichoke hearts (i use marinated and sometimes spicy marinated!), mayonnaise, garlic and pimentos. yum. we serve it with blue chips too. mmmm. now i want some!! everyone always asks me to bring it to parties. maybe next time i will add the spinach!

 

[monarch64]

Date: 1/24/2007 12:54:15 AM
Author: Mara
yummy monarch...the one that i make doesn''t have spinach and it doesn''t have mozz...it has sour cream, parm, artichoke hearts (i use marinated and sometimes spicy marinated!), mayonnaise, garlic and pimentos. yum. we serve it with blue chips too. mmmm. now i want some!! everyone always asks me to bring it to parties. maybe next time i will add the spinach!

Yours sounds wonderful! I will have to try using marinated/spicy marinated artichoke hearts next time!

So obviously we have some dip left over, and hopefully I won''t be snacking on it for days to come! I did buy a "sampler" of pre-packaged mushroom caps tonight at the store thinking I would make this stuffed mushroom appetizer for DH but ended up using some of the cheese I bought for them in the dip. I''m thinking as thick as this dip is, I could try spooning some of it into the mushroom caps and baking them as an app? Maybe sprinkle some Italian seasoned bread crumbs on top for added texture? (I would spray the mush. caps with some EVOO first).

I think it would work as long as I didn''t get carried away with filling the caps with too much dip...

 

[flopkins]

Date: 1/22/2007 1:10:14 AM
Author: Mara

in terms of cooking, cp cooking is pretty hard to mess up...

this is, assuming that you remember to TURN THE THING ON!!!!!!!! hahahahahahaha. DH did this a few weeks ago, he forgot to plug it in and when he woke up in the morning (we planned to have it go overnight) the meat was still raw and he was SO bummed. I could only laugh.

deco I love the color!!

 

[decodelighted]

I got a chicken & taters & carrots & broth & stuff tonight but I forgot the lemons darn it! Tomorrow or Saturday is the big Slow Cooker debut! Will report back! That "compound butter" sounds good Firegoddess!

And I'm def gonna try that chili & Chicken Soup -or- a chicken & dumplings recipe that was in one of my new Slow Cookbooks.

Also there was some kinds of Pulled Pork sandwich thing that sounded delish ... bbq & cidery??

A whole new world ..... as Pochahontas would sing

 

[monarch64]

Date: 1/25/2007 12:18:52 AM
Author: decodelighted
I got a chicken & taters & carrots & broth & stuff tonight but I forgot the lemons darn it! Tomorrow or Saturday is the big Slow Cooker debut! Will report back! That ''compound butter'' sounds good Firegoddess!

And I''m def gonna try that chili & Chicken Soup -or- a chicken & dumplings recipe that was in one of my new Slow Cookbooks.

Also there was some kinds of Pulled Pork sandwich thing that sounded delish ... bbq & cidery??

A whole new world ..... as Pochahontas would sing

LOL, you mean Jasmine, right? Or are you being silly? I never know with you, Deco!

Good luck with the slow cooker debut tomorrow! That pulled pork sandwich thing sounds awesome--makes me ALMOST want to revert back to meat-eating! We used to get some killer pulled pork sandwiches at a little restaurant by our old apt. *wistful sigh.*

But I digress...

 

[decodelighted]

I meant to report back earlier, SORRY!!

Saturday was the COOKERS big debut ... I made Firegoddess''s Chicken with Lemon Herb Butter stuffed up under the skin on a bed of potatoes/onions/carrots - 6 hrs on high. That sucker was falling off the bone when it was done ... & though my hands still smell like garlic almost a week later (any tips for that ladies??) it was pretty delish.

Our initial thoughts were that we like Oven Roasted chicken better (like that funny Engagement Chicken) - so we''d probably only make whole chicken again in a time crunch (not being home w/the oven) ... but are excited to try out PULLED PORK recipies and SAUCES and a POT ROAST just to see ... and lots of other things I read about. DH isn''t a big Chili fan, but I am ... I''ll have to make it despite him sometime.

What were ya''lls biggest hits in the Slow Cooker?? ... just gimmie the names & I''ll search it out on Pscope, ya don''t have to dig for the recipes!!

 

[Mara]

i posted my two faves in the healthy thread but the chili i made and also mom''s chicken soup are the winners so far. much more flavor than the other dishes. we like a lot of flavor as well and i just could never get that darn whole chicken lemon garlic recipe flavored enough to my satisfaction.

also make your spaghetti sauce in the slow cooker. we fry up the beef or turkey in the morning, toss it into the cooker with all the tomato sauces, herbs, garlic, onion (and we add mushrooms) and just let it sit there all day long. it comes out SO darn good, all the flavors just sit together all day and get all nice and involved. hahaha. then we come home, make some pasta, toss some sauce on and done. and it always makes enough for 2-3 nights.

oh and my big artichoke dip hit is made in the slow cooker too. i''ve posted the recipe previously. you could probably add frozen spinach to do a spinach artichoke dip. it takes about an hour to cook.

have fun!! we use ours sometimes, it''s not an all the time thing, but sometimes 2x in one week or 1x in a month, just depends on what we feel like eating.

 

[eks6426]

Tacqueria Style Tacos. This is a recipe I found on Allrecipes.com that I altered a bit. The salsas are a bit of work but really different and definitely add to it. I usually make guacamole with this meal as well.

INGREDIENTS:
1.5 pounds flank or round steak steak
1/6 cup white vinegar
1/4 cup soy sauce
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 limes, juiced
1/4 cup olive oil
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon ground white pepper
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1 white onion, chopped
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1 lime, juiced
2 large tomatoes, chopped
2 jalapeno peppers, chopped
1 white onion, quartered
4 cloves garlic, peeled
4 dried New Mexico chile pods (or dried chili flakes)
1 pinch salt and pepper to taste
1 (32 ounce) package corn tortillas
2 cups grated cotija cheese (optional)
2 limes, cut into wedges

DIRECTIONS:
1. Slice steak very thinly. In a medium bowl, whisk together the vinegar, soy sauce, 2 cloves of garlic, juice of one lime, and olive oil. Season with salt, black pepper, white pepper, garlic powder, chili powder, oregano, cumin and paprika. Whisk until well blended, then pour over the steak in the dish. Marinate overnight. In morning, put all in crockpot and cook low 8 hours.
2. In a small bowl, stir together 1 chopped white onion, cilantro, and the juice of 1 lime. Set aside to use as a relish for the tacos.
3. Heat a skillet over medium-high heat. Toast chile pods in the skillet for a few minutes, then remove to a bowl of water to soak for about 30 minutes. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F (230 degrees C).
4. Place the tomatoes, 1 onion, jalapenos, and 4 cloves of garlic onto a baking sheet. Roast in the oven for about 20 minutes, until toasted but not burnt. Place the roasted vegetables, and soaked chile pods into a blender or food processor, along with salt and pepper. Puree until smooth.

 

[Ann]

Date: 1/21/2007 12:57:07 AM
Author: decodelighted
Okay ... the deed is done!

And here she is ... the Rival Programmable 5 1/2 Quart in Metallic Red which (drumroll please) was ON SALE at Target for $39.95.

okay - metallic red ''cause our kitchen is red & our coffee maker is metallic red ... and, no cooking in it yet as this weekend is our massive kitchen reorganization project. probably first trial run Monday-ish.

What''s no fail? Chicken? Pot Roast? Beef Stew? Gotta check out the Crock Pot thread -- though I also got two cookbooks today at target ... one Rival one & ''Fix it & Forget It''

Aw she''s so purty though. EXCITEMENT!


p.s. -- yet it still doesn''t fill the hole in my heart that''s the exact size & shape of a certain ''05 Olive Balenciaga hobo.

I like that!
Does "she" do the shopping and chopping ????

 

[FireGoddess]

An article (with tips and recipes) I found on epicurious...linky

 

[bujiatang]

cooking light has great crock pot recipes.


like this one

 

[AdaBeta27]

My mother, retired home economist with masters degree, totally dissuaded me from crock pot slow cooking. She says they are best used for toting hot dishes to events, but unsafe for actual cooking because they don't get hot enough to kill bacteria while cooking. You never really kill all of the bacteria in ordinary cooking but hot temps do get most and cold storage keeps them from staging a comeback. So, I use a small oval Nesco roaster and it's proven extremely versatile. I also have a "chef's pot" cooker that gets hot enough for frying.

I have a round Rival CrockPot with the stainless bucket plus carrying case, and also got the add-on electronic controller for it. The outside of the original metal bucket got (annoyingly) VERY very hot with use and Rival recalled / replaced them for some supposed electrical short that mine never developed. I have not used the replacement yet.

 

[fisherofmengirly]

We have a CrockPot SmartPot and it rocks!!

 

[strmrdr]

corned beef tip brisket 3lb
1 - whole cabbage cut in 6ths
1lb baby carrots
1.5 inches of water in the bottom.
cook 4.5 hours on high.

slice thin
serve with sour kraut on rye bread with swiss cheese.

 

[strmrdr]

Date: 3/18/2007 2:55:49 PM
Author: AdaBeta27
My mother, retired home economist with masters degree, totally dissuaded me from crock pot slow cooking. She says they are best used for toting hot dishes to events, but unsafe for actual cooking because they don't get hot enough to kill bacteria while cooking. You never really kill all of the bacteria in ordinary cooking but hot temps do get most and cold storage keeps them from staging a comeback. So, I use a small oval Nesco roaster and it's proven extremely versatile. I also have a 'chef's pot' cooker that gets hot enough for frying.

I have a round Rival CrockPot with the stainless bucket plus carrying case, and also got the add-on electronic controller for it. The outside of the original metal bucket got (annoyingly) VERY very hot with use and Rival recalled / replaced them for some supposed electrical short that mine never developed. I have not used the replacement yet.

As long as you don't start with frozen meat and use a thermometer to get chicken over 170 degrees internal temp. there is no difference than cooking it in the oven bacteria wise.
Iv been eating chickens, turkeys, roasts, stews, hams, soups and other dishes made in crock pots all my life and never once got sick because of it.

 

[Mara]

i put raw chickens in the CP, but for beef and similar i tend to brown it first in the pan then add it into the CP...don''t know why i just do. but i have not had a problem with any chickens, and we have made a few things with chicken in the CP and let it cook for 4-6 hours on high or similar. i know others who use these things and do the same with no ill effects. did you do any research on it?

 

[bujiatang]

that would be like braising the meat right?

And I agree, so long as it gets the meat over 170, its killed the bacteria.

One of my room mates from college is a germaphobe and once lysoled a counter while the plate of pork was still on it. When is it too much?

 

[FireGoddess]

Date: 3/18/2007 2:55:49 PM
Author: AdaBeta27
My mother, retired home economist with masters degree, totally dissuaded me from crock pot slow cooking. She says they are best used for toting hot dishes to events, but unsafe for actual cooking because they don''t get hot enough to kill bacteria while cooking.

This is not accurate. Crockpots are safe for actual cooking but you should NEVER start with a frozen item. Meats can be cold from the fridge (some even say to prepare the item and put the whole crockpot ceramic insert in the fridge overnight and then start the cooking the next morning) but should NEVER be frozen when you put them in. That''s where you could run into trouble.

 

[Kaleigh]

Date: 3/19/2007 3:19:25 PM
Author: FireGoddess

Date: 3/18/2007 2:55:49 PM
Author: AdaBeta27
My mother, retired home economist with masters degree, totally dissuaded me from crock pot slow cooking. She says they are best used for toting hot dishes to events, but unsafe for actual cooking because they don''t get hot enough to kill bacteria while cooking.

This is not accurate. Crockpots are safe for actual cooking but you should NEVER start with a frozen item. Meats can be cold from the fridge (some even say to prepare the item and put the whole crockpot ceramic insert in the fridge overnight and then start the cooking the next morning) but should NEVER be frozen when you put them in. That''s where you could run into trouble.

Thanks for clearing this up FG!!