Recently, some very dear and generous friends of mine gave me a slow cooker for my birthday and I have to admit, I'm sort of on the fence about whether I want to keep it.
You see, my kitchen is quite small. I have very little counter and storage space so it would take a great deal of reconfiguring of where I put everything. And yet I'm still sort of intrigued about the purported glory that is slow cooking. Sort of. My mom has three of Crock Pots, in different sizes and I know a number of readers of this site love them. I always hear about how hands off they are, such little effort and all that, but I'm not completely convinced.
I have to say, slow cookers feel a little one-note. I mean, I love pot roast, but it sort of seems like that's all a slow cooker is good for. Am I wrong in assuming that any meat cooked it in turns into fall off the bone baby food? It seems like the components of any soup cooked in one is destined to turn into mush. And then of course the worrier in me gets anxious at the thought of leaving it on while at work. It feels like leaving an iron on all day. I do however, like the idea of using them to make my own stock.
The thing is, I like to cook. I like being involved in the process. Sure coming home to a meal that cooked itself in my absence seems convenient, but if I was really into food as a convenience, I'd be buying microwaveable dinners at Trader Joe's.
Are my concerns warranted or am I just completely misinformed? Should I keep the slow cooker or is store credit at Bed, Bath and Beyond more valuable?
I had a slow cooker for YEARS and never used it. Finally, one day I decided I shoud try it out, make some baked beans. They were good and easy. The ceramic insert washed clean in seconds. I started to warm up to the slow cooker. Then came the stock, cooked overnight so I woke to a house scented of chicken soup. Yum. Then chickpeas in a coconut curry sauce. Then a spicy beef stew - brown the beef, add green peppers and onions and a little chipotle and some chopped tomato. The slow cook left tender meat, stewed in nothing but vegetable and its own juices. Oh, and caramelized onions - not quite as good as the ones that take an hour to cook over the stove, but certainly good enough for using in a dish, and require nothing but slicing, adding butter and sticking in the crockpot. As I am sure you can tell, I love my crockpot. It's not for absolutely everything, but it has more uses that you might expect. Some nights, there is nothing nicer than coming home to a hot meal that is made from real ingredients - but doesn't require that you do anything more than just serve it. Oh, and it's good for parties, too - things like hot mulled cider will stay warm.
I promise, I owe nothing to the Rival Corporations.
I've had success: http://coconutlime.blogspot.com/2005/10/pulled-pork-in-slow-cooker.html and the meat is good. We don't use it all the time: the odd thing with slow cookers is that most good recipes require a bit of prep: browning the meat, etc, so I've never been able to use it for a day when I am at work, I'd have to get up early and cook. It is nice for the weekends when you have more time but are busy.
If you are cooking for a family or group and eat meat based dishes a lot, I think its not a bad thing to have around, though I sold mine on CL.
I bought it, became a vegetarian shortly there after, and really find no need for it. As a New Yorker living in a small space myself, I say its a dust collector.
I'll say it again: Beth Henspeger's Not Your Mother's Slow Cooker Cookbook. Lots of non-meat dishes in there.
I used mine this week to use up onions by making mock French onion soup. Use the slow cooker to make carmelized onion. Add two cans beef broth, some water and herbs. Also, I threw in some left over pot roast. Towards the end I tossed in some left over white wine. It turned out really well.
I don't cook much in my slow cookers, but I wouldn't give them up. I do use them for making a few things, but mostly use them to keep food warm at parties. We can even put mashed potatoes in them on "warm" an hour or two before dinner and they taste like we've just made them.
Personally, I prefer pot roast in a slow oven all day, which is what we did before slow cookers. And, no one ever worried about leaving the oven on when no one was home. I hear people worry about leaving the slow cooker on, but they leave the house with their toaster or coffeemaker plugged in, which is more of a fire hazard.
i was given a slow cooker as a gift when i last moved, just over two years ago now. i had ample cabinet space so i kept it stashed away all that time, but recently pulled it out to use it for what it had been intended by the gift-giver - a good way to make squash soup. i'm really happy with how it worked for that, and recently went out and bought a vegetarian slow-cooker cookbook so i can figure out what else to do with it. the book i found had an angle on this that hadn't occurred to me - it's just as easy to leave it on overnight as it is all day, and have some kind of fresh breakfast (e.g. oatmeal) to wake up to.
I admit I don't use mine a lot, but coincidentally am using it today. I cooked a delicious Smithfield ham for Thanksgiving and today the bone is seasoning a pot of simmering dried lima beans that with little cornbread will become dinner. Yum!
I don't have one, but I know they're great for applesauce...
I'm going to hate: get the store credit.
The last thing I ate out of a crock pot was this, made by a semi-family member and it was a situation where I had no choice: put together ground beef (5 lbs), two (TWO) bottles of Heinz ketchup, two (TWO - yes again) bottles of KC Masterpiece BBQ sauce, mix it all around and let it sit all day. It was supposed to be some spin on Sloppy Joe's but it was literally candy-tasting meat-slop. I swore at that moment that I will never, ever, in my life use or buy a crock pot. Because no matter how good the recipe (and obviously this was some bastardized home-ec recipe) nothing **worth** cooking actually requires the specific use of a crock pot.
smaller slow cookers are wonderful for oatmeal.
the real type (steel-cut), not the cementy-instant-sludge.
the night before; mix up in your slow cooker:
1 cup steel-cut oats
4.5 cups liquid (i use 3 cups water, rice milk for the rest)
pinch salt
1/2 cup or so worth of raisins and dried apricots (optional)
and we also like to put in a little maple syrup.
it's wonderful in the morning.
6-7 hours on low seems to be ideal; any more and it gets burned.
it takes 5 minutes to put together.
(recipe adapted from alton brown's overnight oatmeal: http://www.foodnetwork.com/food/recipes/recipe/0,1977,FOOD_9936_17138,00.html)
and we use our smaller cooker for it.
also- I keep meaning to make beans from dry with the slow cooker.
we live in boston so have more room in the kitchen; but then the slow cookers can go under the bed when not in use.(as they are self contained)
I see no reason why any of this couldn't be done in a good dutch oven. I guess I wouldn't leave it on all day while I was gone but I never used my slow cooker and I use my d.o. all the time (well, comparatively). I say store credit.
I received a crock pot last Christmas, and have yet to use it. I just don't feel comfortable leaving something cooking in the house when I'm gone. I vote store credit.
I've had good and bad things come out of my slow cooker, the worst was most recent. Beef barley stew, but I know I added everything in at the wrong times.
I know I don't want to give it up, I mean baked beans, pot roast, pulled pork, soup stock. And those prepackaged stews that you can buy in the freezer section are handy. But I do want to learn how to do more in it. My stove wastes so much energy when I turn it on, so I love the appliances, like my steamer that can do the job for less.
I know I've been an advocate for slow cookers so I'll chime in just a bit - I was actually thinking about this right before you posted! I think I use my slow cooker less as a convenience and more as one particular type of cooking method. It usually doesn't cut down much on the work - I still grind the spices, brown the meat, deep cook the onions. But letting a curry or a stew sit in the Crockpot all day or night gives them that deep, long-cooked flavor and tenderness that you just can't get in half an hour of braising on the stove. It really helps the meat get totally infused with spice, which for me is one of the differences between good curry and so-so curry. And like people have said, it's more energy efficient than leaving my oven or stove on all day.
That being said, I don't use it every week, and usually it gets pulled out because I need to cook meat (spicy meat!) for a lot of people with a minimum of work. If you do that with any regularity it's invaluable. If I didn't do that or if I wasn't a meat-eater I personally wouldn't use it very much at all.
oh, yeah, I was going to add...
the appliance I can't understand is the rice cooker. it cooks rice...and rice...um, you can also do that on the stove, in the microwave, in the steamer, it's rice.
I love my slow cooker. I don't use it all the time - in fact I don't use it at all in the summer. I love soups and stews and find it a great way to cook up a dish while at work. Cooking on Sundays is great in theory - but sometimes I have plans away from home, need to work at the office.. OR I just get a craving for something I didn't plan on - that's when it's perfect. In late summer I try to get a lot of soups made with the fresh produce available (mmmm homemade goodies in the freezer!) -- the slow cooker allows me to make more than I could on a weekend.
IMHO it is worth the space it takes up in my tiny kitchen. (in contrast I don't have a microwave because it takes up a LOT of space just to boil water and defrost)
Check out William Sonoma's Slow Cooker Cookbook - it's a good starting point.
We use ours to make ginseng tea (the kind made from whole dried roots). I've tried making other things in it, but nothing has ever turned out that great. Maybe it's because ours is too small, or maybe it's the way we cook.
I tried doing the caramelized onions twice, and they never turned out right. The onion slices around the edges were browned/burned, and the ones in the middle were pale, pale gold. I suspect the surface area-to-volume ratio of our cooker wasn't right for the recipe, but I got discouraged enough not to try again.
But we do use it for the ginseng tea, and it's great for that.
I don't have a slow cooker but I have two rice cookers and you'd have to pry them out of my cold, dead hands. Ok, you could have one, but not both. I think the usefulness of a rice cooker depends on how often you eat rice. We buy our every day rice in 50 lb bags and eat it very often. Many times the stove-top has no space on it to add a pot with rice. I have never had microwaved rice I thought was well cooked.
I vote for a nice modern pressure cooker over a slow cooker.
regards,
trillium
i like my slow cooker, but like some others have said here, for certain meals. i must also say that i have never left it going while i am away for the day as i have found most things i have made not only cook faster than their stated cooking time, but sometimes require stirring. it's great if i'm making a stew and want to run out the store, gym, etc. but i've never really left it going all day. the other plus is that i definitely use it for bigger dinner parties to heat things up. my creuset dutch oven is still my favorite for stews and soup but the slow cooker certainly does a great job on certain meals.
if you don't think you'll use it though, return it.
Slow-cookers are good and bad. If you put in a chicken, your whole house (even a big house) will smell like chicken. If you are a painter or a sculptor, though, a slow-cooker is invaluable. You can heat up encaustic wax and keep it at a melted temperature. You can also melt modeling wax for sculpture molds. Every figure sculptor I know has a slow-cooker in her or his studio. Go slow!
Just used mine for Pinto beans and Ham Hocks...
One big ham hock, Butcher will cut into pieces
One bag of Pinto beans soaked overnight
One chopped onion
One head garlic, I added whole and peeled cloves
Cook for 8 hours or so...you won't be sorry, unless you don't eat pork :)
i second how amazing it is for oatmeal which i like made from the old fashioned stone ground irish stuff that looks like pebbles and needs a lot more focus and time than i have in the morning but i want it anyway and with my slow cooker i can. also for making stock while i'm out all day. and yes meat, especially the cheap cuts that take a long time that i don't have to get tender and root vegies and beans, oh, it's great for beans -- plain -- or all kinds of bean based dishes. so yes, if you have a day job, it's great because it lets you cook as if you don't. and i think it uses less energy than leaving the gas on all day which i don't like to do anyway b/c i live in earthquake prone la.
Holy Smoke!! (oops, poor choice of words for a kitchen forum)...
but, I am facing a similar dilemma!
I received a large 6 quart slowcooker as a gift, and in my household there is just two of us.
Now, we are vegetarian.
So... should we keep ours too?
Is it too big to cook a non-meat meal for two (without a heap of leftovers)?
What great veggie crockpot recipes are out there...(anyone care to share)?
Hmmmm... I have been perusing the above comments, and I have to say I am stuck with what to do too!
I only got a slow cooker this year and at first I didn't know what to do with it... then the cold set in. I love making, and having on hand squash soup, with the slow cooker I can toss everything together and forget about it. I save so much time this way. I have now found more uses, ie broth, mashed potatos, sweet potato pie, more soup. When it gets warm again I will probably put the cooker in storage but for now it's great.
In short... if you make things that would be good in a slow cooker then keep it, otherwise why bother.
I have a tiny apartment kitchen myself and my slow cooker does take up space that could be allocated to a stand mixer or full-size food processor. However, I love to make roasts and barbeque in it. I've also used it to keep food warm at potlucks (my office holds at least 2 a year). Food that I've also made in it include: meatballs, chili, stew, pintos, queso, baked beans, and curries.
However, if you can't envision using it, certainly send it back! It's a waste of space if you're not into the typical foods made in a slow cooker.
I was inspired to buy a crockpot recently after being served Italian sausage made in a crockpot by a neighbor. It was delicious - all that cooking really changes the texture of the sausage. Here's the recipe for anyone interested:
1. Cover and heat 2-5 lbs. (depending on the size of your crock) of Italian sausage (sweet, hot or a mix) with water in a skillet for 10 minutes.
2. Drain and cut sausage into desired lengths.
3. Put in crockpot and add:
- 48 oz. jarred spaghetti sauce (or homemade if you're so inclined)
- 6 oz. tomato paste
- 1 green pepper, chopped
- 1 onion, chopped
- 1 Tbs. grated parmesan (or more if you like)
- 1 tsp. parsley flakes (or fresh)
- 1 cup water
4. Cook on low for 4 hours and then on high for 1 hour.
Serve with pasta or on kaiser rolls. Freezes well.
I use mine 2-3 times a month, usually for weekend cooking. We use it as a convenience appliance, for things like chili that you can make over the stove, but it's easier if no one has to be standing at the stove to stir/watch it.
My favorite recipe is coq au vin. It tastes better, to me, than a dutch oven version.
Also, in my place, having the oven on really heats up the entire space. So in the summer, we use it for dishes like chicken and rice so we can have a hot meal without roasting ourselves.
I don't have a crock pot either, but like trillium, I couldn't live without my rice cooker, but I also eat rice virtually every day (usually for 2 meals). It's the pride and joy of many an Asian household, sitting in a prominent location in the kitchen.
My guide for small kitchen appliances is the following: if you don't have the storage and you're not willing to have it sitting out on the counter, don't get it.
Keep it! Store it on top of the fridge. Then when you're feeling a little *spicy grab yourself a couple jars of your favorite salsa, some frozen chicken breasts (all from Trader Joes!) and dump the whole thing in the pot... turn it on low... and come back in about 6 hours to your yummy dinner-in-a-pot! Scoop into tortilla's, sprinkle some cheese... oh the possibilities are endless!!!! Congrads on your crock! I hope you get to be as close to yours as I am with mine!
Crock pot applesauce! Yum! Peel some apples in the morning, get applesauce for dessert!
Not to hijack the crock pot thread (I already voted no) but Michelle, I hear you, and I do think it has something to do with coming from a rice-based food culture. It's funny, when I went to visit my friend while she was in college, there were 3 rice cookers sitting proudly on the kitchen counter. She was Cantonese, and her roommates were Korean and Filipino. Everyone needed their own rice cooker so they could have their own rice. No one thought there was anything strange about it.
The bad part about the rice cookers sitting out on the counter (ours does too), is that so many of them are gosh-darn ugly. Really. I happen to have the pink orchid zoji. I am obsessed with finding a zoji here in the states with fancy goldfish on it, I saw one in Thailand and have wistfully searched for it online ever since.
regards,
trillium
Personally, I do like mine. I do not use it all of the time and store it way up high ontop of a kitchen cabinet when not in use. However, when I was making meals for a couple who had just had twins, it became quite handy. I would make one meal (overnight), split the portions into single or double serve containers and freeze them... dropping them off so that instead of having to cook full meals- they could just reheat the portions. I also do this for myself as a bring-from-home lunch. It can be a big money and time saver.
Keep it. It's the easiest and best way to make stock. Just throw in a chicken carcass (or whatever kind of meat bones you want to use), fill it with water, set it on low, and in the morning you'll have superb stock. I skim the fat off, and freeze it in batches. That alone makes it worthwhile keeping.
I also use it to poach chicken for chicken salad, or to toss in with pasta.
Actually, it works well for vegetarians too. I love to use it to cook beans while I'm at work (I soak them the night before). Dry beans taste so much better, but I'm not willing to devote an evening or a weekend to cooking them...
I'd also definitely keep it. I don't eat meat very often, I mostly make soups using mine and love the convenience. I haven't ever had a soup turn out mushy or bland, you just need to find good recipes. I posted a question on The Kitchen a while back about what to serve with a black bean soup. Here's the link and the recipe is in the comments:
http://kitchen.apartmenttherapy.com/food/good-questions/good-question-what-goes-with-black-bean-soup-006563
I am fortunate enough to have an electrical outlet on my outside deck..I often cook in the crockpot all day while I am working. Just plug it in and leave it sitting on my patio table. The whole neighborhood smells wonderful and I don't worry about catching the house afire. So far no one has climbed the fence and stolen dinner LOL.
Oooh, we also made some great mulled wine in it last night!
I've had such grand success with slow-cookers, I went and bought a second one. As easy as it is to throw everything into one slowcooker in the a.m. and come home to a casserole type dish, I don't always want my dinners to be like that. So in addition to a big one that I use for either meat or entire meals, I also have a smaller one that I use for side dishes. That way I can cook vegetables one way and the meat another. They use so little energy and in my previous home, the place was so small it actually kept my kitchen warm, lol. My favorite vegetable dish is also the easiest to make. Simply peel and cut up some carrots (the big ones that look like they should be fed to horses) and cook them in the slowcooker with chicken stock. If you have the time, go ahead and brown the carrots lightly before putting them into the slow-cooker. Delish and easy.
So I suggest you keep your crock pot, even though it is the larger size. Soups are good in it but if you do the research on ways people cook with them, you'll get all kinds of exceptional recipes and tips.
One last thing; I have always hated recipes that call for canned creamed soup. But in a slowcooker, you use them instead of cream because cream curdles in the slowcooker over time. That's why scalloped potato recipes for the slow cooker almost always call for creamed soup of something.
we used the new mini party crock over christmas for the world's best queso: one brick of velveeta to one jar of rotel. people form immediate addictions and hover over the party crock. it's worth it for that alone.