Slow Cooker/Crock Pot: Recipes and Techniques

[Anna N]

I sometimes  use a slow cooker for duck confit and stock.

Many carefully seasoned  stews cooked in the crockpotr never seem to deliver the deep flavors of oven or stove top braises. It all ends up tasteless and monotonous, no matter the flavoring.

←

I cannot quite understand how my crockpot can magically make different foods taste a whole lot the same. But I have managed to make chicken taste like beef with ease and convenience.

←

This is one reason that I almost never use my crock pot - it seemed that, no matter the recipe, one dish tasted pretty much the same as another.

[BarbaraY]

I sometimes  use a slow cooker for duck confit and stock.

Many carefully seasoned  stews cooked in the crockpotr never seem to deliver the deep flavors of oven or stove top braises. It all ends up tasteless and monotonous, no matter the flavoring.

←

I cannot quite understand how my crockpot can magically make different foods taste a whole lot the same. But I have managed to make chicken taste like beef with ease and convenience.

←

This is one reason that I almost never use my crock pot - it seemed that, no matter the recipe, one dish tasted pretty much the same as another.

←

My reasoning, too. I bought a crockpot when they first became popular in the 70's. Found that everything I cooked had a nasty off taste that was unidentifiable. I gave the thing away.

[Smithy]

I find it's a good way for me to express my penchant for procrastination with food and non-renewable resources... why throw away today what I can keep and throw away tomorrow?

←

That could be a wonderful tag line!

Since taking the braising class and learning about tagines I find myself less inclined to use our slow cooker, but that device is my husband's specialty because of its convenience and simplicity. I can do better ribs than his by browning them first and taking those extra steps he isn't willing to take, and those steps (rather than the equipment) may explain the differences in flavor and quality. Having said that, I'll also say that he makes darned good ribs and pork shoulder in our crock pot. We've never noticed everything tasting the same from one dish to the next.

Now that I think of it, we almost exclusively cook pork in the crock pot. Maybe I'd sing a different tune if I tried chicken in it.

[CurlySue]

I'm having guests for dinner tomorrow and will be getting home late so I want to do as much ahead of time as possible. I hate serving re-heated mashed potatoes but I'll make them tonight and just warm them tomorrow if I have to, but I was really hoping to cook them in the crock pot while I was gone during the day tomorrow then just mash them when I get home. My problem is that I usually steam or boil potatoes for mashed potatoes, so I don't know if cooking them in the crock pot during the day will work, and if so, how exactly do I do it? In water? Just a little water? Completely submerged? No water at all?

Any thoughts?

[Jensen]

I'd be afraid that they'd turn to mush.

[divalasvegas]

I'm having guests for dinner tomorrow and will be getting home late so I want to do as much ahead of time as possible.  I hate serving re-heated mashed potatoes but I'll make them tonight and just warm them tomorrow if I have to, but I was really hoping to cook them in the crock pot while I was gone during the day tomorrow then just mash them when I get home.  My problem is that I usually steam or boil potatoes for mashed potatoes, so I don't know if cooking them in the crock pot during the day will work, and if so, how exactly do I do it?  In water?  Just a little water?  Completely submerged?  No water at all?

Any thoughts?

←

Hi CurlySue. My experience with doing this did not turn out well. Years ago, I was cooking beef stew in a crock pot for the first time. I asked a friend of mine for advice on how to get the best results. Among some of her suggestions she said to make sure I DID NOT put in the potatoes, that the meat and other vegetables would be fine. I can't remember if I decided to ignore her advice or just forgot, but I included potatoes. Well, they turned out horrible with a unpleasant mealy texture. They were inedible as a matter of fact and I had to fish them out and discard them. I can't imagine that they would fare any better if you cooked them alone.

Hope this helps.

[CurlySue]

Hmmmm.... bummer. Ok, well better that I know it doesn't work than to experiment on my guests! I guess I'll just make it tonight and set it in the crock pot to warm tomorrow? I'll have to put it on a timer though because I can't imagine mashed potatoes sitting at warm for 11 hours is a good thing... Or should I just leave them refrigerated and nuke them before dinner?

[Really Nice!]

They don't cook very well. I made a stew with russet potatoes. Six hours later they were still as hard as they were in their raw state.

Nuke them before dinner.

[divalasvegas]

Hmmmm.... bummer.  Ok, well better that I know it doesn't work than to experiment on my guests!  I guess I'll just make it tonight and set it in the crock pot to warm tomorrow?  I'll have to put it on a timer though because I can't imagine mashed potatoes sitting at warm for 11 hours is a good thing...  Or should I just leave them refrigerated and nuke them before dinner?

←

You know, I must admit that I pretty much hate the texture/results of any nuked food. I would mash the potatoes in advance and keep them refrigerated in an ovenproof dish--Pyrex or whatever--and then take them out and reheat in a real oven on a low temperature (don't put the dish in ice cold, though, let it sit out for a while). I know this sounds cumbersome, but to me the flavor and texture of the final results would be well worth it.

Good luck.

[CurlySue]

Ok, thanks for the help everyone!

I'm not a great cook, but when I do cook I at least like it to be as good as possible. I hate gummy mashed potatoes!!

[jgm]

One possibility to consider is to peel the potatoes in the morning before you leave for work, and cut them into whatever size chunks you always do, and put them in a bowl of water in the fridge. They can go on the stove first thing, and be cooking while you do other things, and your final task could be to take them through the final steps. I know quite a few people who do this, and they report that it works well. Some just leave the potatoes in the cooking vessel on the stove, without refrigeration, but I'm not comfortable doing that.

[TPO]

I have heard that you can wrap whole potatoes in foil and bake them in the Crock Pot all day but I have not tried this.

I put potatoes in my stew and they come out good, but they taste like stew potatoes. I would not want to mash them and eat them alone, so I don't think cooking the potatoes in the Crock Pot all day would be a good idea.

I have made mashed potatoes ahead of time and reheated them in the oven (regular, not microwave) and they turned out good.

[daniellewiley]

My mother-in-law always reheats her mashed potatoes in a crockpot. I don't know about 11 hours, but they are typically in there for a long time.

Like at least six hours.

[Jensen]

What if you were to make the mashed potatoes in advance and, when you get home, take the chill off in the microwave. Then scoop them out into blobs (I'm sure there's a fancier-sounding word than that but blobs works too), brush them with a little melted butter or olive oil, and then run them under the broiler.

It'd be a little more time-consuming than just nuking the mash but still not too bad.

(You could even mix in some chopped green onions and grated cheese before broiling, if you wanted.)

[CurlySue]

I did end up making them last night and was considering nuking them tonight until they're mostly warm, then throwing them in the oven finish them off. I'm going to be adding bleu cheese to them and I figured I'll nuke them, add the cheese, put them in a casserole and finish off in the oven for an hour or so. We'll see...

[Mar Calpena]

After hearing from some American friends about the advantages of a crockpot (apparently it's simply a matter of dumping everything in, going to work and having a complete meal afterwards) I succumbed and I've just paid for one from Ebay. Slow cookers aren't used in Spain, where I live, but there is definitely a long tradition of slow cooking.

Trouble is, I've been looking for slow cooker / crockpot recipes on the web and mostly they seem to be bland casseroles made out of canned soup and chunks of meat. Is any of you giving this appliance a more gourmety type of treatment? Could anyone give me some tips on what I can do with the my new kitchen toy?

Thanks a lot,

Mar

Edited September 19, 2005 by Mar Calpena (log)

[LoriZig]

After hearing from some American friends about the advantages of a crockpot (apparently it's simply a matter of dumping everything in, going to work and having a complete meal afterwards) I succumbed and I've just paid for one from Ebay. Slow cookers aren't used in Spain, where I live, but there is definitely a long tradition of slow cooking.

Trouble is, I've been looking for slow cooker / crockpot recipes on the web and mostly they seem to be bland casseroles made out of canned soup and chunks of meat. Is any of you giving this appliance a more gourmety type of treatment? Could anyone give me some tips on what I can do with the my new kitchen toy?

Thanks a lot,

Mar

←

Oh, do I have a recipe for you! We make this whenever pork roast is on sale.

Pulled Pork in a Crock Pot

-boneless pork roast (about 2 pounds) with the layer of fat removed

Rub:

-1 tablespoon coarsely ground black pepper

-1 tablespoon dark brown sugar

-1 tablespoon paprika

-2 1/2 teaspoons coarse salt

-1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper

Mop:

1 cup apple cider vinegar

1/2 cup water

2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce

1 tablespoon coarsely ground black pepper

1 tablespoon coarse salt

2 teaspoons vegetable oil

Mix together the rub ingredients, and rub all over pork, pressing to make sure it sticks. Throw mop ingredients into Crock Pot, and add the roast. Cook on low for 8 hours, turning once. Take out of pot and shred with forks. Mix with a little bbq sauce and serve on buns.

[Jaymes]

We've had several threads on slow cookers and one thing that everyone seems to make with great success is caramelized onions. You just can't beat the crockpot for long slow simmering of those onions.

Also, I make Tacos de Lengua in mine.

Here's a link to a thread where I give the recipe: Gourmet slow cooker recipes -- do they exist?

Oh, y Mar....

Another thing crockpots are great for is serving hot beverages. I'm sure you've been to Germany and sampled the gluwein. When I have parties in the wintertime, I usually have a crockpot full of the stuff simmering away, and another of mulled cider (with a bottle of Tuaca and a bowl of whipped cream alongside) for guests to help themselves.

Edited September 20, 2005 by Jaymes (log)

[sugarcookie]

I have a sweet potato chili recipe that loves the crockpot. I have also successfully done lasagna in it! My crockpot is older than me, and I love it.

[Jaymes]

I have a sweet potato chili recipe that loves the crockpot.

You have a "sweet potato chili recipe"? Man, does that sound interesting. Care to share?

[Mar Calpena]

Hi, thanks to everyone for pointing me on the right direction. Silly me, I managed to miss the wealth of info available on Egullet.

My mother suggested trying fabada, which is a white bean stew typical from the north of Spain, and also escudella i carn d'olla, which is stock and meat and veggies we Catalans often eat on Christmas day (we cook it all together but then have the stock with some pasta as hors d'oeuvre and the meat - chicken and chuck and butifarra- and the veggies as main).

[rooftop1000]

Another thing crockpots are great for is serving hot beverages.  I'm sure you've been to Germany and sampled the gluwein.  When I have parties in the wintertime, I usually have a crockpot full of the stuff simmering away, and another of mulled cider (with a bottle of Tuaca and a bowl of whipped cream alongside) for guests to help themselves.

←

Lots of fun foods for parties can be set out in the crock pot from Chile or a saucy vegetable dish to pulled pork for sandwiches.

I do my pulled pork using a small bottle of Frank's hot sauce, onion and garlic powder and a big handfull of brown sugar or maple syrup. After it cools you can defat the drippings and mix with some BBq sauce to add back to the pulled meat. Just leave it next to a basket of buns and let everyone have at it.

tracey

[Curlz]

My mother suggested trying fabada, which is a white bean stew typical from the north of Spain, and also escudella i carn d'olla, which is stock and meat and veggies we Catalans often eat on Christmas day (we cook it all together but then have the stock with some pasta as hors d'oeuvre and the meat - chicken and chuck and butifarra- and the veggies as main).

←

Ooooh, these sound great! If you have recipes to share, please do!!

Curlz

[Mar Calpena]

Ooooh, these sound great!  If you have recipes to share, please do!!

Curlz

←

You can find two fairly accurate recipes for fabada here and here- These days most people buy canned "fabas", like in recipe number one, because they take so long to prepare, but I'm definitely going to give traditional fabada a try once I receive my crockpot (and the weather gets colder).

By the way, regardless of what the first recipe says, "Fabas" is the term people use in Asturias, where the dish comes from, to refer to big white beans. In Spanish they would be called "judías", as opposed to "habas", which are the Catalan Faves and Italian Favas.

As for escudella i carn d'olla, I have to say this is a very forgiving recipe, and each family cooks it in a slightly different way. I also found two versions of it - along with a great explanation - here and here- , but my mother's doesn't include chicken's livers, lamb, onions or pork feet, while she may throw in some slices of Catalan sausages (botifarra blanca, botifarra negra, or fuet) and a quartered chicken or chicken carcass. What you definitely don't leave out is the huge meatball, the veggies and the chickpeas in stock. It's lovely winter fare...

In terms of plating, you are supposed to drain the stock you get at the end, and then boil some pasta (galets, no idea what the italian term for this is) or rice in it. In the unlikely case you have leftovers, you make caneloni out of the meat and eat them on Boxing Day (San Esteve). However, due to my families' appetite and the fact we often have roast turkey filled with sausages, prunes, dried apricots and pine nuts in Christmas (another Catalan classic), my aunt has to make them from scratch every year.

I'll try and post my mum's recipe soon, but the crockpot experiment will take longer with this, as it is a bit too labor intensive to cook only for myself.

Edited to includ the "faba", "haba" explanation.

Edited September 20, 2005 by Mar Calpena (log)

[pounce]

I use a slow cooker a lot to make lunches for work. My current favorite slow lunch is a very basic beef and paprika dish.

5 lbs. beef stew meat (browned)

4-5 tablespoons HOT paprika

1 large sautéed onion

2 lbs. of sliced mushrooms

2 cups stock

1/4 cup veg oil

..some wine if there is an open bottle around

...sometimes garlic

..sometimes parsley

I put this on low for 8 hours. After it's finished I remove the meat and other solids, pour off the fat and reduce the liquid adding salt and more HOT paprika to taste. I then mix the solids back in and set in the fridge. The next day I mix in sour cream or Greek style yogurt and pair with egg noodles or schpetzle. I'm a big fan of vacuum packing so I portion everything along with the noodles and freeze. I grab a pack on the way out the door and by lunch time the meal is slightly thawed, but still cold, ready for a little radar love.

Edited September 20, 2005 by pounce (log)