Crock Pot Tips

Crock Pot Cooking Tips

Although it will take a lot to scratch a crock pot with metal, it is still best to use wooden utensils while cooking with a crock pot. This way you are sure that you will not scratch the surface over a period of time. Did you know that when you use plastic utensils, they contaminate food? Metal coded utensils react with certain food acids and react with enzymes. Using a knife within the crock pot can cause you to scratch the glaze coating on the crock pot.

While cooking meats, for instance roast beef for barbecue beef is drained so why not save the stalk and freeze it. Make sure that the stalk is totally cool and stored in a good quality Tupperware piece. You can use this at a later day. It can be used to make soups or just to add flavor.

It seems that it can be a lot cheaper to buy inexpensive meats and cook them in the slow cooker. It tenderizes the meat better then any other way. It can take a generic steak and make it tender and taste wonderful to where you can chew it a lot easier then it would be had it been cooked another way.

Then there are root vegetables that you can easily steam in a steamer to tenderize them. However, if you cook them with a meat in a crock pot, they turn out so much better, because there is flavor in the meat that cooks the vegetables and makes them tender. Not to mention the vegetable will have the flavor of whatever the meat is and that makes it taste better.

When you are cooking using a crock pot and you are wanting to add vegetables in the mix, you will not want to add any canned vegetables until about twenty minutes before serving. If it is frozen vegetables, I would definitely wait for about thirty minutes before serving.

Another way to remember to make the best type of meat in a crock pot is to sear the meat before you cook it. This will lock flavor into the particles of meat and help with the flavor process. For instance if you are cooking a roast, you may want to sear it with rubbed seasoning and Worcestershire sauce. All you do is simply coat the meat with whatever you want to season it with, then sear it in hot grease before putting it in the crock pot.

Meals to be Turned Over Into a Crock Pot

Okay, so you have this new crock pot that you just got for Christmas and as you are admiring the grooviness of it, you still don't really know what it is, let alone what to cook in it or how to cook it. That is okay, it is most definitely one of the easiest ways that you will ever know how to cook.It is quit simple to cook in a crock pot. You know that old saying 'a throw together meal'. Well cooking with a crock pot is a throw together meal, so to speak. The only difference is that it is scrumptious when it is cooked in the crock pot.

Take for instance that roast that you cooked last night. You remember how wonderful that was? I mean although it was delicious there were still plenty left overs. You can chose to make a roast beef sandwich with the leftovers or you can make barbecue roast beef sandwiches by placing the left over roast back into the crock pot and use half to whole barbecue sauce and let it simmer about two hours. Shred the roast. This makes for a delicious barbecue roast beef sandwich.

You have made this scrumptious home made chicken noodle soup on the stove top. I mean you have to because there are noodles that have to be boiled. Not to mention the chicken also has to boil thoroughly to cook so that it can be separated for the soup. Well you are wanting to take this delicious soup to a party. Don't fret, it may need some extra simmering but that can be done at the party, in the crock pot. When the soup is together go ahead and convert it to the crock pot.

Any kind of left over soup can be placed into the crock pot to be warmed up. Before heading to work you can pull it out of the refrigerator and place it in the crock pot. Then you can turn the crock pot on to warm. By the time that you get home, it should be warmed up for dinner. You can even freeze soup and put it in the crock pot on low for a few hours. There is an instant and even more delicious meal, then when it was originally prepared.

There are several things that can be converted into the crock pot. There are several reasons to do it as well.

Purchasing a Crock Pot

In today's society we find our self doing a lot of on line shopping verses going to the store. It is just more convenient and for those single Moms shopping on on line sure does come in handy. It makes life easier when you don't have to dress three kids just to run and grab something that you so desperately need. Am I right?

There are several places where you can purchase a crock pot on line. If you are an e Bay shopper, you may find new ones there for a reasonable price. Looking at Macy's, you may be able to find one that is pretty reasonable.

There are searches that you can conduct. Next had some awesome looking Crock Pots and most of them were pretty original prices. What it is, is they look for the best deals on any given item and list them so that you can compare on the site and go with the one that you like the most and will  be the right one for you and your family.

Shop at department stores like Wal-Mart or Target to find a good crock pot at a store that is familiar with you and you know about their quality. There are other places on line to purchase a slow cooker, like amazon.com. It is good to get the crock pot that you can compare and the most convenient for you.

There are other stores that sell crock pots exclusively. They are specialty stores like Harsch Farmenting where you can purchase a crock pot that is made in Germany. There are several that you can chose from. Hamilton beach is also a good quality crock pot manufacturer. You can find Hamilton Beach brand in many of your department stores. Doing a search will lead you to the right one that will fit your needs.

There is also BizRate. com where they offer a variety of crock pots and a lot of other kitchen appliances. On line stores are everywhere and although e Bay may be a great place to find many great items to purchase, including crock pots. You want to be sure that the crock pot is new. It is entirely up to you of course, but new is best. Some of the brands that you may encounter are Hamilton Beach, Rival, Presto, and many others. They have them from one piece and simple with a knob switch to the high tech detachment and electronic types.

Purchasing a New Crock Pot Cookbook

Where can you find some of the best crock pot cookbooks. There are several places online and then there are stores where you can purchase the right one for you. Some of the books contain ways to care for your crock pot and even tips on how to prepare meals. There are certain ways to care for your foods and store them after cooking as well. A crock pot cook book may have many things other then recipes that will help you with cooking and other things that have to do with your food.

Books A Million has a cookbook that is priced under $13. It is a 118 page book and you can order it on booksamillion.com. Amazon.com has a variety of books as well. There is one Better Crocker brand. This one is about $16 for a new one and is rated four stars. There are hundreds of cook books on amazon.com. E-bay has a variety of crock pot cook books that are both new and used.

There is another store found on line that specializes in crock pots and recipes. This website is called recipsZaar.com It is packed full of cook books that talk about crock pot meals. Have you heard of the restaurant Cracker Barrel? Well they offer thier very own crock pot cookbook. Imagine taking some of Cracker Barrel to your own kitchen. I am not talking about the doggie bag either.

Of course you can go to the original makers of the Crock Pot and buy some of their many cook books. There are sure to be some recipes that Grandma came up with in there. There is a list of many crock pot cookbooks with popular titles such as Slow Cookers for Dummies, Betty Crocker cookbooks and then there is the biggest cookbook called Slow Cooker Recipes that is made by Better Homes and Gardens.

Looking around, I have found that the cost of most crock pot cookbooks range from about ten dollars to forty. It all depends on how big it is, where you go to buy it and the quality of the contents. There are also places where you can create, publish and sell your own crock pot cookbook. If you are a cook and you have your own unique recipes, you may want to publish to Lulu.com. People will be able to purchase a cookbook or even download one.

Slow Cooker Origins

Believe it or not the slow cooker has gone all the way back to ancient days. They would cook root plants in large pots for at least twenty four hours. What it would do is release nutrition and made the bulb of the vegetable to where it was tender enough to eat. Also back in the old farm days they would slow cook old hens, making them tender enough to eat. Fresh meat is so tough, that the slow cooking process was absolutely essential for consuming meats. Hunting was the primary source of food and chewing it would have mostly been impossible had they merely fried it over a stove.

Then back in the 1960's West Bend created a Bean Pot to cook beans. Then the original Beanery was created in Chicago by a company called Naxon Utilities Corp. Then in 1970 Rival took over and refined the looks and later introduced the Rival Crock-pot slow cooker. That happened in 1971. Women were going out to Corporate America to work and having this revolutionary chef cook for you all day is a working girl's dream come true.

Unlike modern slow cookers, the women of the past had to pay closer attention to their slow cookers so that the food wouldn't scorch. The slow cookers of old cook just as slow but since they were used over an open fire you would have to pay special close attention to them. They were used for more then cooking. Back then you had to heat up your water and use it for bathing. These large pots were good, just for that.

Big pots have been used throughout history. If you look back into the early times you notice in books and encyclopedias that pots were widely used. These large pots were made out of cast iron and sometimes stone and even pottery. They were mainly used to cook food over a long period of time. They were extremely heavy and as they hung on a large hook, there was a fire burning below to keep whatever the contents were in it, warm at all times. Eventually cast iron evolved into frying pans, yet they still take time to cook foods and they are still heavy.

Slow cooking is still used now and days over an open fire. When you go camping, that is a form of slow cooking. You are using a slow cooker to cook foods and they work similar to the Crock Pot that we use in our own kitchens.

Some Tips For Your Crock Pot Cooking

You are looking online and you see all kinds of different types of crock pots and you are having a hard time choosing one that fits what you need. There are many things that you need to be aware of before you purchase your crock pot. Size, including depth and width, matter because it all depends on what you will cook in it.

It is good to have a liner for your crock pot if you want to take it with you to functions. This way you don't accidentally burn yourself all the while keeping the food snug and warm.

There are liners that you can put inside of the crock pot to make for easier cleaner messes. It is more convenient to have these then it would be to have to scrub stuck on food.

You don't necessarily have to brown any meats, except for hamburger meat. You usually would do that because of the excess fat that is left behind when the meat is cooked. It is recommended that you rinse the meat when you are finished browning it. Before cooking chicken in the crock pot, you will want to remove the skin. That is unless you plan to use the skin for flavor. In that case, be sure to take it out of the crock pot when the stock is done cooking. Always be sure to rinse chicken in cold water as well.

Be careful how you place your ingredients. It is known that vegetables cook slower then meat. In that case you may want to add the vegetables first and then the meat. Now, if the meat (like a roast) is frozen, you can put it on the bottom and, of course, that will require some extra cooking time.

When you are cooking in a crock pot, steam is the main element and the heat, of course. You do not need to lift the lid up to see the contents. Most  crock pots come with a clear glass lid. If it is oval, all you have to do is tap the top of the lid to see the contents. If it is a circular lid, simply twist the lid allowing the water to drip down and then you can see the contents of the crock pot cooking. Just keep in mind that it usually adds about 20 minutes of cook time to your food when you lift the lid.

The Pros and Cons of Owning a Crockpot

One of the best advantages of owning a crock pot is the fact that it cooks so slow that you don't have to worry about it over cooking your food. If you are cooking thick meats, the slower cooking process also seems to keep the meat good and tenderized. Not to mention it brings more flavor to every item such as a vegetable because the juices have had time to set into it. Back in the 1970's and 1980's housewives went out into Corporate America and loved the convenience of coming home to a great wholesome already cooked meal.

You can make a lower grade meat taste so much better cooking it inside of a crockpot. The reason for this is because the slow cooking process allows the fats to be broken down and the juices are able to set into the meat. It also conveniently blends the different flavors of the contents even before the seasoning. When you make a roast, the juices from the roast meat are tasted in the vegetables. You can't get that on the stove top. You may get that in an over but not as good.

Some of the downfall of cooking with a crockpot is the fact that many vitamins and nutrients are lost. This mostly occures in the vegatables. The kidnet bean contains a toxin called phytohaemagglutinin. If you were to cook this bean at a high temperature it would kill the toxin. However, since crock pots cook slow, the toxins will remain in the bean. Thus causing a case of food poisoning. Some crock pots are considered pottery and like all other pottery, it is glazed with a material that contains lead. Lead can cause neurological and developmental damage. It is hard to remove lead from your body as well.

Sometimes washing a crock pot can be hectic. Especially a lot of the older models. They do not detach from the cooker. You cannot immerse it in water so to tackle that hard stuck on food can be a challenge. On the other hand, if you have one that detaches, you can let it soak in hot soapy water and even slip it into the dishwasher.

When you are on your way to a party and are required to bring food with you, a crock pot will definitely be ideal. You can cook and carry it with you. For picnics? I doubt it. It is good for pot luck functions and dinners. It can be more convenient then traveling with paper plates or big hot pots. However, the crock pot can be bulky and sometimes you may not have access to a plug in to keep the food warm. You weight the odds. Is a crock pot right for you and your family?

The Whys of Using a Slow Cooker

They say that it is best to cook in a slow cooker during the winter months. The reason being is that most of the food that you cook in a slow cooker is a soup or a stew. Roast is also considered to be a winter dish. These meals are a convenience to those of us who work and get stuck in the snow on our way home. Dinner will be ready to eat and won't be burnt, scorched or overcooked.

Well you forgot to take the roast out last night to cook. You could go ahead and start it first thing in the morning in the new crock pot. Even if it is frozen, it has all day to cook through plus it will easily fall apart. Preparation time for a roast is about 10 minutes and taste like you have been working over a hot stove all day. Of course cutting the preparation time by purchasing baby carrots instead of whole carrots, eliminates the preparation time, tremendously.

If you are heading to a party, like a wedding party for instance and need to keep that soup warm for hours, because the wedding ceremony comes first. That crock pot is wonderful at keeping things warm as long as you need it to without having to worry about food burning. not to mention it always maintains the same temperature instead of inconsistency that can take away from the taste of the food.

If you are wanting to make a soup for that church pot luck, the best thing to use is a crock pot. You would definitely want to have one of the newer models that have the clamps that clamp the lid and seal it shut. It is convenient because your soup wont ever spill over and it will stay warm at all times. Most of the newer models with clamps has a bag that comes with it to keep the entire pot warm while travel ling.

Because it is made out of porcelain for the most part, you will be able to use any utensil to serve food from it. You won't have to worry about the utensils scratching and removing the protective surface. If there happens to be stuck on food on the surface, you can even use a scouring pad to remove the food and it won't scratch the surface. Then the newer models are even easy to clean with the convenience of detaching it to wash it in the dishwasher.

What can be Cooked in the Crock Pot

So you are shopping and you chose this pretty neat digital crock pot and you decide to buy it. There are a lot of things that you want to try in this new awesome cooker. You go ahead and buy it and bring it home.

Now you are wondering what you can cook inside this new crock pot. There are several things and it is cost effective in just about every aspect. The cost of meat is cheaper for a crock pot because the meat is tender when cooked in a crock pot. You can dice up roast and make beef tips and rice. All it takes is cutting the beef against the grain, cooking for a couple hours and then making gravy.

Just about any soup or stew can be made with a crock pot. For the most part all you have to do is throw all of the ingredients together in the crock pot and cook all day. It is really simple and easy.

You save on having to wash all of the dishes that you would have cooking all of the food on the stove or the oven. Not to mention a crock pot is so much easier to wash then a pan. Most of them are detachable and can easily fit in the dishwasher.

Beans of any kind are best when they are cooked in the crock pot. You can't go wrong with making beans in it because they are cooked slowly and you don't have to worry about them getting scorched. You can let them cook all day and even when you add the meat to them, you allow for the meat flavor to set into the beans. When the juice is thickened you will be able to enjoy a delicious meal over rice.

Prepare spaghetti like you usually would on the stove top. Then if you think that allowing time for the sauce flavors to set into the pasta and the meat, you can let it simmer in the crock pot for awhile. You may enjoy it a lot better.

Just about anything that merely needs to be warmed in the oven can be warmed in the crock pot. It may take longer. For instance when you have a casserole that you would like to make in the heat of the summer, there is nothing more unbearable then cranking that oven up, much less paying a huge gas bill just to enjoy those winter meals. Well with a crock pot you can enjoy winter meals in the summer time with just a little electricity.

What Kind of Crock Pot Do You Need?

In this fast pace world there are a few little conveniences to help us out along the way. We just need to know which one is the right crock pot  for our family. We all love wholesome meals that we don't have to spend hours over the hot stove to cook. Am I right? Buying a crock pot could be a fun experience since there are so many to chose from. Not to mention we all love to shop, right?

First of all, how big is your family? What kind of foods would you mostly cook in the crock pot? Do you have a lot of pot luck functions? Does looks matter? Would you prefer one that is detachable or does it matter? These are questions that you will want to keep in mind before you make your purchase.

There are some crock pots that have clamps to seal the lid, so that it can't spill. They have a cover for traveling. These are good for those of you who attend pot lucks and want the convenience of cooking a crock pot meal. There are small porcelain crock pots. These would be perfect for a couple that likes nice dinnerware so a nice porcelain crock pot looks nice sitting on a counter top.

There are types with different settings. Some are electric, some may be knobs. You can set according to the type of food that you are cooking. The turn knobs usually have three settings on them. The settings are usually warm, low and high.

Out of the different stores where you can purchase a crock pot, the decision is yours. Probably the least expensive can be found at Wal-Mart or K-Mart. Just about any department store or cooking store, you can find a crock pot. There are several places on line where you can purchase one as well.

There are a few types of crock pots. They come in stainless steel. They may also come in porcelain or glass. Some are detachable for the convenience of washing them and being able to place totally in the water or even to wash in the dishwasher. Some of them come with glass lids. Then there are plastic lids. You may even find side clamps that seal the lid. usually these types have a hole for releasing stem. It is very similar to a pressure cooker.

Of course if you have a large family, you are going to want a large crock pot and preferably one that you can remove the inside part from the cooking section to pop in the dishwasher. These are different types of crock pots and I am sure that you can find one that is most convenient to you and your family.