Do you use a Crockpot often enough to talk about it?

I’m sending this question to our resident cooking expert to @Kardamom

Oatmeal. I make a huge pot of ‘fancy’ oatmeal once a month and freeze single serve packs for my breakfast at work. Hell there is not much you cannot cook in a crock and very few methods of cooking are better than slow cooking and crock pots are King of slow cooking.

I use it more at holidays, like stews, roasts, soups, etc… Its perfect over long winter weekends, too.

Nope. I use one about 6 times in 3 years, and I state it that way because it might be 3 times in one year, and then skip an entire year.

I make my grandma’s brisket. It’s ketchup, onion, apple cider vinegar, and cinnamon. Usually, I just make it on top of the stove though. It depends if my crockpot is accessible. I’ve tried it in a pressure cooker too, and it’s not as good.

I’ve made chicken dishes in the crockpot, and I wouldn’t mind doing more of that. I made some sort of Tex Mex thing a while back. It was something like chicken, salsa, beans, all dumped into the pot. Another chicken dish was mushrooms and wine I think.

The thing is, I won’t leave it cooking while I’m out of the house, and so I never got really into it.

I know women who bring their crockpot to potluck parties, that’s a good idea if you want to serve warm food.

I’ve used mine maybe twice to make and keep cocktail meatballs warm when having a party.

Before I retired, I used mine a lot. I’d decide what my tastebuds were craving & then go to youtube to get ideas on the best ingredients to use & get the cooking time in my head. Then I’d toss in the ingredients that I had in my pantry, turn it on & off to work I’d go. I always chose to cook on low which took all day & the house smelled heavenly when I returned home & it was so nice having a home cooked meal when I walked in the door. Since the Instant Pot craze hit, I tend to cook in it more because I can have a meal in a hour or less…NOT 6–8 hours. Being home most of the day, I don’t find slow cookers as convenient

Pot roast, a couple times a winter. Tons of veggies. Let it cook for a couple days; the meat falls apart in your hand (which is a good thing).

The only reason I don’t use it more is that it’s a pain in the butt to clean.

@elbanditoroso Buy and use crock pot liners

Mine has a ceramic innard. Easy to clean.

@Tropical_Willie mine has a ceramic innard; it’s just a strange oval shape. Doesn’\t fit well in the dishwasher so I end up doing it by hand.

You can use it for meat that needs to be abused by heat for hours to tenderize it.
A shoulder roast is good for pulled pork.There’s plenty of recipes online.
You will behave like a rabid badger when you taste it.

I use mine several times a month. I use a liner to avoid cleaning up.
I usually cook tri-tip roast beef. First slice up onion, celery, carrot, potato and tomato. If you have bell peppers, Italian squash or summer squash, put all in the pot. Now rub garlic all over the meat side of the roast and put it in the pot fat side up. Choose high for 4 hour cooking, or low for 6 – 8 hours.

To cook short ribs, Chop onions, celery, garlic and cabbage, place in pot with one jar of spaghetti sauce and 3 or more pounds of short ribs. Cook on high for 4 hours. For a different taste, use a different type of sauce, such as Alfredo or Taco sauce.

You can substitute any vegetables in the above, such as zucchini, turnips, sweet potato, broccoli, kale, peas, spinach, green beans (or any cooked beans), beets and asparagus.

Couple times a year. Roast and French Onion soup. Both are to die for.
I made baked beans in it one year. I was not as happy with the results as I was when I slow cook them in the oven.

Roast
Line the bottom of the crock pot with onions.
Put the roast on top.
Turn pot to High until stuff starts burbling, then switch to medium and cook for a few hours
Add beef broth of some kind, your choice
Add potatoes, baby carrots, tomatoes and whatever other veggies you want. Make sure there is enough broth to cover the veggies
Turn back to high.
When it starts simmering turn back to medium and cook forever.
Get some good French bread for dipping.
My son once said, as he tucked in to a bowl of it, “This’ll cure what ails ya!”

French Onion Soup
Saute a mess of onions in butter, 4 or 5, then drain on paper towels.
Fill the pot with beef broth
Put the onions in the pot
Cube half a loaf of a good French bread and submerge in the beef broth. More bread = thicker soup. Less = thinner soup.
Turn on high until it starts simmering, reduce to medium and cook forever.
Technically you’re supposed to serve it in individual baking dishes and put Swiss cheese on top and broil til the cheese is brown, but forget that. I just put grated Swiss cheese in the bottom of the bowl and let the hot soup melt it.

Bought one about a year ago. Used it a few times but don’t really like how things come out. Cooked to death.

What did you cook in it? Some foods are not conducive crock pot cookin’.

Thirty five years ago I would enter unofficial chili cook-offs, during the summer. I’d start the cook on Friday afternoon for a Saturday turn in. Always started with pre-heated meat and beans. That would keep the cook out of the danger zone, because I used low setting on the Crock-pot all the way.

Also would make pulled pork, using a bone-in pork butt – - Dr. Pepper, liquid smoke, red pepper flakes, salt & pepper. Start on high for 3 hours and drop to low for 5 hours.

@Tropical_Willie What time is dinner?

Can you make a not spicy version for me @Tropical_Willie?

So if you’re a rubbish cook, would that make it a crock of shit?
I wonder if that’s where the phrase actually originates.

Chili had different levels, hottest had extra garlic, cayenne, crushed red pepper flakes, fresh jalapenos and red Bell peppers. I would add more hot sauce and minced garlic ten minutes before serving.
Sweeter and less hot is easy.

I’ll go with sweeter and less hot for 10, Bob.

I use it times per week. I always cook my potatoes in the crock pot. We love potatoes and I put four medium scrubbed potatoes in the crock pot to cook before I know what I’m having for dinner. Be sure to poke a couple of holes in them with a fork so the moisture can escape. They are as good as oven-baked potatoes. I cut them up for potato salad or paprika potatoes or mash them…..any way whatsoever. I also do boneless pork chops or boneless chicken breasts in the crock pot as well. No particular recipe; however you would do it on the stove, do it in the crock (except frying). I do not fry anything at all. The only fried food we really love is okra and we can get that at Cracker Barrel. Back home there was a little seafood place with a drive though with the best okra, but not where I now live. Anyway, as for meat in the crock pot I put a little BBQ sauce or some teriyaki or a little French dressing, or sprinkle some ranch dressing mix (Tone’s only) or even a little maple syrup. Just experiment.