Ignorant: how are crockpots safe?

[syracusa]

I have only recently understood what a crockpot is (not too proud of not knowing). I am a working mom (8-5 job) and I was wondering if I could start something the evening before and let it cook until morning in the crockpot.
Does the crockpot need to be supervised when it is working or you can be easily be away?

I just cannot imagine how it can be safe...

[rduell]

I use mine all the time. I put the food in in the morning before I leave for work and let it cook all day long so it's done when I get home. I've never had any problem.

[syracusa]

That's because until 1/2 hour ago I still believed that crockpots involved being set on the stove somehow.


They come with their own heating - now I see.

[tinapbeana]

the bottom of a crockpot may get uncomfortably warm depending on what setting you have it on, so you may want to place it on a heat resistant surface (i put mine on my smooth-top stove). otherwise, it's really no different than leaving your water heater on during the day when you're not at home: there's a covered electrical heating element keeping a container of liquids warm.

[PRICEPLUS]

It is an essential piece of kitchen equipment!

[LuxLiving]

Syracusa - it can be used as you describe, however, most folks who use one start it in the morning and leave it on and come home to a warm supper in the evening.

I've been known to put my stuff in the crock portion the night before and then refrigerate it uncooked overnight, take the crock out of the frig in the morning and set it inside the heating element and turn it on and leave for the day to return at nightfall to a pot of hot food.

Good luck!! There are lots of cookbooks available with crockpot recipes - check your local library or used bookstore - or even online just google 'crockpot recipe'.

[Broken Arrow]

I now have a crockpot to call my very own, even though I haven't used it yet. Just seems like overkill for one guy... even a bit intimidating maybe. Hehe. In fact, I just bought a small set of silverware last night. Ex took our original set, but I didn't object to that.

[LuxLiving]

BrokenArrow - buy yourself a small pork roast (assuming you aren't Jewish) and two little cans of mild green chilies (find in the Mexican portion of the grocery). You can put a frozen pork roast in and dump the chilies on top - open cans first maybe add a little season salt and cook for about 4 hours on high or 8 hours on low - come home and you should be able to shred it w/a fork - and there you have yummy jerked pork for din-din! Good on burrito shells w/some monteray jack cheese, sour cream & onions or good served all by itself w/veggies & a salad. You can freeze this cooked stuff in portions to use for later meals. I think this is ThriftyRay's recipe. Anyway, GOOD stuff and easy. Next time you make it you can add hotter spices if you are thusly inclined.

[Broken Arrow]

Hehe, no I'm not Jewish. In fact, I love pork. But... frozen meats... they're kind of pricey, aren't they? I typically don't go to those aisles in the grocery store, so I am not entirely sure. I'm aiming for a typical food budget of $5 per day. Would meats fit into that budget?

My ex used to cook up a mean pork tenderloin though. Mmmm. One of my favorite dishes. I sorely miss that (even though it probably costed a bit to put that together).

[LuxLiving]

I don't buy mine frozen. Think I paid 3 or 4 dollars for the last small one I got. I just buy meat and freeze it until I'm ready to use it. A single person could eat off that for 5 or 6 meals unless he was Hungry MANdino and then would probably get 3 or 4 meals out of it. By freezing some of it after cooking you don't get overly tired of it before it runs out. Yes, I think in an overall monthly budget it's doable.

[tinapbeana]

BA, make crock pot chili. YUM! 2 cans of crushed/diced tomatoes, 2 cans of kidney beans, 2 cups of browned ground beef (i freeze mine after i brown it so i just add the frozen cooked stuff), 1 diced sauteed onions, spices to your preference (but cumin is a must, it's what chili tastes like). let it simmer all day, eat up, and put most in the freezer when you're done. not all, though, because this is chili, and it will still taste better the next day...

[rob62521]

The beauty of a crock pot is you can buy cheaper cuts of meat and since they cook all day, tend to get tender and juicy from the heated closed environment. I have three crockpots -- all different sizes and bless the day I discovered the joys of crockpot cooking.

Here's a site I've found some cheap and easy crockpot recipes:

http://www.cookingcache.com/cat/crockpot_recipes

[ren]

BA, as someone who is also cooking for one (my roommates and I have very different food styles), go ahead and make the big crockpot of whatever, keep a bowl for that night, put some in tupperware for tomorrow's lunch, and then freeze the rest in individual servings in either freezerbags or more tupperware. I label the bags with what it is and the date I made it (if you do tupperware, just use tape for labels). Also, I usually put them into the fridge for a few hours to cool down before freezing, so that the other stuff in the freezer doesn't melt. Voila, frozen meals that are good for you and cheaper than what you get at the store!

By freezing things, you don't get so burned out as you would if you had to eat chili for a whole week (okay, I don't get burned out this way, you might be able to live on chili for a week straight with no respite). Normally, the night before I want to eat it, I put it in the fridge to thaw out again so it won't take so long to heat up the next day, but you can defrost and heat it up in one go, it just takes longer. I admit that it's a little time consuming to portion things out, but it doesn't take much longer than just cooking the one meal would and you end up with a bunch of food you can just nuke later.

[Broken Arrow]

Thanks for the great beginner tips!

So... technically, I'm actually cooking less per week crock potting than trying to cook every night eh? Seems that way to me, and it certainly appeals to the lazy in me.

So, if I were to cook something, do I keep it only on low? When do you ever use medium or high? What happens if I cook longer than 8-10 hours? Would the food get nasty? 8-10 hours is the ideal time frame right? Or should it be longer?

Can you stick something inside the crockpot? Like a smaller metal pot? Mine is kind of big. I think I overdid it, but the tiny crockpots they have in the store looked really cheap. I'm sure you guys know what I'm talking about here. Besides, it wasn't terribly expensive to me to get a bigger one, and I wanted to be able to "cook" for my kids when they come over to visit. Most of the time though, it's just for myself, and is there a way to just cook one person portion instead by using a smaller metal pot or something like that inside?

I'll stop rambling now.

[tinapbeana]

don't know that i'd stick another pot inside, but a more experienced crockpotter might be able to confirm or deny...

i know i've cooked a whole chicken in my old slow cooker and it was yum-mie. season skin-on chicken, pour in enough chicken stock to cover the bottom of the crock pot an inch or two, place chicken in crock pot breast up.

the low for 8 hours or med/high for 4 hours is more the difference of "are you setting this up before heading out to work?" and "it's an afternoon on the weekend and you want this ready for dinner". at least, that's been my experience.

my last crockpot suggestion: baked beans. woohoo!

[ren]

I'd be a little worried that the food wouldn't get up to temp soon enough to be out of the food danger zone (40-140 F) with a pot inside the crock, but I'm neurotic like that. Damned food safety class!

I've gone longer than recommended cooking times without it doing any harm, but most of what I do is soups and stews, which generally are better the longer you cook them. And I agree with what Tina said with the all day vs. afternoon rule on low vs. high settings.

Crock pot meatloaf is rather tasty as well, and then you get sandwiches from the leftovers!

[mom-from-missouri]

I use mine all the time unattended, never a problem.

[rduell]

Originally Posted by Broken Arrow

Thanks for the great beginner tips!

So... technically, I'm actually cooking less per week crock potting than trying to cook every night eh? Seems that way to me, and it certainly appeals to the lazy in me.

Yes, if you reuse the leftovers later in the week. I love doing that but with 5 kids it's really rare.

Originally Posted by Broken Arrow

So, if I were to cook something, do I keep it only on low? When do you ever use medium or high? What happens if I cook longer than 8-10 hours? Would the food get nasty? 8-10 hours is the ideal time frame right? Or should it be longer?

I would use low if you're going to be gone all day; high if you want it done in 4 or so hours. My crockpot doesn't have a medium. It has low, high, and warm. I've found that each one I've had works a bit differently. My old one had to be on high all day in order to cook thoroughly while the new one almost overcooks on low.

It would depend on what you're cooking on how the food would be after being cooked longer than 8-10 hours. If it's a roast it would be really tender. I like to cook a roast and then shred it and use for barbecued sandwiches. The meat is really tender. Most meat in a crock pot will fall right off the bone if cooked all day.

Originally Posted by Broken Arrow

Can you stick something inside the crockpot? Like a smaller metal pot? Mine is kind of big. I think I overdid it, but the tiny crockpots they have in the store looked really cheap. I'm sure you guys know what I'm talking about here. Besides, it wasn't terribly expensive to me to get a bigger one, and I wanted to be able to "cook" for my kids when they come over to visit. Most of the time though, it's just for myself, and is there a way to just cook one person portion instead by using a smaller metal pot or something like that inside?

I'll stop rambling now.

I wouldn't use another pot inside. I don't think it would cook well.

I love my crockpot and use it on average at least a couple of time a week. Most of them come with a small recipe book. I also have a cookbook just for crockpots called Fix It and Forget It. It has recipes for everything from soups to main dishes to desserts. It has definitely been worth the money.

[yummy64]

BA, there is only one of me but I routinely make a full 5QT crock pot worth. I get between 6 and 8 meals out of one crockpot. I freeze most of them in single serving containers.

My aim is to make up 2 crockpot worth of stuff a week = 14 meals on average. It will take me a while but eventually I'll have variety as to what is in the freezer!

My easiest recipe. About a 1.5lbs boneless chicken, large jar salsa, can of drained corn, can of drained black beans. Put in the slow cooker and cook. Delicious and easy.

[boefixepa]

Mine has a low setting of 10 hours and once that time passes it switches to warm and sits there that way until you turn it off, so you don't have to worry about over cooking...it depends on the unit. Throw a few potatoes, and carrots in there with that Pork Roast and green chilies and you have a whole meal...I did that last week...yummy