What do you use your crockpot for?

[arivecchi]

I do not have one and have no idea what you all cook in it!

Help me figure out if I want one. :)

[lizzywednesday]

We do pulled pork (thinly sliced onion, pork butt or tenderloin, 1 bottle of your favorite BBQ sauce; cook on low 'til pork falls apart, roughly 6-8 hrs), beef stew, pot roast and, for St. Patty's Day, corned beef & potatoes.

You can look at the "Fix It & Forget It" cookbooks, but the one I have drove me batty.

I have seen recipes for desserts (a good friend of ours found a recipe for crock pot apple "crisp" ... I say "crisp" because it's more like a deconstructed apple pie than something crispy) and side dishes, though I've not yet used any.

Alton Brown (from 'Good Eats') even has a recipe for overnight, steel-cut oatmeal that uses a crock pot!

[elektra]

I use mine about once a week. I've tried different things like crockpot lasagna but what I make the most are the blackbean chicken tacos
Chicken
2 cans black or pinto beans
1 can salsa
1 packet of taco seasoning

Dump all ingredients in crockpot and cook on low for 8 or so hours. Then combine in taco shells with shredded cheese and sour cream.


I also do chicken thighs with a can of the trader Joe's Indian simmer sauce. And then I get some of the boil-in-a-bag Indian sides, rice and naan bread to make a super easy Indian dinner.

[lizzywednesday]

I use mine about once a week. I've tried different things like crockpot lasagna but what I make the most are the blackbean chicken tacos
Chicken
2 cans black or pinto beans
1 can salsa
1 packet of taco seasoning

Dump all ingredients in crockpot and cook on low for 8 or so hours. Then combine in taco shells with shredded cheese and sour cream. ...

Do you use a particular cut of chicken (thighs, breasts, combo, etc.)?

[elektra]

Do you use a particular cut of chicken (thighs, breasts, combo, etc.)?

I usually get thighs. They are more flavorful to me.

[mom2khj]

A lot of things! Soccer practice night is crock pot night. :ROTFLMAO:

We make
Chicken Tortilla Soup
French Dip/Italian Beef sandwiches
Swedish (sort-of) meatballs
Pot Roast
Steak with mushroom sauce
Pepper Steak
Creamy Chicken

We're trying a new creamy chicken chipotle recipe tomorrow.

I find a lot of recipes on AllRecipes.com by picking some of the top-rated ones to try.

[mommylamb]

I have one, but I don't use it frequently. We do beef stew in it maybe 3-5 times a year in the winter. Every once in a blue moon I'll use it for something else, but I've always been disappointed in everything except the beef stew.

[arivecchi]

I use mine about once a week. I've tried different things like crockpot lasagna but what I make the most are the blackbean chicken tacos
Chicken
2 cans black or pinto beans
1 can salsa
1 packet of taco seasoning

Dump all ingredients in crockpot and cook on low for 8 or so hours. Then combine in taco shells with shredded cheese and sour cream.


I also do chicken thighs with a can of the trader Joe's Indian simmer sauce. And then I get some of the boil-in-a-bag Indian sides, rice and naan bread to make a super easy Indian dinner.
This all sounds delish to me. Maybe I should give it a try. Do all recipes take this long though? I am not home during the day so I cannot get started early in the day.

[boolady]

I use mine about once a week. I've tried different things like crockpot lasagna but what I make the most are the blackbean chicken tacos
Chicken
2 cans black or pinto beans
1 can salsa
1 packet of taco seasoning

Dump all ingredients in crockpot and cook on low for 8 or so hours. Then combine in taco shells with shredded cheese and sour cream.

This is what I use the crockpot for most frequently, too. Sometimes I also add a bag or 1/2 a bag of Trader Joe's fire roasted corn, though you could add any corn. I also make stews, pot roast, spaghetti sauce, pork shoulder, chicken adobo, etc. in it.

[larig]

I use mine a lot, because i can prep up the night before after DS goes to bed. Then just toss all in in the morning.

I like to make
-French Market Soup (carrot, onion, celery, 4 different beans, plus andouille, sliced like coins & browned & pork shoulder (seared) + white wine & thyme + stock/water to fill)
-pear sauce for DS (chopped up pears (10), 1.5" length of vanilla bean + 1/4 c water, then blender)
-something similar to electra's tacos--chicken + salsa or pork + salsa cooked a long time. muir glen's w/ corn and black beans is what I use (I need to start adding more black beans when cooking, though).
-roast beef--a lot of Beaujolais, some carrots, thyme, onion, potatoes, water...
-corned beef and cabbage. (put in corned beef, add water add carrots & potatoes) (I cook cabbage separately in the broth, because I hate it and think it ruins everything else.)


ETA: teriyaki sauce + chicken/beef/pork cubes + little water.
ETA2: I stole the french market soup thing from a soup I ate while dining out over xmas and recreated it at home--DH LOVES it, and devours it.

[arivecchi]

Gosh, thank for all the great information! I just ordered one. I need to start cooking more at home and this sounds like an easier way to make yummy dishes.

[elektra]

This all sounds delish to me. Maybe I should give it a try. Do all recipes take this long though? I am not home during the day so I cannot get started early in the day.

It seems like most of them are at least 4 hours and go up to 8 hours.
But the beauty of it is that you can dump all the stuff in in the morning, and it is waiting for you all ready when you get home!

Also, if I were you, I would not start out with recipes that require a lot of chopping, meat browning, or any pre-prep really. For me, it defeats a major part of the purpose of using a slow cooker.
I like the recipes where you can just dump the meat and sauces in and hit go.

I have tried some other recipes that are more involved, as I mentioned but my favs are the dump and go ones. :)

[rin]

ooh, everything! I love my crockpot. You can adapt most stew-like recipes for it. It's like having your own personal cook who slaves away in the kitchen all day for you and then you come home to a delicious meal!

Some of my favorites right now:
*French onion soup (chop up a bunch of onions, toss in the crockpot with some butter, a splash of sherry or wine, a bay leaf or two and some beef or chicken broth, turn on LOW for 8-10 hours or more)
*spaghetti & meatballs (throw all the spaghetti sauce ingredients in, toss in some TJs frozen meatballs, turn on LOW for at least 4-5 hours)
*chili (throw whatever you usually put in chili into the crockpot, if you use meat brown it first, turn on LOW for at least 5-6 hours)
*split pea soup (split peas, chicken broth, carrots, onions, garlic, a little curry powder, some ham/bacon if you eat it, turn on LOW for 8-10 hours)
*lentil soup (lentils, onions, garlic, tomatoes, zucchini, chicken broth, Italian spices, some hot pepper flakes, a bit of fennel seed, cook about hours on LOW, toss in some cooked spicy Italian sausage about half an hour before you eat)
*potato soup (potatoes, onions, garlic, chicken broth, cook at least 5-6 hours on LOW, before serving run an immersion blender through it and add some butter/half&half/sour cream and serve with grated cheddar cheese and chopped green onions)

[rin]

This all sounds delish to me. Maybe I should give it a try. Do all recipes take this long though? I am not home during the day so I cannot get started early in the day.

Most of the ones I use are super forgiving, so you can generally leave stuff in there for 5 hours or 10 and it'll all be about the same at the end. Some, like the French onion soup one I posted, really just gets better the longer it's in there. You want to be more careful about recipes with milk or cream, since from personal experience I can tell you those start to caramelize if you leave the crockpot going too long. :tongue5:

[3blackcats]

I do roast beef all the time and it is so good.
Roast - whatever cut you want
Cream of mushroom soup (I use Trader Joe's it is so good) or just use the can
Onion soup mix
A bit of water (like half a soup can)

Cook on low 6-8 hours depending on how big your meat is. I take out the roast thicken the gravy and serve over rice or with potatoes.

[kijip]

I make spagetti sauce in mine. And chili, pulled pork, different sorts of soups, beans, Mac and cheese. Mostly soups and spagetti sauce.

[DietCokeLover]

Brisket: 3 or 4 lb brisket, 2 jars chili sauce, pack of dry onion soup mix, and some garlic. Cook on low for about 6 to 8 hrs. Yum!!!

[hannah]

I use mine all the time! These are the standard crock pot recipes we make:

Pulled pork (pork shoulder)
Maple Ribs
Thai peanut pork
Split pea soup
Oriental chicken (breasts)
Lemon chicken (breasts)
Roasted chicken (whole)
Lemon Herb roasted chicken (whole)
Chicken cacciatorie (split breasts)
Chili
Beef burgundy
Beef & beer stew
wild rice
applesauce

I also want to try this recipe which I just found online:
Amazing Pork Tenderloin in the Slow Cooker – with a Twist
1 (2 lb) pork tenderloin
1 (1 ounce) package of dry onion soup mix
1 cup of water
¾ cup of red wine
3 Tablespoons of minced garlic
3 Tablespoons soy sauce
Freshly ground black pepper to taste

Directions:
Place port tenderloin in a slow cooker with the contents of the soup
packet. Pour water, wine and soy sauce over the top, turning the pork
roast to coat. Carefully spread garlic over the port, leaving as much
on top of the roast during cooking as possible. Sprinkle with the
pepper, cover and cook on low setting for 4 hours. Serve with cooking
liquid on the side as au jus.

[WatchingThemGrow]

my DC inhale London Broil (http://allrecipes.com//Recipe/slow-cooker-london-broil/Detail.aspx)in the slow cooker with rice in the rice cooker or over egg noodles.

[icunurse]

I use mine about once a week. I've tried different things like crockpot lasagna but what I make the most are the blackbean chicken tacos
Chicken
2 cans black or pinto beans
1 can salsa
1 packet of taco seasoning

Dump all ingredients in crockpot and cook on low for 8 or so hours. Then combine in taco shells with shredded cheese and sour cream.


I also do chicken thighs with a can of the trader Joe's Indian simmer sauce. And then I get some of the boil-in-a-bag Indian sides, rice and naan bread to make a super easy Indian dinner.

OK....this sounds good! About how much chicken and what kind of salsa comes in a can (or can you use a small jarred salsa?)? Thanks!!

[bubbaray]

I am not home during the day so I cannot get started early in the day.


Just make sure you get a pot that has a warm feature (most do now). Costco sells one that has a digital timer with a warm feature. You set it for 8hrs on low and once its done cooking, it reduced the temp until you get home. IMO, you don't need one with a probe if you are doing dishes like Elektras (probes are more for solid cuts of meat, like roasts).

I should use mine more, gonna try Elektra's recipe later this week! :)

[MommyAllison]

I make yogurt every 7-10 days in the crockpot.

Other than that, mostly entree dinner type things. Our favorites:

Sweet & Spicy Chicken (shred for tacos)
Chicken Tortilla Soup
Ham
Cranberry Chicken
Kansas City Sue's chicken
Italian Beef (shred for sandwiches)

I can link to recipes if desired. :)

[jgenie]

I make yogurt every 7-10 days in the crockpot.

Other than that, mostly entree dinner type things. Our favorites:

Sweet & Spicy Chicken (shred for tacos)
Chicken Tortilla Soup
Ham
Cranberry Chicken
Kansas City Sue's chicken
Italian Beef (shred for sandwiches)

I can link to recipes if desired. :)

Would you link the tortilla soup please?

[army_mom]

I LOVE LOVE LOVE my crockpot. Nothing better than coming home to dinner already made after a long day at work! We use ours 1-2 times a week.

Salsa Chicken (from BBB!)
Creamy Mexican Chicken
Shredded Pork
Chicken enchiladas (cook chicken all day in sauce and roll in tortillas and throw in oven for about 10 min...so easy and yummy)
tacos from frozen meat (great for I forgot to thaw out meat days)
onion soup chicken
BBQ or buffalo shredded chicken
steak soup
chili
white chicken chili
chicken tortilla soup
beef stew
spaghetti sauce
pot roast

I tried lasagna once and it was good but it took nearly as long to make as the real thing. Only benefit was i didn't have to be home an hour before to throw it in the oven

I got a lot of my recipes from myfitnesspal.com

[bigpassport]

I use mine in spurts. Recent meals...chicken cacciatore, smoked sausage with potoatoes and cabbage, split pea with ham soup, white chicken chili. It's especially nice for days you have more time in the morning than in the evening.

[TwinFoxes]

Also, if I were you, I would not start out with recipes that require a lot of chopping, meat browning, or any pre-prep really. For me, it defeats a major part of the purpose of using a slow cooker.
I like the recipes where you can just dump the meat and sauces in and hit go.


I totally agree with this. In fact all the crock pot recipes that I've done that require prep have always disappointed me. They don't taste as good as traditionally cooked ones, and if I'm going to go through all of that prep, I might as well just cook it in the oven/on the stove and have it taste better. I use the crock pot when I want an easy meal.

My #1 crockpot recipe is salsa chicken. I use TJs roasted garlic salsa, then stir in a can of black beans and a can of corn with 1/2 an hour left to go. I serve it with chips, sour cream and cheese. Mmm. I also do pulled pork (dump a bottle of BBQ sauce). I do roasts occasionally, and easy chicken adobo.

[egoldber]

I agree. The point of the crockpot for me is no prep. I use mine all the time, but it is mainly:

chili
soups (lentil, split pea, black bean)
stews
pulled pork or chicken

I also like any chicken in a "simmer sauce" type recipe (TJs has lots of great sauce choices) and then I serve it over rice.

I also use it to make things like black beans and then I freeze them in cup containers for later use.

Also, meat does not need to be defrosted to go in the crockpot. I put roasts and things in there totally frozen solid and they turn out fine. :)

[WatchingThemGrow]

Also, meat does not need to be defrosted to go in the crockpot. I put roasts and things in there totally frozen solid and they turn out fine. :)
really...I should have known this, but didn't. Thanks for sharing. I actually threw some in this morning (stew meat cubes) that were still frozen, hoping it would be okay. I didn't follow a recipe, but grabbed celery, carrots, onions, potatoes and threw them in. What else should I put in there to make it edible? I know my aunt said she finally learned to add NO water to her pot roast to make it come out perfectly, but stew meat should probably have some "stew" stuff, right?

[arivecchi]

Also, meat does not need to be defrosted to go in the crockpot. I put roasts and things in there totally frozen solid and they turn out fine. :)Wow! This is right up my alley! :rotflmao:

[MommyAllison]

Would you link the tortilla soup please?

Oops, I guess I can't link straight to it, but here it is:

4 boneless skinless chicken breasts, cubed
2 10oz bags frozen corn
1 white onion, chopped
2 tsp garlic, minced
7 cups chicken broth
2 10oz cans Rotel tomatoes w/chilies, undrained
1 tsp coarse salt
4 tsp ground cumin
2 tsp chili powder
1/4 tsp black pepper
1 bay leaf
8 6" corn tortillas
2 Tbsp canola oil

1- Combine everything except tortillas & canola oil in slow cooker. Cover and cook on low for 8-9 hours. Remove & discard bay leaf.

2- Cut tortillas into 1" strips. Heat oil in a medium nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add tortilla strips and cook, turning once, until brown on both sides, 2-3 minutes/side. Drain on paper towels & sprinkle w/salt.

3- Serve soup topped w/tortilla chips.

Notes- This makes a *ton* - but it freezes well (minus the tortilla chips). Also, we always just use store bought tortilla chips, rather than frying up corn tortilla strips.

Recipe is from relishrelish.com

[liz]

Some of my favorites right now:
*French onion soup (chop up a bunch of onions, toss in the crockpot with some butter, a splash of sherry or wine, a bay leaf or two and some beef or chicken broth, turn on LOW for 8-10 hours or more)
*chili (throw whatever you usually put in chili into the crockpot, if you use meat brown it first, turn on LOW for at least 5-6 hours)
*split pea soup (split peas, chicken broth, carrots, onions, garlic, a little curry powder, some ham/bacon if you eat it, turn on LOW for 8-10 hours)
*lentil soup (lentils, onions, garlic, tomatoes, zucchini, chicken broth, Italian spices, some hot pepper flakes, a bit of fennel seed, cook about hours on LOW, toss in some cooked spicy Italian sausage about half an hour before you eat)
*potato soup (potatoes, onions, garlic, chicken broth, cook at least 5-6 hours on LOW, before serving run an immersion blender through it and add some butter/half&half/sour cream and serve with grated cheddar cheese and chopped green onions)

Oooh, can you post your potato soup recipe? Sounds really yummy!

[SnuggleBuggles]

Keeping cooked food warm for parties. Oh, and beef stew. Oh, and chicken tacos. :) I really haven't had success with anything else.

Beth

[ijopint]

I make yogurt every 7-10 days in the crockpot.

Italian Beef (shred for sandwiches)

I can link to recipes if desired. :)
Can you post the recipes for the two please