posted
My crockpot is a virgin, and I think it's time to change that. She's on my countertop dusty with so many hopes and dreams of stews and roasts and lasagnas. It's been well over a year since I've brought her home.
I need a good recipe to start off with, something easy that isn't scary! The less prep work the better.
I eat chicken, turkey, and beef. No seafood or pork. (Not that it has to have meat in it at all.) Maybe some sort of stew or soup? I love roasts with big chunks of potatoes, onions, carrots, etc., but I think I'd better start with something with more liquid.
It's a 6 quart oval crockpot, with a removable ceramic bowl. I got a big one because I wanted to make things that would last for more than one meal.
So, do you have any ideas? Please share!
Posts: 2880 | Registered: Jun 2004
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Beef barley stew Chicken with salsa and rice Chili with ground beef Peach dumplings made with commercial biscuit mix
Posts: 14017 | Registered: May 2000
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posted
They all sound pretty good. Except I'm not sure if I'd like barley--never had it. Is it just like regular beef stew but with barley bits? As for chili, I am not in the mood for it, but I love it.
Posts: 2880 | Registered: Jun 2004
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posted
Now that fresh tomatoes are coming into their own, I expect to be making sauce in my own crockpot pretty soon. It freezes pretty well and our freezer gets filled with containers of the stuff by the time the tomato season winds down.
One thing I like to make is a chicken stew - a simple adaptation I made from a recipe found online. Main spices are thyme and rosemary.
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posted
I'm trying so hard to think of a food recipe that has a sexual pun involved somehow and I'm failing!
Posts: 6367 | Registered: Aug 2003
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I'm considering just getting some stew beef, carrots, potatoes, onions, stewed tomatoes, celery, chunking everything and throwing it in with salt, seasonings, and some tomato juice and maybe water to cover? Do I need a thickener?
Posts: 2880 | Registered: Jun 2004
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posted
Fast, simple, and delicious. And I hear the leftovers make good taco filling. I wouldn't know from experience -- we rarely HAVE leftovers when I make this. My kids love it.
Posts: 32919 | Registered: Mar 2003
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quote:Originally posted by Katarain: I'm considering just getting some stew beef, carrots, potatoes, onions, stewed tomatoes, celery, chunking everything and throwing it in with salt, seasonings, and some tomato juice and maybe water to cover? Do I need a thickener?
That's probably too much water. Unlike cooking on the stove, very little liquid evaporates off during crock-pot cooking.
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I put the roast in with two cans of beef broth, a liberal amount of Worcestershire sauce, peeled and chunked potatoes, and onions. The beef comes out fabulously tasty and tender. In fact, I'm having that one day this week!
Posts: 4077 | Registered: Jun 2003
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posted
As rivka said, remember that all the juices released during the cooking of all those ingredients will remain at the end. For example, I often make a chicken stew that I do not add any water too (chicken, carrots, onion, undiluted can of cream of chicken soup, whatever spices I'm in the mood for). At the end of the cooking process I normally add a teaspoon or so of cornstarch (dissolved in a little water so it doesn't clump) to the mass of liquid that has accumulated to thicken it.
quote:Originally posted by Katarain: I'm considering just getting some stew beef, carrots, potatoes, onions, stewed tomatoes, celery, chunking everything and throwing it in with salt, seasonings, and some tomato juice and maybe water to cover? Do I need a thickener?
That's probably too much water. Unlike cooking on the stove, very little liquid evaporates off during crock-pot cooking.
I don't understand how crockpots work. Is it the steam from the water in the crockpot that cooks the ingredients above the water line?
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posted
Heat is applied from the bottom (and in some models, from the sides). It heats up the remainder by a combination of conduction and convection. Mostly conduction, though -- steam plays a role, but not a large one. The crock keeps the heat inside, because it insulates the food from the outside.
Posts: 32919 | Registered: Mar 2003
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quote:Originally posted by Katarain: So the water line increases from the food?
Often.
brojack, heh. I love crockpots. I currently own three, I think. But I'm seriously considering getting two more. (A larger one, and (a replacement) one for Passover.)
Posts: 32919 | Registered: Mar 2003
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quote:Originally posted by Katarain: So the water line increases from the food?
Often.
brojack, heh. I love crockpots. I currently own three, I think. But I'm seriously considering getting two more. (A larger one, and (a replacement) one for Passover.)
I'm forever your debt for Google-Fuing and saving my table.
Posts: 1766 | Registered: Feb 2006
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posted
The thing I like most about my crock pot is the total lack of skill or recipe needed to make a good warm meal.
My favorite thing to do is throw in pork, carrots, onions, potatoes, a little water, and a few random spices. I can come home from work and eat that all night with Louisiana Hot Sauce and BBQ Sauce.
It is almost impossible to make a bad meal in a crock pot.
I also like to put in red potatoes, some gummie cinnamon bears and maybe a marshmellow...in a different crock pot. Yummie!
Posts: 2445 | Registered: Oct 2004
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posted
I like to cook beans in the crockpot. It started with red beans but it works with white, butter, blackeyed peas, etc. You can put them on in the morning and have them for dinner.
soak dry beans over night in water to cover. Pour off water. Put beans in crockpot. Chop 1 onion, 1 bell pepper, 2 stalks celery, 3 to 4 cloves garlic. Add to crockpot. Add salt, pepper, hot sauce to taste. Add 3 to 4 cups of water.
I usually add in some ham, sausage, or ham hocks to give it a smoky flavor. If you want vegetarian, add liquid hickory smoke. Cook for at least 6 hours on high. You can mash some of the beans against the side of the pot toward the end of cooking to thicken.
posted
I don't really like the texture of chicken cooked in the crock pot, but I love it for roasts and soups. I second the request for all of the recipes.
Posts: 2069 | Registered: May 2001
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I know you mentioned "not pork", but I love a good pork roast in the crock pot. Mmmm... My recipe does call for some extra water and a few flavor items, and yes, the water line does increase while it cooks. That's ok, it makes good gravy. Posts: 1813 | Registered: Apr 2001
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quote:Originally posted by baduffer: I like to cook beans in the crockpot. It started with red beans but it works with white, butter, blackeyed peas, etc. You can put them on in the morning and have them for dinner.
I do this with garbanzo beans. Cook overnight on the lowest setting, with water and a little garlic. In the morning, add cubed/sliced veggies (carrots, celery, onions, sweet potato) and either cut-up Italian sausage or (raw) spicy meatballs, or both. Also add spices and more liquid (preferably broth, but just water is ok). Cook all day on low.
When I get home, add uncooked couscous or quinoa. Turn up to high; cook 30-60 minutes.
Posts: 32919 | Registered: Mar 2003
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I love meatloaf made in the crockpot, especially with that oval type -- cut up potatoes (I like them with skins on) and line the bottom of the crockpot with them (you can also put carrots and onions if you want). Use any meatloaf recipe you like, as long as you're willing to pour a lot of ketchup on top of it; don't use super-lean meat. Shape it into some sort of loaf shape and put it on top of the potatoes. Yummy potatoes, yummy meatloaf.
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quote:Originally posted by brojack17: I'm forever your debt for Google-Fuing and saving my table.
That's sweet, but not necessary. (I had to go look at old posts to even remember what you were talking about.)
Posts: 32919 | Registered: Mar 2003
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posted
Oh, rivka, I'm definitely gonna try that. I love garbanzos (although I have never made dry ones), and I love Italian sausage and couscous. Never thought of putting them all together, though.
I recently tried quinoa for the first time and found it a little bitter. Is that the nature of the beast, or was it the batch I got? It came seasoned in a box mix, so it could have been the herbs in it that I was tasting.
Posts: 3149 | Registered: Jul 2005
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I've never found quinoa bitter. But I generally buy it unseasoned. And rarely cook it plain.
If you use canned garbanzos, then skip the overnight cooking step. Just put them in (minus their liquid, and rinsed) with everything else in the morning.
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quote: Rinse quinoa well with warm water and drain. Quinoa has a natural coating called saponin that repels insects and birds and can create a bitter taste. Rinsing with warm water removes the saponin.
21 oz can cherry pie filling 1 pkg yellow cake mix 1/2 cup butter melted 1/3 cup walnuts - optional
You put the pie filling in the bottom of a greased crock. Combine the dry cake mix with butter to make it crumbly and sprinkle over the cherry. Sprinkle walnuts if you want. Cook covered on low for 4 hours or high 2 hours. Cool and serve with ice cream.
We usually eat it warm. The yellow cake mix will make a very rich tasting dessert. Last time I made it I didn't have yellow and used Devil's Food cake instead and it came out amazingly yummy. We prefer it that way now....
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posted
My favorite, no prep, delicious crockpot recipe:
Chicken Tortilla Soup
3-4 boneless chicken breasts (I use frozen, not thawed) 1 can black beans, undrained 1 can corn, undrained 1 cup salsa 1 4oz. can diced chiles 2 cans Rotel Mexican tomatoes 1 can tomato sauce
Dump all this in your crockpot and cook on low for 7 hours. At hour 7, fish out the chicken breasts, shred them with two forks and dump them back in the soup for another hour.
Serve with shredded cheese and tortilla chips.
Easy, easy, easy and absolutely the best chicken tortilla soup recipe I've found yet. I'm thinking I want to try it served with a dollop of sour cream next time...
Posts: 5948 | Registered: Jun 2001
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posted
Oh geez, you guys, you're making me hungry.
We have this delicious clam chowder recipe for our crockpot. Seriously good. And one for macaroni and cheese. I will try to dig them out when I get home.
Posts: 5957 | Registered: Oct 2001
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jeniwren, sounds delish, I think I'm going to have to try that. But I'll probably use the mild Rotel tomatoes (in the green can) or one can hot and one can just plain diced tomatoes. I'm a little wimpy about too much spice!
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quote:Originally posted by advice for robots: Oh geez, you guys, you're making me hungry.
We have this delicious clam chowder recipe for our crockpot. Seriously good. And one for macaroni and cheese. I will try to dig them out when I get home.
OP said no seafood or pork... But, if it's good stuff, I'd like to see that recipe. I hate clam chowder, but the place where I worked made some gooooooood clam chowder, especially the last time I had some. The potatoes were so soft.
I got to get a crockpot. Can anyone tell me how to make slow-cooked super tender pot roast in one?
Posts: 9942 | Registered: Mar 2003
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posted
As a kid, I remember my mom making pot roast by plunking down the meat and surrounding it with onions, carrots and potato. She probably sprinkled on some seasonings of some kind, but I don't remember what. I don't think she added any liquid (due to the natural juices that the meat and veggies will release). Pop it on low for several (I'm thinking 6-8) hours and then it's done.
Posts: 5879 | Registered: Apr 2001
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Yeah, you really can't mess up a pot roast in a crockpot. Cook it on low for 6-8 hours and it's delicious.
Posts: 5957 | Registered: Oct 2001
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posted
And if you just leave at the vegetables and put in scads of garlic instead, you get the best carne ever. Wrap it in a tortilla and go! Beef + garlic = ambrosia.
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rivka
