Slow Cooker Recipes from Jenn Bare for Busy Families Latest Recipes - Get Crocked (2024)

FAQs

Why put a tea towel under slow cooker lid? ›

Soak up the condensation

Taste user Jenny says she puts a tea towel under her crockpot lid to catch water and stop it thinning too much. This technique is also a favourite with taste's food editor Miranda.

A slow cooker and a Crockpot are the same thing, essentially. A slow cooker is an appliance of which there are lots of brands. Crockpot is one brand of slow cooker. Crockpot popularized slow cookers when they launched their version in the 1970s.

If you take an extra 10 minutes to sauté the aromatics before scraping them into the slow-cooker, the finished dish will have deeper flavor and better texture. (And some new slow-cookers allow you to sauté right in the insert, so you don't have to wash a separate skillet.)

Yes, you can add raw steak to a slow cooker to cook it to your desired doneness level.

Due to the nature of a slow cooker, there is no need to stir the food unless it specifically says to in your recipe. In fact, taking the lid off to stir food causes the slow cooker to lose a significant amount of heat, extending the cooking time required. Therefore, it is best not to remove the lid for stirring.

The heat bounces off from the lid and allows your food to cook faster. Also, you will not lose any of the steam that usually evaporates.

The one downside: knowing I still have a small appliance to clean after a busy day. That's why I started using slow cooker liners. Slow cooker liners are simply plastic bags that cover the surface of the Crock-Pot while you cook, which prevents food from clinging to it.

If you have a locking lid feature on your glass lid it's extremely important to never lock the lid during the cooking process. Locking the lid during cooking, will keep the steam in –producing pressure --which could affect the slow cooker's performance.

The biggest benefit is that they line your slow cooker so there is no mess left to clean up. When you're done eating, you simply remove the bag and throw it away. There will be some moisture left in the slow cooker, but all you need to do is wipe it out – no soaking or scrubbing necessary!

An instant pot might be a nice upgrade. Do you cook a lot of things that normally braise in the oven or cook on the stovetop for a long time? They cook much, much faster in a pressure cooker. That's really it's biggest advantage over a crock pot, it's much much faster.

What is the difference between high and low on a crockpot slow cooker? ›

What is the difference between High and Low Setting in Crock-Pot Slow Cookers? What is the difference between High and Low Settings? Both low and high stabilizes at 209°F. The difference is the time it takes to reach that temperature.

Choose the right cut: Chuck roasts, short ribs, pork shoulders and lamb shanks (think fatty and tougher meats) become meltingly tender with the moist, low heat of a slow cooker. Leaner cuts like pork tenderloin tend to dry out. Likewise, dark meat chicken — thighs, drumsticks, etc.

Also instead of water you can add 1 can of LOW Sodium beef broth. Cooked it on high for 5 hours, adding the carrots(small bag of baby carrots) and potatoes for the last 2 hours.

It can be nice to cook the onions beforehand, as the flavour is different to when you put them in raw, but experiment both ways as you may find you prefer one. It can also be good to brown meat to give it some colour, but again, this is not essential.

Not adding enough liquid can lead to burning.

"Liquid will evaporate during the slow-cooking process," Leung said. "It's important to add enough liquid to ensure the bottom of your dish doesn't burn."

Are slow cookers safe to leave on? Yes, it's safe to leave a slow cooker on when you leave the house. The purpose of a slow cooker is to allow you to cook while you aren't home. Slow cookers simmer food slowly, killing bacteria and raising meat to the perfect internal temperature.

One of the most frequently asked questions we get is, “are slow cookers safe to use overnight or unattended?”, and the answer is- yes!