tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37886248.post8761328320577006050..comments2024-03-13T00:41:52.105-07:00Comments on Casual Kitchen: The Crockpot: A Siren Call for Single PeopleDanielhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02388302796031288076noreply@blogger.comBlogger7125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37886248.post-85805403782483733312009-10-23T05:19:48.709-07:002009-10-23T05:19:48.709-07:00dan
loving the idea of a single bloke who works on...dan<br />loving the idea of a single bloke who works on wall street but is organised enough to put dinner in the croc pot before work.<br /><br />as a newly single sydney gal...I'd love to meet such a fellow<br /><br />apart from that I have absolutely no croc pot cooking experience but am a big fan of my le creuset<br /><br />Jjuleshttp://thestonesoup.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37886248.post-12448390383771640102008-03-18T07:50:00.000-07:002008-03-18T07:50:00.000-07:00Mike, Thanks for the great ideas. I particularly ...Mike, <BR/>Thanks for the great ideas. I particularly like the idea of making stock in the crockpot. <BR/><BR/>And I can guarantee that my wife is going to want to try the rice pudding! Do you by chance have a recipe you'd like to share?<BR/><BR/>DKDanielhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02388302796031288076noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37886248.post-27940876914085617292008-03-17T14:35:00.000-07:002008-03-17T14:35:00.000-07:00I have had a crockpot for ~ 15 years now and while...I have had a crockpot for ~ 15 years now and while I always prefer a pot roast or stew cooked slowly in a Le Creuset Dutch oven, the crockpot does earn its keep. Besides making stews, soups etc, I use it a lot for making stock /broth. Every time I de-bone chicken joints or whatever, I add the bones, skin etc., along with some veggies (peelings too) and some water to the crockpot and let it do its thing overnight. Put in the fridge once it's done and you can remove the fat layer easily. I've also ignored the general dictum of not to cook dairy in crockpots and have made some excellent lemon rice pudding in it several times - although I only cook it for ~ 4 hrsAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37886248.post-41838874217740397942008-03-10T06:33:00.000-07:002008-03-10T06:33:00.000-07:00Mrs. W:This is a great point... it's no fun to hav...Mrs. W:<BR/>This is a great point... it's no fun to have to eat the same food every night for several days in a row. Better to freeze some and reheat for future meals.<BR/><BR/>Thank you for your comment!<BR/><BR/>DK<BR/><BR/>PS: I have to admit I'm a bit suspicious of how lasagne will come out in a crockpot... We haven't tried to make it yet. :)Danielhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02388302796031288076noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37886248.post-61586514598250028482008-03-09T17:20:00.000-07:002008-03-09T17:20:00.000-07:00Many slow cooker recipes really lend themselves to...Many slow cooker recipes really lend themselves to freezing & reheating, too. So a big batch of food in a crock pot doesn't mean you'll be eating the same thing for 2 weeks. <BR/><BR/>Invest in some decent freezer- and microwave-safe containers for some good versatility in eating from the freezer. <BR/><BR/>You can even make lasagne in the crock pot. And of course lasagne freezes & reheats nicely.Amandahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14748231341500700924noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37886248.post-19047645002634778122008-03-09T14:04:00.000-07:002008-03-09T14:04:00.000-07:00Hi Lady Di: You make a really interesting point. ...Hi Lady Di: <BR/><BR/>You make a really interesting point. <BR/><BR/>We have experimented with both 4-quart and 6-quart slow cookers, and in both cases I agree that you can definitely dry out lean meats (like chicken or turkey breasts) in a crockpot, even with a fairly short cooking time (8 hours on low, for example). <BR/><BR/>So we tend to stick to higher-fat meats in our crockpots, and we'll even add some extra olive oil onto the meat when we first put it into the cooker if we are going to be away all day. That seems to ease the "drying out" problem.<BR/><BR/>Second, we don't try to cook small batches of any crockpot recipe in a large-size 6-quart cooker. When we've cooked a "4-quart sized recipe" in a 6-quart cooker, the ceramic crockpot applies heat to a much greater percentage of the volume of the food in the dish. This can be another cause of overcooking over a lengthy 9-10 hour cook time. <BR/><BR/>So to solve this problem, we make sure to double the batch size so it really loads up the crockpot. Plus, then there's more to eat for the rest of the week. <BR/><BR/>Thanks so much for your comment!<BR/><BR/>DKDanielhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02388302796031288076noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37886248.post-74435787683344692442008-03-09T11:44:00.000-07:002008-03-09T11:44:00.000-07:00I'm afraid that I have to disagree just a tiny bit...I'm afraid that I have to disagree just a tiny bit. I don't think they are all that great for cooking 10-11 hours for most recipes. Especially if they are the newer ones - they just cook way too hot and over cook a lot of the foods (not all). On the other hand, they are great for weekends where the person can throw the foods in unattended for most of the day and reheat throughout the week though. On low, my brand new crock pot boils, not simmers like the old one it replaces. Something that I will have to take into consideration when I put recipes into it. It was a 6 qt oval slow cooker that I used to make large hunks of meat (turkey breasts, corned beef, and large quantities of soup, etc). I could safely leave those "hunks of meat" for up to 8-10 hours without a problem, but the meat that I cooked this time was done in 6 hours and the soup that was boiling was done in the same amount of time. Soup is a lot more forgiving though - the meat wouldn't be.JJ (Lady Di)https://www.blogger.com/profile/07172161479246566539noreply@blogger.com