Slow Cooker/Crock Pot: Recipes and Techniques

[Basilgirl]

What I'm wondering is when you cook meat in a crockpot, do you take skin off chicken, etc, or trim fat? I always get a bunch of fat pooled in the pot. Or do you just cool it and skim?

In the many many books I've been looking through, trying to get ideas, all generally agree to ditch the skin before cooking.

[SobaAddict70]

don't forget coq au vin.

Soba

[gus_tatory]

And don't forget that dried beans are perfect for crock pots...

along the lines of what FistFullaRoux said, i make yellow/green split pea soup and Indian-spiced lentil soup (dahl) in my slow-cooker. it's the perfect vessel for these preps.

Edited March 12, 2004 by gus_tatory (log)

[Marmish]

This chipotle roastis one of the best things I have ever made in the crockpot.

[Suzanne F]

Congee.

Duck confit.

[snowangel]

Scroll down this thread Pork Shoulder to Huevos's post about Posole.

It is limp and weak when freshly made, but when given a day to sit in the fridge (or back stoop in the winter), is abosolutely divine. My go to meal when I can plan a day ahead. Everyone in the family, from those with adventurous tastebuds to those more shy, love it.

[Richard Kilgore]

I agree with Susan, the posole is wonderful. I like it best after two to three days. Just scrape the fat layer off the top after it has been in the fridge overnight.

[Richard Kilgore]

Also check out Jaymes recipe-essay on Carne Guisada in RecipeGullet. Excellent in all its many manifestations, but I prefer pork and tomatillo. Also best when allowed to sit for a day or two.

[picaman]

Also check out Jaymes recipe-essay on Carne Guisada in RecipeGullet.

I've searched six ways to Sunday and can't find this. Could you kindly link to it or let me know where it is?

Maybe it's just too early in the morning for me

Thanks

Jamie

[fresco]

I'm not sure if it's in RecipeGullet, but here's a link to a thread where she discusses it:

http://forums.egullet.org/index.php?showto...=0entry142369

[picaman]

I'm not sure if it's in RecipeGullet, but here's a link to a thread where she discusses it:

http://forums.egullet.org/index.php?showto...=0entry142369

Thanks!

Jamie

[Richard Kilgore]

Thanks for finding the thread, fresco. Her explanation, though simple and straightforward, may be too complex for RecipeGullet.

[fifi]

Just an update. I returned the offending crockpot just today. I had used my ATM card when I made the purchase. The lady at the customer service desk could not have been nicer. She apologized for the inconvenience, swiped my card and acknowledged that I had indeed guessed correctly as to which card I used and promptly gave me cash. I was in shock.

Then I went to Sam's Club to get a similar pot but one that a couple of my cooking buddies have and don't seem to have a problem. It is the stainless model but comes with an extra crock that has a divider in it so you can put meat on one side and veggies on the other! I had never seen that before. It also has this carry bag thing which is neat since I am known to transport said pot for various gatherings. My buddies say they have never seen the extra divided crock anywhere but Sam's. What a cool deal when cooking for one.

I will give the paprika chicken another trial tomorrow and see how this one goes.

[Richard Kilgore]

Sounds promising, Fifi. This one has the high-low-warm-off setting as opposed to the over-designed/under-performing electro-cool-snazzy thermostat and heating coil, correcto? So do you mind telling us Sam's price for this?

[bloviatrix]

All Clad has introduced a crock pot. I saw it at William Sonoma the other day. It looks pretty large. But I don't know anything else. They might have an exclusive on it - can't find it on the web site

[fifi]

Sounds promising, Fifi. This one has the high-low-warm-off setting as opposed to the over-designed/under-performing electro-cool-snazzy thermostat and heating coil, correcto? So do you mind telling us Sam's price for this?

This one has the totally useless electro-cool-snazzy thingy but my buddies swear that it doesn't go thermonuclear. The extra divided crock is what got me. I can live with the stupid controls if it performs ok because the divided crock has real appeal for a one person household. BTW, it is really cool in that the divider is like a molded in part of the crock with a wave to it. It reminds me of the yin-yang symbol. We shall see. Sam's price is $48.54.

[Jay-bob]

Chineese pork shoulder

pork shoulder (3-4 lbs.)

half cup water

half cup soy

quarter cup sliced ginger

star anise

cloves

cumin

cook on high for four hours and serve over rice noodles

Thems good eatin'

[fifi]

The paprika chicken cooked on high worked really well. This one seemed to perform as expected on high. I then switched to low with the lid off because the onions had a LOT of water. That performed as expected also.

This is the one I ended up with. As I said, it came with the carry case and the extra crock. The extra crock is not pictured here and may be a special made just for Sam's or they picked up a bunch of them that were previously offered but now discontinued.

[SethG]

fifi, after reading most of the above I bought the most basic crock pot in the 6.5 quart size, mostly because it was the one pot available in the store other than the Smart Pot, which I knew from your experience not to bother with.

I've found it to work just fine. But I noticed this morning that I could've bought the pot with the "warm" setting for the same price! Mine just has off, low and high. Part of me feels cheated. Part of me thinks the perfect crock pot is the one with the fewest options. I might be happiest with a pot that has nothing but an on/off switch. Or even better, a pot with no buttons at all! Just plug the sucker in, and it's on.

[fifi]

I agree with you and would have gone for the high/low/warm model but, I couldn't find one! Then that two chambered pot got me. I haven't tried it yet but may do that this coming weekend. I am thinking a small corned beef and some smothered cabbage in a belated nod to St. Patrick.

[Richard Kilgore]

Noticed All-Clad has an 8 qt programmable, oval shape, SS, about $99.

Also -- you can get the Rival "Smart" programmable function for any crockpot for $10. Plug it into an outlet and plug your crockpot into it.

Anyone tried either of these yet?

[fifi]

$99 for a crock pot? That is nuts. I also don't know that I would trust a company that never made one before to know what they are doing. There is subtle science in the crock pot.

[babyluck]

fifi, I wish I'd noticed this thread earlier--I would have told you to stay far away from the Rival Smart Pots! I learned the hard way, too, but too late to return it. The most common complaint seems to be that the temps are too hot and that the lid doesn't fit properly. I can't remember where I read it, but one unhappy owner figured out that Rival used the same lid for several different models--it may fit perfectly on the one it was originally designed for, but not the Smart Pot.

I found that foods tended to dry out because the lid does not make an airtight seal. I don't think a hole in the lid would be a benefit for a slow cooker--it would only prevent the dancing lid phenomenon.

I am considering a Nesco...

[marie-louise]

... I generally braise things in the oven, and at a much higher temperature than that reached by a crockpot (212 tops). My point in going on about the temperature is that you simply can't get any caramelization or Maillard reaction browning at crock pot temperatures -- it takes temps of 300 or more for those to start. Add to that that there's virtually no evaporation from the crockpot, so you don't get the concentration of flavor you get from oven braising. There is simply less depth of flavor in the crockpot version.

...And I'm not knocking them at all -- they're a wonderful tool. But if I have the time necessary, I'll take an oven braised dish over the crockpot version any day.

←

Now that cooler weather is a mere month away for those of us on the left coast, and my work days are longer than ever, I find myself wondering yet again if I should buy a slow cooker. I usually have some time on my days off to braise as JAZ has described, and I believe that most braised dishes taste better reheated anyway, but the idea of walking into a house that smells like dinner really appeals...

PS I am gone from the house 10-11 hours. Is that simply too long for anything to cook well in one?

[FoodMan]

As I type this, I have a nice beef/red wine stew cooking in my crock pot. Chuck beef, veggies, red wine and stock will be fantastic by the time I get home from work. I love the crock pot not because it makse better braises than an oven --which it does not-- but because of extreme convenience. My wife typically gets home a good two hours before I do, and I am the one who usually cooks. Now she can wait for me to get home so we can fix something quick, however my 15 month old, who she picked up from daycare is ravenous and he wants food FAST. This way she gets home at 5 or so and he will be eating my red wine beef stew by 5:10 with some rice that hase been already cooked or some mashed potatoes. I'll take crock pot homemade food anyday over some fast food junk and so will he.

Also the house will smell wonderful and the food usually comes out tasting very good, like everyone mentioned the best dishes are braises and beans and such. Last week we had the best red beans and rice with ham hocks and sausage using a slow cooker.

This brings me to a point I've been contemplating, can duck confit be made in a crock pot? What do you think? It seems and ideal vessel for it.

Elie