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Deleted member 17706
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Got me a chuck roast (only a small 2 lb. one) with a chopped up onion, sweet potato, and a bunch of spices cooking in my crock pot since this morning. Can't wait for dinner!
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Crock Pot (Slow cooker) appreciation
- Thread starter Xeke
- Start date
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Should be awesome.
So, the carnitas came out okay. Nice and juicy, but the flavor isn't quite there. Most likely more of a problem with the recipe than anything. The dry rub probably needs some work, or maybe it needs some resting time before I start cooking.
Still a good first slow cooker experience though. I can tell I'm going to have a lot of fun with this
Still a good first slow cooker experience though. I can tell I'm going to have a lot of fun with this
Official Crock-Pot Slow Cooker iOS app is a tasty addition to your device
by Steven Sande Jan 21st 2013 at 7:00PM
Just about every couple that gets married in America can expect to get a Crock-Pot slow cooker as a wedding present, which is why I expect that the new Crock-Pot Recipes app (US$3.99, universal) is going to be wildly popular.
For me, a Crock-Pot is a relatively new acquisition. My wife and I were vegetarians for many years, so cooking stews, soups and other long and slow-cooking meals with meat was not something we did. When we bought our Crock-Pot, I still didn't use it all that much since none of the included recipes really excited me. Since the Crock-Pot Recipes app has come out, I've pulled the slow cooker out of storage and made two really great meals, filling our house with enticing cooking aromas for hours in the process. Yes, and it's not even Crocktober!
The app comes with more than 250 recipes preloaded. Every month, you can download new free recipes as well -- a nice little bonus that ensures you'll never get bored with the same recipes. There are also a number of recipe "packages" that are available as in-app purchased through a built-in store. Those include a $0.99 "Soups and Stews" package, desserts in the $1.99 "Sweet Endings" package and one package that's perfect for the upcoming Super Bowl -- the $2.99 "Game Day Grub."
The app does more than just let you look up a bunch of recipes. When you're using it on your iPad or iPhone, the app goes into a "prepare mode" that puts the instructions in an easy-to-read mode. There are many voice commands that can be used to scroll through the steps without putting greasy or messy hands onto your screen. In some cases, some items in a recipe may turn green when using the voice command system, which means that they can be controlled by voice as well.
Each recipe includes three primary categories: details, ingredients and preparation. Details shows a picture of the prepared recipe, a rating by other owners of the app, preparation time, a theme (such as "500 calories or less" or "Holiday") and the level of difficulty rated from easiest (one spoon) to hardest (three spoons). Ingredients shows all of the ingredients and quantities you'll need to prepare the recipe, and preparation either shows a detail instruction set or the "prepare mode" bullet list discussed earlier.
Crock-Pot Recipes also has a personal recipes box. You can drag recipes into the recipe box for future reference or add your own recipes. That's perfect for those family recipes that have been passed down through the generations on scraps of paper, since you can finally get them in a digital format.
One tab I didn't really "get" was the Meal Builder, which allows you to drag multiple recipes into a single area. I can see that this might be useful if you're considering using a fleet of Crock-Pots to create a multi-course meal, but it seems superfluous since you can just call up individual recipes.
There's a built-in Crock-Pot Store for buying those recipe packages described earlier and adding the free monthly recipe packages.
Finally, an Info button provides a ton of information you may need while cooking. Conversions gives you info on imperial and metric equivalents for baking pan sizes, dimensions, oven temperatures, dry and fluid volume measurements and weights. Have you run out of an ingredient during cooking? A substitutions list shows you what you can use instead (for example, a substitute for 1/4 cup of butter is 3-1/2 tablespoons of vegetable oil).
There's a shopping list button as well that is quite helpful. In any recipe, there's a "+" button that is used to add the recipe to your personal recipe box, add to the meal builder, share the recipe (on Facebook or by email) and add it to your shopping list. You get a nice list of ingredients, sorted by the area in the store in which you'd most likely find them.
Crock-Pot Recipes has multiple timers, all of which can be voice-controlled while cooking, and what looks like the beginning of a series of how-to videos. Unfortunately, there's only one video available right now, although I'd assume that the publishers plan on adding more in the future. There are some much more useful articles that are part of the app.
If you're in a quandary about what to make for dinner, you can always use the "Stir" feature. Choose a theme or ingredient ("I feel like Italian tonight"), and then shake your iPhone (or tap Stir on the iPad) to get a list of alternatives.
Knowing the popularity of Crock-Pots and slow cooking in general, I think this app is going to be quite popular. There are a few minor quirks I ran into during my review, but for the most part Crock-Pot Recipes is amazingly polished for a new app.
http://www.tuaw.com/2013/01/21/official-crock-pot-slow-cooker-ios-app-is-a-tasty-addition-to-y/
I trim most of it off.
Devin Olsen
Member
Super easy and awesome thick soup:
Shorelunch wild rice package
6oz uncle ben's wild rice package
can of cream of chicken soup
2 tablespoon butter
all the water the packages call for (minus 1 1/4 cups)
cook on high for 3.5 hours
then add 2 chicken breasts cooked and cut into chunks (or half a rotisserie)
cook another half hour and done
freezes well, can add extra water if you want, but my dad and I like it closer to "a spoon will stand up in it)
Shorelunch wild rice package
6oz uncle ben's wild rice package
can of cream of chicken soup
2 tablespoon butter
all the water the packages call for (minus 1 1/4 cups)
cook on high for 3.5 hours
then add 2 chicken breasts cooked and cut into chunks (or half a rotisserie)
cook another half hour and done
freezes well, can add extra water if you want, but my dad and I like it closer to "a spoon will stand up in it)
You should almost always brown the meat first, regardless of what you're cooking in there. It adds flavor.
Ok thanks.
Don't see my self doing that if I have an early start though. I put chicken straight in last time and it tasted great. Most tender chicken I've had.
I usually brown beef and chicken with skin, but not skinless chicken. Always have good results.
If you're putting chicken in there with skin, you definitely want to brown it first. If there isn't any skin, you don't want to brown it. Browning it creates a chemical reaction in the fat of the skin to add a much more complex, delicious flavor to the chicken. Also, depending on what you're making you MIGHT want to remove the skin (even after browning!) before you put the chicken in the slow cooker.
Ether_Snake
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I made this vegetable curry last night: http://recipes.sparkpeople.com/recipe-detail.asp?recipe=1226514
So good and easy to make. Only 5 hours to cook. I have my lunch for all week (+meat).
So good and easy to make. Only 5 hours to cook. I have my lunch for all week (+meat).
Just this weekend I cooked a Mole Chicken Chili out of my new Cookbook and it turned out spectacularly good. Very spicy, but we put some cheese and sour cream on the side to bring the heat down for weaker diners. I gotta say, I was real skeptical at first, but it blew me away.
Mole Chicken Chili
Serves: 6-8
Cooking Time: 4 to 6 hours on Low
2 onions, minced
2 Tbsp vegetable oil
2 Tbsp chili powder
2 Tbsp cocoa powder
3 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/8 tsp ground cloves
2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
1 (14.5 ounce) can diced tomatoes
1/2 cup raisins
1/4 cup peanut butter
3 Tbsp Minute tapioca
2 tsp canned chipotle chile in adobo sauce, minced
2 Lbs boneless, skinless chicken thighs, trimmed
salt and pepper
2 scallions, sliced thin
1. Microwave onions, oil, chili powder, cocoa powder, garlic, cinnamon, and cloves in bowl, stirring occasionally for 5 minutes. Transfer to Slow Cooker.
2. Stir broth, tomatoes with juice, raisins, peanut butter, tapioca, and chipotles into slow cooker. Season chicken with salt and pepper, then nestle into slow cooker. Cover and cook until chicken is tender (4 to 6 hours on low).
3. Transfer chicken to cutting boards, let cool slightly, then shred chicken into bite-size pieces with two forks. Chicken should pull apart easily. Let chili settle for 5 minutes, then remove fat from surface using large spoon
4. stir in shredded chicken and let sit until heated through (about 5 mins). Stir in scallions, season with salt and pepper to taste.
5. Serve with no toppings (Hot), just cheese or sour cream (medium) or both (mild).
The craziest part was after it cooked it looked like it had a bunch of beans in it, which we had never put in. It turned out the Tapioca had absorbed the sauce, making them look like beans. How this turned out so damn good I'll never know. This cookbook rocks!
Mole Chicken Chili
Serves: 6-8
Cooking Time: 4 to 6 hours on Low
2 onions, minced
2 Tbsp vegetable oil
2 Tbsp chili powder
2 Tbsp cocoa powder
3 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/8 tsp ground cloves
2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
1 (14.5 ounce) can diced tomatoes
1/2 cup raisins
1/4 cup peanut butter
3 Tbsp Minute tapioca
2 tsp canned chipotle chile in adobo sauce, minced
2 Lbs boneless, skinless chicken thighs, trimmed
salt and pepper
2 scallions, sliced thin
1. Microwave onions, oil, chili powder, cocoa powder, garlic, cinnamon, and cloves in bowl, stirring occasionally for 5 minutes. Transfer to Slow Cooker.
2. Stir broth, tomatoes with juice, raisins, peanut butter, tapioca, and chipotles into slow cooker. Season chicken with salt and pepper, then nestle into slow cooker. Cover and cook until chicken is tender (4 to 6 hours on low).
3. Transfer chicken to cutting boards, let cool slightly, then shred chicken into bite-size pieces with two forks. Chicken should pull apart easily. Let chili settle for 5 minutes, then remove fat from surface using large spoon
4. stir in shredded chicken and let sit until heated through (about 5 mins). Stir in scallions, season with salt and pepper to taste.
5. Serve with no toppings (Hot), just cheese or sour cream (medium) or both (mild).
The craziest part was after it cooked it looked like it had a bunch of beans in it, which we had never put in. It turned out the Tapioca had absorbed the sauce, making them look like beans. How this turned out so damn good I'll never know. This cookbook rocks!
Yep. It's worth it for the pulled pork alone.
I came across an email today from Amazon about new cookbooks, and one was from Michele Scicolone for "The Mediterranean Slow Cooker". Apparently she's also written two other slow cooker cookbooks for "The Italian Slow Cooker" and "The French Slow Cooker". From the reviews at Amazon these sound like solid cookbooks. Anyone here have any first hand experience using recipes from any of these slow cooker cookbooks?
I found this recipe online and I hope to try it in the next few days...it seems so simple to make.
http://www.pineappleandcoconut.com/recipes/hawaiian-style-slow-cooker-kalua-pork/
Hawaiian Style Slow Cooker Kalua Pork
Author: Shanna
Recipe type: Dinner, Pork
Cuisine: Hawaiian
Prep time: 10 mins
Cook time: 12 hours
Total time: 12 hours 10 mins
Serves: 6-8
Hawaiian Style Slow Cooker Kalua Pork. Easy to prepare and no hands on cooking make this pork recipe a breeze to make and turns out perfect every time.
Ingredients
1 4-6 lb pork shoulder or Boston butt roast
1 Tbsp liquid smoke, Hickory flavor
2-3 tbsp red Hawaiian Sea salt
Banana leaves optional
Instructions
Wash and pat dry the pork roast and place in the slow cooker
Pierce all over with a fork, pour the liquid smoke evenly over the roast and sprinkle liberally with the sea salt.
Place the lid of the slow cooker on and set the time for 8-12 hours on LOW.
Check at about 8 hours for doneness. If not done let go the full 12 hours, checking every hour.
Either remove the pork from the pot and shred with a fork and return to pot or shred in the pot when its done. You can remove some of the liquid and shred then add some back in to keep the pork from drying out.
Notes
If using banana leaves, which can be found at any Asian grocery store, place some leaves in the bottom of the pot reaching up the sides. Place the roast on top of the leaves, then add the liquid smoke and salt and wrap tightly with the leaves tucking them back under the roast. you can tie with cooking twine if wanted but its not necessary if the leaves are wrapped tightly enough. Cook the same as a non wrapped roast This is excellent with sticky rice, sweet potatoes or steamed veggies.
http://www.pineappleandcoconut.com/recipes/hawaiian-style-slow-cooker-kalua-pork/
Johnlenham
Member
That and chilli is what made me buy one.
What cut of pork do I need to make one for lke two to 3 people? I have no idea what a bork butt might be in the uk haha.
Free book over at Amazon: Slow Cooker 101: Master the Slow Cooker with 101 Great Recipes
My never-fail roast recipe:
1 2-3 lb. beef roast
1 packet onion soup mix
1 can Coca-cola
1 packet Italian Dressing mix
1 packet Hidden Valley Ranch mix
Put some salt/pepper on the roast and sear it in a pan before putting in the crock pot. Add the ingredients. Cook on low 6-8 hours.
Sounds gross, turns out amazing.
1 2-3 lb. beef roast
1 packet onion soup mix
1 can Coca-cola
1 packet Italian Dressing mix
1 packet Hidden Valley Ranch mix
Put some salt/pepper on the roast and sear it in a pan before putting in the crock pot. Add the ingredients. Cook on low 6-8 hours.
Sounds gross, turns out amazing.
Yes. This works well, I've made it many times in a slow cooker.
On the same Hawaiian theme, try this next time. I found this recipe in a local cookbook ("Best of the Best Hawaii Recipes"), and I made this a few nights ago in a dutch oven on my stove. I don't see any reason why you couldn't do it in a slow cooker...
Miso Pork Roast
4-5 lbs pork butt
2 T. oil (to brown the pork)
1/2 c. sugar
1/2 c. miso
1/2 c. soy sauce
1/4 c. sake
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 inch or so grated ginger
Combine ingredients for the sauce, then brown pork in the oil, which will obviously need to be done on your stove. If you're going to do this in a slow cooker, transfer the pork into the slow cooker, then pour the sauce over it and turn it on, otherwise, just pour the sauce over the pork in your pot, turn the heat to low, and simmer for 3-4 hours, basting and turning the pork occasionally.
Sorry no pictures, but this came out way better than I thought it would...
Fulleffect
Member
Amazon thanks this thread for my new purchase arriving on Thursday.. 
Johnlenham
Member
Apparently its an american name? I cant seem to find it via online stores other than this?
http://www.tesco.com/groceries/Product/Details/?id=259541778
?
Also mine came today. Excited it give it a go later on in the week.
I don't use chicken with skin so that's cool.
I browned the beef then threw it in with a spice mix pack, a can of tomatoes/pepper and a can of kidney beans. Cooked on high for 4 hours.
Tastes so good. The meat is so nice and soft. Never had it like this before.
It's the best way to do it.
Cool. Glad it turned out well. Also, remember that whenever you're cooking a piece of meat that has bones in it, ALWAYS leave the bones in and remove them when you're ready to eat. ALWAYS.
biggyfries
Member
Made spaghetti last night. Not bad! I messed up though, and put in too much noodles, so I needed to add another can of sauce, and some of the noodles clumped. Still tasty, though!
1.5 lbs cooked ground turkey (added oregano while cooking)
3 jars/cans spaghetti sauce
Spices, to taste
Let it cook for 2-3 hours, minimum. About 30 minutes before you are ready to eat, add the noodles. Make sure they are not clumped together, and that the sauce is covering every noodle. The sauce will thicken; you might need to add some more sauce, depending on if you like your spaghetti sauce thick or watery.
To make lasagna, add about 1-2 cups of cottage cheese, and 1 cup ricotta cheese* during the initial cooking step.
*use the ricotta cheese that comes in a tub. I used Trader Joe's brand, but I got crumpled instead, and it did not melt like it should have.
Sorry, no pics.
1.5 lbs cooked ground turkey (added oregano while cooking)
3 jars/cans spaghetti sauce
Spices, to taste
Let it cook for 2-3 hours, minimum. About 30 minutes before you are ready to eat, add the noodles. Make sure they are not clumped together, and that the sauce is covering every noodle. The sauce will thicken; you might need to add some more sauce, depending on if you like your spaghetti sauce thick or watery.
To make lasagna, add about 1-2 cups of cottage cheese, and 1 cup ricotta cheese* during the initial cooking step.
*use the ricotta cheese that comes in a tub. I used Trader Joe's brand, but I got crumpled instead, and it did not melt like it should have.
Sorry, no pics.
Johnlenham
Member
Anyidea on a rough guess at how much liquid should cover the meat for pulled pork? I dont want to accidently drown it.
Had it sitting in spices since last night and I wont be cooking it till friday.
Also Yay or naye on chopping the onion bed and putting it all in the dish overnight then just adding the liquid and turning it on in the morning?
Im sure all these questions would be covering in the book that hasnt turnt up yet :|
Had it sitting in spices since last night and I wont be cooking it till friday.
Also Yay or naye on chopping the onion bed and putting it all in the dish overnight then just adding the liquid and turning it on in the morning?
Im sure all these questions would be covering in the book that hasnt turnt up yet :|
Deadly Cyclone
Pride of Iowa State
Thinking about doing these this weekend. Do you guys trim the fat off roasts before cooking? I found my butt roast had a decent amount on it and it was hard to pick out after.
Had some free time today and decided to make yellow pumpkin curry with all the random leftover stuff I had that was worth putting into curry.
I had 2 chicken breasts defrosted, so I put them in whole, hoping they'll come out more tender if I cut them up after it's finished slow cooking. I started off by cutting up a whole spanish onion, then a frozen mixed blend of baby carrots, green and yellow beans. Put lots of frozen spinach in too. I let this cook with some coconut oil and threw in the chicken breasts too, sprinkled the cumin/paprika/yellow curry powder blend on this, mixed and let cook on high for a half hour.
After, I cut up the leftover tofu I had in cubes and cooked it in a saucepan on medium high with cut up bacon, chopped up two fresh zuchinnis I neeed to use, almost a full can of pumpkin puree, a can of coconut milk, yellow curry paste (lots), cumin, yellow curry powder, paprika, salt, pepper and coriander seeds. Once mixed thoroughly, I put this on top of the other stuff in the crockpot, put it on low for 4 hours and this is where I'm at so far after throwing in some frozen peas at the end.
I'll try to write this up in proper recipe format once I try it and I confirm it's yummy. I'll probably have it with mung bean noodles or brown basmati rice.
I had 2 chicken breasts defrosted, so I put them in whole, hoping they'll come out more tender if I cut them up after it's finished slow cooking. I started off by cutting up a whole spanish onion, then a frozen mixed blend of baby carrots, green and yellow beans. Put lots of frozen spinach in too. I let this cook with some coconut oil and threw in the chicken breasts too, sprinkled the cumin/paprika/yellow curry powder blend on this, mixed and let cook on high for a half hour.
After, I cut up the leftover tofu I had in cubes and cooked it in a saucepan on medium high with cut up bacon, chopped up two fresh zuchinnis I neeed to use, almost a full can of pumpkin puree, a can of coconut milk, yellow curry paste (lots), cumin, yellow curry powder, paprika, salt, pepper and coriander seeds. Once mixed thoroughly, I put this on top of the other stuff in the crockpot, put it on low for 4 hours and this is where I'm at so far after throwing in some frozen peas at the end.
I'll try to write this up in proper recipe format once I try it and I confirm it's yummy. I'll probably have it with mung bean noodles or brown basmati rice.
lime juice, minced garlic, a tiny bit of sugar and fresh red chilis cut up (or sweet chili sauce in place of those two indgredients, many non-asian grocers carry it), pepper, finely chopped lemongrass if you like it, a teaspoon of rice wine vinegar and a couple tablespoons of peanut oil as the marinade/cooking sauce for yummy, unbreaded thai wings. A DROP of sesame oil is good flavouring too.
This chili sauce brand, when used in small amounts helps with the flavouring and is a good replacement for the sugar I suggested if you can get it:
This seasoning sauce is also fantastic to add to maninades or replace soy sauce in most situations. It can be hard to find but it's less salty/strong tasting than soy sauce and more savoury. Golden Mountain seasoning sauce.
This chili sauce brand, when used in small amounts helps with the flavouring and is a good replacement for the sugar I suggested if you can get it:
This seasoning sauce is also fantastic to add to maninades or replace soy sauce in most situations. It can be hard to find but it's less salty/strong tasting than soy sauce and more savoury. Golden Mountain seasoning sauce.
QuicheFontaine
Member
I want a slow cooker I can turn on at lunch time using my phone, so it's ready when I get home from work. Is that a thing?
Cos it should be a thing
Cos it should be a thing
Close, there are timer-programmable cookers, though.
QuicheFontaine
Member
Sweet, all the awesome food described in this thread has convinced me to get one. The timer's important though, I can't be turning it on at half five when I get home and waiting 6 hours. I'd never make it!
Made ox tail chilli over the weekend for the 49er game. While it was super awesome and delicious and relatively easy to make, the crock pot has got nothing on a proper steak or duck breast in the sous vide machine. My buddy made french dip sandwiches out of New York steaks that were Sous Vide at 130 degrees and it made my chilli seem amateur.
Baraka in the White House
2-Terms of Kombat
Well I just tried the Root Beer Pulled Pork recipe from page one and it was fucking phenomenal. We only had to cook ours for about seven hours but our crock pot seems to run a little hotter than others so it turned out perfectly. Fall-off-the-bone moist and the soda gave the meat a very distinct flavor that went well with a splash of barbecue sauce.
+1
+1
I bookmarked this recipe to try. I am addicted to garlic so this looks amazing to me
http://www.recipegirl.com/2011/12/08/slow-cooker-garlic-chicken/
DietRob
i've been begging for over 5 years.
outunderthestars
Banned
Just a heads up: There is a really good cookbook with a bunch of simple crock pot recipes on kickstarter right now. She could use some support.
Johnlenham
Member
Well shit, I forgot to sear my pork shoulder. Oh well. will see how its turned out when I get in 4 hours..
It will still be fine.
You don't really need to add any liquid. When I made it I simply threw onions on the bottom, placed the pork on top of that, dumped a can of sliced pineapples and their juice and that was the extent of the liquid. The pork and veggies will make plenty of liquid for you on their own.
Finally had time to cook this beast today. It's currently in the slow cooker.
http://i.imgur.com/dQsvnyS.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/ku1zHJi.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/vFFnDkw.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/REYYLZt.jpg
Can't wait to taste it.
Ether_Snake
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I'm also making pulled pork tonight, this time with maple BBQ sauce. It will be ready tomorrow.
For tonight, I'm gonna make slow-cooker hoisin chicken wings.
For tonight, I'm gonna make slow-cooker hoisin chicken wings.
Captain Tuttle
Member
Made some Corned Beef and Cabbage yesterday, came out great
4 lbs corned beef with spice pack
Carrots
Those little red potatoes
Beef broth
Cabbage (1 head)
Can of dark beer
Put the potatoes and carrots in the crock pot, place the corned beef on top and pour half a can of beer over it. Pour 3 cups of water and 1 cup of beef stock in. Sprinkle in spice pack. Cook on high 7 hours. Shred cabbage and place on top of corned beef and cook for another hour.
Comfort food perfection.
Edit: Onions would be great in there but the wife hates onions so I rarely cook with them
4 lbs corned beef with spice pack
Carrots
Those little red potatoes
Beef broth
Cabbage (1 head)
Can of dark beer
Put the potatoes and carrots in the crock pot, place the corned beef on top and pour half a can of beer over it. Pour 3 cups of water and 1 cup of beef stock in. Sprinkle in spice pack. Cook on high 7 hours. Shred cabbage and place on top of corned beef and cook for another hour.
Comfort food perfection.
Edit: Onions would be great in there but the wife hates onions so I rarely cook with them
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