The Crock Pot Blog

Here are some good tips for cooking in a slow cooker from the publishers of the “For Dummies” books. Discover tips on browning meat, proper seasoning for your crock pot recipes, and why you need to keep the lid on your crock pot at all times.

The crock pot is a convenient way to make this favorite recipe for stuffed green peppers.

What You Need:

1 package (10 oz) frozen corn kernels
1 can (15 oz) red kidney beans drained and rinsed
1 can ( 14.5 oz) diced tomatoes
1/4 cup salsa
1/4 cup chopped onions
1 1/2 cups cooked rice
1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
2 cups shredded reduced fat Cheddar cheese, divided
6 green peppers, tops removed & seeded

How To Make It:

Prepare the rice as usual then combine with all ingredients, except 1/4 cup cheese.
Remove tops and seeds from the green peppers and stuff with rice mixture.
Place stuffed peppers in a medium sized crock pot.
Cover, cook on low 6 – 8 hours (high 3 – 4 hours).
Sprinkle with the reserved 1/4 cup cheese during the last 30 minutes.

Tips:

Makes 6 servings.

This lazy cabbage roll recipe gives you the great taste of traditional cabbage rolls, but without all the fuss.

What You Need:

6 cups shredded cabbage
3/4 lb lean ground beef
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp ground black pepper
1 medium onion — finely chopped
1 cup long-grain rice
1 26 oz. can spaghetti sauce
1/2 cup water
1/4 tsp dried basil leaves — crushed
1/4 tsp seasoned salt

How To Make It:

Brown the ground beef in a skillet and drain well.
Place 1/2 of the shredded cabbage in a medium sized crock pot.
Crumble ground beef on top of the cabbage in the crock pot.
Sprinkle 1/4 teaspoon of the salt and 1/8 teaspoon of the pepper.
Evenly distribute the chopped onion, then the log grain rice over all.
Top with remaining cabbage, salt, and pepper.
Combine spaghetti sauce, water, basil, and seasoned salt and pour over cabbage.
Cover and cook on low for 5 to 6 hours or until rice is tender.

Tips:

Make sure to serve this with some nice crusty bread.

An Irish corned beef and cabbage recipe.

What You Need

3 lb uncooked corned beef brisket (in pouch with pickling juice is okay)
2 carrots, chopped into 2″ pieces
5 small red potatoes, halved
1 onion, quartered
1 small turnip, chopped into 2″ pieces
3/4 cup malt vinegar
1/2 bottle (6 oz) Irish stout (Guiness?)
1 tsp mustard seed
1 tsp coriander seed
1 tsp black peppercorns (whole)
1 tsp dill seed
1 tsp allspice (whole)
1 bay leaf
1 small (2 Lb) head cabbage, cut into wedges

How To Make It:

In a 6 qt. crock pot, place the carrots, potatoes, onion and turnip in bottom.
Add in the malt vinegar and stout and bay leaf.
Combine the dry spices (except bay leaf) in a small bowl and rub on all sides of the brisket.
Place the corned beef brisket on top of the vegetables in the crock pot.
Cover and cook on low for 8 hours.
Add the cabbage wedges and cook an additional 3 hours on low.
Serve with coarse grain mustard and horseradish sauce.

Tips:

You can get horseradish sauce at most grocery stores or make your own using 1/2 pint of whipping cream and 3 tablespoons of prepared horseradish. Whip the cream until it peaks, then fold in the horseradish.

This is an easy arroz con pollo recipe prepared in the crock pot.

What You Need:

4 chicken breast halves, skinless and excess fat removed
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1/4 tsp paprika
1 tbsp oil
1 medium onion, chopped
1 small red pepper, chopped
1 clove of garlic, minced
1/2 tsp dried rosemary leaves
1 14 1/2 oz can crushed tomatoes
1 10 oz package frozen peas
rice

How To Make It:

Season the chicken with salt, pepper, and paprika.
In a medium skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat, add chicken and brown.
Put chicken in a 6 qt. crock pot.
Combine remaining ingredients except the peas in a small bowl, mix well and then pour over the chicken.
Cover and cook on low for 7-9 hours.
One hour before serving, add peas.
Serve over freshly cooked rice.

Tips:

Makes 4 servings.

This Italian beef hoagie recipe is great for an evening backyard party if you don’t want to haul out the bbq.

What You Need:

1 boneless sirloin tip roast (4 pound) halved
2 packages Italian salad dressing mix
2 cups water
1 – 16 oz jar mild pepper rings
18 hoagie buns

How To Make It:

Put the roast in a 6 qt. crock pot.
Combine the salad dressing mix and the water and pour over the roast.
Cover and cook on low for 8 hours.
Remove the meat and shred with a fork.
Return the shredded meat to the slow cooker and add the pepper rings.
Re-heat the meat thoroughly.
When ready to serve, spoon 1/2 cup of the meat mixture into each hoagie bun.

Tips:

A 4 pound roast will serve about 18 people. Keep the mixture warm in the crock pot and have your guests serve themselves. You can cut this recipe in half if you have a smaller crowd.

A crockpot slow cooker can be used to make entrees, side dishes, beverages, and desserts. There are so many different crockpot recipes; it seems there is nothing this little wonder cannot prepare. Some models of crockpots are even designed for preparation and transport, making it easy to take a meal to a social gathering.

Cooking with a crockpot involves only putting the ingredients in the pot, plugging it in, and turning it on or programming the cook time. This frees the chef to clean the house, work in the yard, set the table, or do other duties around the house. The crock pot will not heat up the kitchen, which keeps the area cool in the warmer months, saving energy costs.

Beginning cooks will love this product because it does not require any level of expertise to use. There are crockpot cookbooks and online recipes for every type of meal under the sun. Recipe books are broken out by categories like courses, healthy items, and those that contain five or fewer ingredients. Whichever recipe is selected, no one will know that the person did not spend hours toiling over the preparation.

There are a few tips to follow when using a crockpot to prepare meals. The pot should be filled no more than two thirds of the way in order to provide the most even cooking. Fat and skin should be removed from meat and the ingredient layering instructions that come with the product should be followed. To concentrate the different flavors and thicken juices, it is recommended that cooks remove the lid and cook the meal on high power for the last thirty minutes.  

Cooking with a crockpot is a very efficient way to prepare a meal because it frees the chef to do other things while the cooking takes place. Using recipes designed for the crockpot will produce tasty entrees, side dishes, desserts, and even beverages. This product will quickly become the most used appliance in the kitchen.

You may also want to try the southern style of cooking by using a fryer like a Presto Deep Fryer or Waring Deep Fryer.

The state of Louisiana is well-known for serving one of the most superb stews known to man – Gumbo. People in and out of the country have been exposed to its rich flavors, but very few really appreciate where it came from and how it came about.

Gumbo is seen as Louisiana’s largest contribution to American cuisine. A melting pot of cultures, it appeared in the 18^th century when the French brought the bouillabaisse, making it the basis for what was to become the finest stew in the state. The people of Louisiana added the vegetable “okra” whenever they prepared the dish, and it was christened gumbo because this was the African word for the said vegetable. The other ingredients used in making the dish are the “holy trinity” of vegetables and was brought by the Spaniards – bell pepper, celery and onions – as well as filé powder. To perfect the meal, gumbo was also added with poultry, shellfish or smoked pork.

There are those who still do not appreciate the origins of gumbo, but the native Louisianans who settled near bayous and rivers back in the day would give proof of having sampled the best gumbo. In fact, the original recipe for bayou gumbo is hard to find in the present times. Nowadays, gumbo is divided into two groups: those that use filé powder as thickeners and those that make use of okra to thicken their stews. Others also employ Cajun and Creole styles of cooking; Cajun-style gumbo makes use of a darker roux and does not contain tomatoes, while Creole-style gumbo contains tomatoes but roux that is lighter.

If you want to taste the best gumbo Louisiana has to offer but are unconfident of where to go, the Louisiana Gumbo Company can send the meal right to your doorstep. Its owners, Dan Melton and internationally-acclaimed chef Tim Creehan have united and perfected their secret gumbo recipe, a recipe inherited from Melton’s forefathers more than 80 years ago. With roots from authentic bayou gumbo, their gumbo is surely the most excellent selection from the manufactured recipes out there. Even if they have a delivery service, the Louisiana Gumbo Company assures that each batch of their gumbo is prepared only with the freshest ingredients and ensures great quality. In contrast to packaged and frozen gumbo sold in popular restaurants and food chains, the dishes served by the company tastes a whole lot better as it is cooked one small batch at a time, to keep its freshness and quality. Best of all, you don’t have to waste energy seeking out restaurants to eat in, because the meal comes to you! So if you want to sample the excellent taste of bayou gumbo, visit Louisiana Gumbo Company’s site and order one today.

Editors Note:
You can also try our Crock Pot Bayou Gumbo recipe.

This is a very tasty sweet and sour shrimp recipe prepared in the crock pot.

What You Need:

1 pk (6 oz.) frozen Chinese pea pods, partially thawed
1 can (13 oz.) juice-pack pineapple chunks or tidbits (drain and reserve juice)
2 tbsp cornstarch
3 tbsp sugar
1 chicken bouillon cube
1 cup boiling water
1/2 cup reserved pineapple juice
2 tsp soy sauce
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1 pk cooked frozen medium size shrimp, thawed
2 tbsp cider vinegar
cooked rice

How To Make It:

Place pea pods and drained pineapple in a medium sized crock pot.
In a small saucepan, stir together cornstarch and sugar.
Dissolve bouillon cube in boiling water and add to the saucepan, along with the pinapple juice, soy sauce and ginger .
Bring to a boil, stirring, and cook sauce for about 1 minute or until thickened and transparent.
Gently blend sauce into pea pods and pineapple.
Cover and cook on low setting for 4 to 6 hours.
Before serving, add thawed shrimp and vinegar, stirring carefully to avoid breaking up shrimp.
Serve over hot cooked rice.

Tips:

Makes 4 to 5 servings or about 1 1/2 quarts.

Eating food today is not what it used to be and the majority of us normally like to keep our meal times short and easy by eating on the go. Our hectic and rushed lifestyles have nearly made slow cooker methods and crock-pots obsolete. However, they are not as redundant as 1 might think and may still be utilized for many advantages.

In case you’re 1 of those who still enjoy the taste and flavor of home cooked meals, slow cookers are must have for you. Pretty contrary to the preferred perception you need not spend you whole day at home waiting for the food to be cooked in slow cookers. All you need to do is to put the ingredients in the slow cooker previous to leaving for your office in the morning. When you come back you could dig into the hot and steamy meal all prepared for you in the slow cooker.

Another usual myth about crockpots is that they need continuous monitoring. This isn’t the circumstance at all. You need not keep a watch on the food being prepared in the slow cookers at regular intervals. Merely put the ingredients in the Crockpot and carry on with your regular chores. A Crockpot is best for the time constrained present day scenario as it does not demand your attention and time.

Do not be under the idea that Crockpot could meet your need of nibbles alone. Besides cooking simple nibbles it may aid you cook anything according to your liking and preferences. You could cook pot roast, tender chicken and several other delicacies in a crock pot. Everything that can satiate your taste buds may be prepared in a Crockpot.

Majority of the cooking tactics of the current times protect a lot of your time. Though such measures dish out an instant meal, more than always the nutritive value of the food is destroyed. However, you will not face any such conditions with Crockpot. Cooking food in crockpots might take longer, but it also helps preserve the taste and nourishment of the food to the greatest likely level. The aroma of the food cooked in crockpots is par excellence and could leave your mouth-watering and taste buds tingling.

But, in case you are not too appeased with the taste of crockpot recipes, there are many things which you may do to up the taste quotient. One of the simplest things which you may do to improve the flavor of your crockpot recipes is by reducing the veggies into small pieces. Smaller cut vegetables can soak up more heat and thus cook much better.

Additionally, try adding a few herbs to the recipes as prepared in the crockpot. This will assist improve the taste of the food to a brilliant extent. Nevertheless, it is advised to make use of just the fresh herbs because they help add taste and aroma to the food. Never go in for the preserved forms of herbs. In addition do not open the lid of the slow cooker. It is simply because this can let the moisture plus the steam evaporate which subsequently may ruin the flavor of the food.

So, while the crock-pot may not be the quickest strategy of cooking, you could depend on it to produce some of the most wholesome, hearty and healthy food ever.

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