So we bought this crock pot thing. It cooks food specifically while you ignore it. Anyone have any good simple recipes for utilizing such lying around the house?
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Secrets and Lies
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I've got a couple of decent recipes. Let me know which (if any) of these interests you: chicken soup, beef stew, ribs, black beans and rice.
I am a simple man who likes a good beef stew.
Mmm, beef stew. Avi doesn't like it, which is sad, because I adore it. Okay, this is less a recipe and more a guide, but crockpots are pretty forgiving.
Dump in 3 or 4 carrots cut into big chunks, 2 onions sliced thinly, a bunch of mushrooms cut into quarters, and some potatoes and/or sweet potatoes and/or parsnips cut into medium chunks. Add garlic to your liking. I like it a lot, so I add at least 6-8 chopped cloves. Toss in some fresh or dried herbs (anything like sage, rosemary, thyme, or marjoram is good). Dump in one of those small cans of tomato paste and mix it all around.
Put your stew beef on top of all that and pour your liquids on top.
The liquids should add up to 2 cups or so, but it can be any combination of white or red wine, beef or vegetable broth, and water. (Although obviously I wouldn't do just 2 cups of water.) If you happen to like Worcestershire sauce, a few teaspoons of it wouldn't go amiss.
If you've got the time, before you put the beef in, dredge it in flour and brown it on the stove before putting it in the pot, but honestly, the flavor difference isn't that great.
Enjoy :)
Dump in 3 or 4 carrots cut into big chunks, 2 onions sliced thinly, a bunch of mushrooms cut into quarters, and some potatoes and/or sweet potatoes and/or parsnips cut into medium chunks. Add garlic to your liking. I like it a lot, so I add at least 6-8 chopped cloves. Toss in some fresh or dried herbs (anything like sage, rosemary, thyme, or marjoram is good). Dump in one of those small cans of tomato paste and mix it all around.
Put your stew beef on top of all that and pour your liquids on top.
The liquids should add up to 2 cups or so, but it can be any combination of white or red wine, beef or vegetable broth, and water. (Although obviously I wouldn't do just 2 cups of water.) If you happen to like Worcestershire sauce, a few teaspoons of it wouldn't go amiss.
If you've got the time, before you put the beef in, dredge it in flour and brown it on the stove before putting it in the pot, but honestly, the flavor difference isn't that great.
Enjoy :)
Joc has all her recipes on Google docs... but I dunno how much she reads teh ljz anymore.
Damn her attraction to newfangled technologies!
But my attraction to newfangled technologies is what lets me link you to all my recipes!
The crockpot recipes are:
Cheesy White Chili with Cauliflower
Roasted Pepper Soup
Spicy Black Bean Soup
Split Pea Soup
Succotash Stew
Thai Vegetable Yellow Curry
Tortilla Soup
Vege Chili
The crockpot recipes are:
Cheesy White Chili with Cauliflower
Roasted Pepper Soup
Spicy Black Bean Soup
Split Pea Soup
Succotash Stew
Thai Vegetable Yellow Curry
Tortilla Soup
Vege Chili
You win *this* round, madam.
Muhahahahhaha!
All my recipes are, of course, vegetarian, but they'll all work well with meat added too
All my recipes are, of course, vegetarian, but they'll all work well with meat added too
You can cook quite a bit with a crockpot. Avoid anything you prefer to be browned - like chicken. If you feel like perusing, allrecipes.com is user-rated and has really great recipes. I've only been steered wrong once!
I like crockpots for chilis, stews, ribs (precooking ribs before bbqing them makes them uber tender) and of course, soups. Crockpots really are just boiling so think of that when you look for recipes.
I like crockpots for chilis, stews, ribs (precooking ribs before bbqing them makes them uber tender) and of course, soups. Crockpots really are just boiling so think of that when you look for recipes.
I have to second the recommendation for allrecipies.com - I've found great stuff there!
Make sure the slow cooker is at least 2/3 full or else things will burn/cook much faster than the recipes say.
Freezer cooking with a slow cooker (mass assembling multiple crock pot recipe ingredients in freezer bags)
A truck load of crock pot recipes
Roast Sticky Chicken
4 tsps salt
2 tsps paprika
1 tsp cayenne pepper
1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp thyme
1 tsp white pepper
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp black pepper
1 8lb chicken or 2 4 lb
1 cup chopped onions
In a small bowl, thoroughly combine all the spices. Remove giblets from chicken, clean the cavity well and pat dry with paper towels. Rub the spice mixture into the chicken, both inside and out, making sure it is evenly distributed and down deep into the skin. Place in a re-sealable bag, seal and refrigerate overnight (you don't have to if you forget). When ready to roast chicken, place sliced onions on the bottom of the crock, then the chicken. Cook on low 4-8 hrs. I recommend cooking this on a day you will be home so you can check for doneness. Some slow cookers run hotter than others.
My go to place for recipes is Food.com (used to be Recipezzar). Users post recipes and rate them. Here are about 4,700 recipes there with crock pot in the title, listed by most popular. Bon appetit!
Freezer cooking with a slow cooker (mass assembling multiple crock pot recipe ingredients in freezer bags)
A truck load of crock pot recipes
Roast Sticky Chicken
4 tsps salt
2 tsps paprika
1 tsp cayenne pepper
1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp thyme
1 tsp white pepper
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp black pepper
1 8lb chicken or 2 4 lb
1 cup chopped onions
In a small bowl, thoroughly combine all the spices. Remove giblets from chicken, clean the cavity well and pat dry with paper towels. Rub the spice mixture into the chicken, both inside and out, making sure it is evenly distributed and down deep into the skin. Place in a re-sealable bag, seal and refrigerate overnight (you don't have to if you forget). When ready to roast chicken, place sliced onions on the bottom of the crock, then the chicken. Cook on low 4-8 hrs. I recommend cooking this on a day you will be home so you can check for doneness. Some slow cookers run hotter than others.
My go to place for recipes is Food.com (used to be Recipezzar). Users post recipes and rate them. Here are about 4,700 recipes there with crock pot in the title, listed by most popular. Bon appetit!
Oh, I like the freezer bag assembly suggestion!
I usually use mine to cook chicken stew of one kind or another. I never bother browning. I throw whatever vegetables I want on the bottom, then a few chicken breasts or thighs, whatever spices I want (sometimes a curry sort of blend, sometimes more Italian, sometimes whatevs), and then add water until it's all covered (1/2 to 2/3 full crockpot). I'll use frozen stew vegetables (you can find bags in some grocery stores) or frozen chicken. 8-10 hours low.
I usually use mine to cook chicken stew of one kind or another. I never bother browning. I throw whatever vegetables I want on the bottom, then a few chicken breasts or thighs, whatever spices I want (sometimes a curry sort of blend, sometimes more Italian, sometimes whatevs), and then add water until it's all covered (1/2 to 2/3 full crockpot). I'll use frozen stew vegetables (you can find bags in some grocery stores) or frozen chicken. 8-10 hours low.
Seconding that the freezer bag assembly is a great idea. If I'd thought of that before, our crockpot would get more use than just making yogurt. The morning prep idea always turned me off because mornings are rushed anyway, but if I put something together over a weekend and then freeze it in batches... that's brilliant!
Oh WOW, that is a fabulous idea with the freezer bags. I'll be doing some of that to stock the freezer for baby's arrival! Woot!
A coupla my faves:
Sloppy lentils (even my carnivore husband loves these. Sometimes we sub in some vegetarian grounds for part of the lentils)
http://fatfreevegan.com/blog/2010/03/23/sloppy-lentils/
My sister-in-law's Taco Soup (leftovers of this for dinner tonight in fact)
http://rightbites.wordpress.com/2010/02/08/taco-soup/
Back when I ate poultry, I'd look for a good deal on a whole chicken. Chunk up carrots, potatoes & onions into the bottom of the crock pot. Put the chicken on top, breast side down (keeps it moister). Sprinkle with salt, pepper and your choice of seasonings (rosemary's good, but anything really works here). Let 'er rip and the whole dinner's ready at the end.
Also used to make a lot of New Orleans style beans & rice in the crock pot, but lost the last recipe I was using in the fire.
I'll echo the cheers for allrecipes as a great source for crock pot recipes.
A coupla my faves:
Sloppy lentils (even my carnivore husband loves these. Sometimes we sub in some vegetarian grounds for part of the lentils)
http://fatfreevegan.com/blog/2010/03/23/sloppy-lentils/
My sister-in-law's Taco Soup (leftovers of this for dinner tonight in fact)
http://rightbites.wordpress.com/2010/02/08/taco-soup/
Back when I ate poultry, I'd look for a good deal on a whole chicken. Chunk up carrots, potatoes & onions into the bottom of the crock pot. Put the chicken on top, breast side down (keeps it moister). Sprinkle with salt, pepper and your choice of seasonings (rosemary's good, but anything really works here). Let 'er rip and the whole dinner's ready at the end.
Also used to make a lot of New Orleans style beans & rice in the crock pot, but lost the last recipe I was using in the fire.
I'll echo the cheers for allrecipes as a great source for crock pot recipes.
ps What kind of slow cooker did you get? Does it have a metal or ceramic insert? You can put the metal ones on the stove to brown meat, saute onions, etc before you put it in the heating part and start to slow cook.
It's a Crock-Pot, specifically. 6 quarts? It has buttons on it. Ceramic interior, but M. informs me she knows how to do this meat-browning portion and such.
A Year of Slow Cooking
Lazy Chili:
Throw in a couple pounds of ground beef, a couple cans of beans, paprika, chopped onion, minced garlic, cumin, and Frank's Red Hot sauce, all to taste. Leave in the crock pot until the beef is cooked, usually a few hours. Eat. OMNOMNOM.
Lazy Chili:
Throw in a couple pounds of ground beef, a couple cans of beans, paprika, chopped onion, minced garlic, cumin, and Frank's Red Hot sauce, all to taste. Leave in the crock pot until the beef is cooked, usually a few hours. Eat. OMNOMNOM.
My favorite DEAD SIMPLE recipe for the crock pot is for a "cranberry roast," to wit:
Dump an envelope of onion soup mix on bottom of crock pot.
Place 3-pound chuck roast on top of soup mix.
Dump one can jellied cranberry sauce on top of that.
Cover and cook on low 8 hours.
Remove roast to serving plate. Mix together 2 tablespoons butter and 2 tablespoons flour and then slowly add the resulting roux to all the juices in the crock pot. This will thicken, in a few minutes of stirring, into delicious, delicious gravy. SO GOOD.
Dump an envelope of onion soup mix on bottom of crock pot.
Place 3-pound chuck roast on top of soup mix.
Dump one can jellied cranberry sauce on top of that.
Cover and cook on low 8 hours.
Remove roast to serving plate. Mix together 2 tablespoons butter and 2 tablespoons flour and then slowly add the resulting roux to all the juices in the crock pot. This will thicken, in a few minutes of stirring, into delicious, delicious gravy. SO GOOD.
That sounds awesome.
If you eat a lot of yogurt, making it is pretty easy in the crockpot as long as you have a food thermometer. Heat half a gallon of pasteurized (not ultra-pasteurized) milk to 180, turn off the pot and let it cool to 115, take out 2 cups of the warm milk, whisk in 4oz of plain yogurt, then add that mixture back to the pot and put the lid back on. Wrap the whole thing in a towel to insulate it (I usually stick it in the microwave so I don't lose counter space), and leave it for 14 hours. Then voila, yogurt. :)