Purchased a Slow Cooker. (Go Phillies!!)
I went to Costco today and purchased the Rival 6 quart Crock Pot. To my delight, it came with a mini Crock Pot. There was a small recipe book with it as well. I am not real impressed with it. Then I started to think; what the hell am I going to do with the mini Crock Pot!
Since so many of you have a slow cooker, what cookbook do you recommend I purchase?
GO PHILLIES!!!!!
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13 Comments:
Actually, those mini crocks aren't half bad for warming dips and fondues.
There are so many great food sites now, I don't even bother with cookbooks for crock pots. Just remember that lots of moisture exudes from meats, so you don't need to add extra liquid to braise. Also, I never brown my meats before cooking them in the crock pot, and they always come out so nice and amazingly tender. I think you will love the ease of using your crock pot.
yankeesgal at 7:05PM on 10/03/08
Anything that you want to braise and anything that you want to simmer for a long time will be fine in a crock pot. So stews, long-cooking sauces, soup stocks...they're also nice for cooking dry beans.
I also got one of those mini crockpots free with some other purchase, and it seems to get hotter than the regular crockpot, and has no temp adjustments, so be careful with that.
As far as the big crockpot, what I tend to do is turn it to high until it gets up to temp, then finish cooking on low. As far as timing, most of the things I cook in there, I put in at night and it's done in the morning. Since you're usually cooking a tough meat or something that isn't going to be hurt by cooking a little longer, timing isn't such a big deal...if things cook a little longer, it doesn't matter so much. It's not like a pressure cooker where a few minutes means something. I wouldn't leave something in there for days on end, but an extra hour doesn't mean much in a crockpot, at least not for the sorts of things I tend to put in there.
Cookbooks? I know I have a few crockpot cookbooks among the collection, but you really don't need crock-pot specific recipes, unless you want a new cookbook for the fun of it.
dbcurrie at 9:33PM on 10/03/08
We have a family favorite crock pot dinner. Cut a center-cut chuck roast in half. Remove excess fat. S&P, then brown it in a little oil in a fry pan. Stir together a can of condensed cream of chicken soup and condensed french onion soup in the crock pot vessel and stir well to break up clumps. (It will still be a little lumpy, but will emulsify while cooking. Add the chuck and try to submerge it. Put on the lid and crank it on high as long as you'd like but for at least five hours. The longer the better. It will start to shred. I serve it over boiled noodles. You can throw in baby carrots, peas, boiled onions or whatever is handy. Add them at the end based on how quickly they cook. My two go crazy for this. I freeze the leftover gravy and/or shredded meat to add to my veggie soup or pasta sauce. Basically, anything you braise or cook over time can be made in a crock pot. Enjoy your new toy!
(PS: GO STEELERS!!)
Josdean at 9:43PM on 10/03/08
I make a dip and put it in there. I got my mini crock in target for 9 bucks forever ago. I made this and put it in there to stay warm.
http://www.kraftfoods.com/kf/recipes/velveeta-salsa-dip-52552.aspx
my changes were I fried a small chopped onion and one chopped red pepper and added it to the dip and I used Chi Chi's Salsa.
This is the best junk cheese dip I should never have eaten.
JerzeeTomato at 11:15PM on 10/03/08
I have this cool little book called 101 Things to do with a slow cooker. The neat thing about this book is that it is perfect for someone who works or likes simple easy food. The thing that I like is that the recipes call for like frozen chicken breasts, and food most cooks have on hand.
written by Stehanie Ashcraft = Gibbs Smith Publisher
cocoloco at 10:10AM on 10/04/08
throw some meatballs and some sweet sausage. a few cloves of garlic and a can or two of kitchen ready tomatoes with a 1/2 tablespoon of sugar. let cook on low all day. when you get home split some rolls or make some pasta.
you can even pour a bag of baby carrots, a layer of celey , 2 onions quartered. put a chuck roast on top.remove all the visible fat so the juice isn't greasy. potatoe and turnip around the roast. half some garlic cloves and put around the sides of the meat. mix 1 cup of water with 1 package of pot roast seasoning mix and pour over everything. don't use beef broth it will be to salty. cook on low all day. when you get home butter some bread, unbutton the pants and enjoy.
dearrie at 12:09PM on 10/04/08
This is a great recipe for the small crock pot - we call it:
Crack in a Crock Pot
2 8 oz packages cream cheese
2 jars old english cheese
2/3 cup evaporated milk (small can - NOT the sweet milk)
2 cans 6 oz drained crab
1 T Worsteshire Sauce
Blend on low heat in fondue pot or small crock pot.
Serve with bread (wheat or rye) and enjoy!
you can substitute old english for something cheaper like a 16 oz jar of "Cheese Sensations" Basically Pasteurized Processes Cheese Sauce
floridayaya at 7:43PM on 10/04/08
This is also a good one for the small crock pot:
Buffalo Chicken Dip
INGREDIENTS
2 (10 ounce) cans chunk chicken, drained
2 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese, softened
1 cup Ranch dressing or Bleu Cheese dressing
3/4 cup pepper sauce, such as Franks® Red Hot®
1 1/2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese
1 bunch celery, cleaned and cut into 4 inch pieces
1 (8 ounce) box chicken-flavored crackers
:
DIRECTIONS
Heat chicken and hot sauce in a skillet over medium heat, until heated through. Stir in cream cheese and ranch dressing. Cook, stirring until well blended and warm. Mix in half of the shredded cheese, and transfer the mixture to a slow cooker. Sprinkle the remaining cheese over the top, cover, and cook on Low setting until hot and bubbly. Serve with celery sticks and crackers.
One of our favorite meals in the big crock pot is to brown a pork roast, sprinkle a bit of Lipton onion soup mix over it and a can of whole berry cranberries - cook it all day - then serve over wild rice - it's awesome!
floridayaya at 7:50PM on 10/04/08
Thanks for the suggestions! With football season in full swing, I think the little bugger will come in very handy.
izatryt at 4:59PM on 10/05/08
@iztooryt ~ Go Iggles!!!
(If that means nothing to you, you're not from the Philadelphia vicinity) :-D
Sounds like you got two for the price of one - nice going sista! You'll have to let us know what your virgin dishes are for each. You sure got some great suggestions.
PerkyMac at 7:05PM on 10/05/08
Ha Ha Perk ~ Like Casinas, Acame, Yous, Valentimes Day. I've been around long enough!
The Iggles suck! GO PHILLIES!!!!!!!!!
izatryt at 7:28PM on 10/05/08
this is our must have dip for Buckeye games, serve with torilla chips:
1 pound ground beef
1 pound italian sausage (not the link variety, use the "roll" we use Bob Evans)
1 onion
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 pound block velveeta cheese
jarred sliced jalepeno peppers
brown ground beef, italian sausage and onion, once hamburger and sausage is cooked put in crock pot and add cream of mushroom soup and cubed velveeta cheese. Cook on low until cheese is melted, chop jalepeno's (start with 3 tablespoons chopped) add to dip and cook on low for 20 minutes, taste and see if more jalepeno's are needed and turn crock pot to warm. This goes quick at our tailgates, I have also in the past added a can of rotel tomatoes
MamaT at 11:00PM on 10/05/08
There's a fantastic website/blog out there that does tons of recipes for the crockpot. She's been featured on Rachel Ray's show and gives a good review of the recipes (not all are hits). She also has 2 kids and it's nice to get that point of view.
Personally I use my crockpot as much as humanly possible. It's a no fail. I have the Fix-it And Forget-It cookbook and many recipes you make in the oven or on stovetop can be converted for the crockpot.
mgotelaere at 9:40AM on 10/06/08