Crockpot Cooking Tips & Tricks
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Cooking With A Crockpot Is Convenient And Great For Busy Days
- If you don’t like the taste or texture of the meat from simmering in its juices, set the meat on a layer of vegetables (like potatoes, onions or carrots) or set it on foil balls high enough to keep the meat out of the juices.
- Spray the crock lightly with non-stick spray, olive oil or vegetable oil to prevent the dish cooking or burning onto the sides of the crock, you’ll also find plenty of crockpot cleaning tips here.
- Make sure the crock is half full of food ingredients to keep the dish from burning or overcooking…don’t fill the crock too full, you want it no more than 2/3 full or the dish will need to cook longer to prevent it from being undercooked. If you can, have both a smaller and larger size slow cooker on hand to accommodate various quantities and recipes. Slowcookers can be found really cheap at garage sales and it’s worth it to have another one on hand.
- Carefully remove the lid from the crock by lifting it straight up then over. This will help prevent much of the condensation running back into the dish which just dilutes the sauce consistency and flavor.
- Unless the recipe instructs you to do so, do not lift the lid to stir or peek at the dish. This lowers the temperature inside the crock pot and the meal won’t be fully cooked within the alloted time.
- Prevent half cooked carrots and potatoes by layering them on the bottom of the crock first then adding the rest of the ingredients. Cut them in about 1″ chunks or so, this helps them cook faster.
- Use fresh vegetables rather than canned or frozen since they’ll retain their flavor and texture better (as well as add flavor to the meat). If you do use canned or frozen vegetables, add them to your crockpot toward the end of cooking time, just long enough to heat them through. This way they won’t be tasteless mush.
- For more flavor, first brown any meat, onions, garlic and some of the flavorful veggies (like onions and green peppers).
- Trim off as much of the fat on the meat as you can as well as remove the skin from chicken, this helps prevent much of the fat melting into the sauce.
- Cook with thawed meat rather than frozen (unless recipe instructs otherwise). The dish will need longer cooking otherwise and will affect the rest of the ingredients.
- Choose cuts of meat that will fit in your slow cooker easily. If the cut of meat is too big and you cram it in, it won’t cook through as well and will likely need longer cooking time (affecting the rest of the recipe’s ingredients as well). Trim off excess meat and freeze to use later in soups or stews.
- Choose cheap cuts of meat where possible since the meat turns out quite tender when cooked slow. Slow cooking is a great opportunity to economize.
- If the sauce or gravy is too thin, remove the lid from the slow cooker the last 1/2 hour and turn up the heat to try to thicken it. You can also add potato flakes to thicken the sauce.
- Dry herbs and spices can lose their flavor when cooking so long, if possible–try adding them the last two hours before the meal is ready to help keep the flavor. Use fresh herbs when possible, these can be added first thing since they’ll hold their flavor better when cooking for hours.
- For better pasta and rice, cook these separately about an hour before the meal is ready. Once they’re barely cooked, throw them in with the meal to simmer in the sauce.
- You can cut cooking time in half by cooking on High instead of Low, but cook according to directions whenever possible since the recipe results might differ otherwise (meat may not be as tender, etc.).
- If your slow cooker doesn’t come with a timer, you can buy an appliance timer for just a few bucks (check Amazon for “Appliance Timer”, some are quite low in price). This is really nice to have since you can start the crockpot later in the morning, in the middle of the night or set it to turn off in case you’re late getting home from work.
I Love My Slow-Cooker!!
Good tip (#10) about dry herbs and spices. I have been putting in twice the amount of seasonings specified in the recipes(except salt) right at the onset, as I too have noticed that slow-cooking does indeed dissipate their flavors. Adding the seasonings in the last 2 hours of cooking is a great idea if you’re home to do so, and if you don’t mind slowing the cooking time by lifting the lid.
I have also found that I don’t really like the look of the meat drippings all over my potatoes and carrots at the bottom of the crock but I haven’t yet figured out how to prevent that. Does anyone have any ideas? I wonder if wrapping them in foil before setting them in the bottom of the crock would work? Perhaps I’ll try that next time!
Take a turkey baster and remove the juices. Save if you want to make gravy. I found a wire rack at a thrift store that i lay the meat and vegetables on top of that. You can put foil down first if you like. The baster actually works the best. Good to moisten the meat too .
Basters are in the Wal mart section under kitchen supplies
I make pot roast more often than anything else. Towards the end, I spoon out as much fat as practical, and then I put a small amount of the liquid remaining in a cup and add Bisquick until its thick. Then pour this into the rest of the pan juices and stir a bit.
My husband loves the thicker texture of the juices which are more of a gravy, and I discovered that if I make it really thick and lumpy, the lumps cook into something approximating little tiny dumplings. I know this sounds weird, but you have to taste it to appreciate it.
By the way, the old standby receipe for Pot Roast (catsup, vinegar, salt, pepper and thyme) is sooooo much better if you replace the regular vinegar with a nice strong basalmic vinegar. You won’t believe what the basalmic will do to the taste. (I also increase the amount of vinegar and catsup, because we like this sauce so much.)
Hmmmmm, I am curious! Some time ago, we were cautioned to NOT use raw chicken in the crock pot as it did not heat rapidly enough to prevent a mass increase of bacteria.
NOW I see many crock pot recipes using chicken. When did it become safe to do so?
Thanks!
I have five crock pots and use them for large gatherings for my volunteers. The flavors are the best! Raw chicken pieces, in my opinion, cook much better when added frozen. This is a tip I remember from a Better Homes & Gardens Crock pot cookbook I bought years ago. If used when thawed, sometimes the chicken gets way too tender while cooking.
Everytime I make a pot roast it comes out like rubber or it is dried out. Iuse a Chuck Roast. Last night I made a roast and cooked it for 2.5 hours on the low setting(10hrs) It was dry and rubbery. I put the meat in and seasoned it. I added 1/4cup of H20. What am I doing wrong??? I am afraid if I let it cook for the full 10hrs, I will have nothing left in the pot
There are only two reasons for any type of meat cooked in the crock pot to be tough. Either you didn’t use liquid or you’re not cooking it long enough. Both of these apply to you. One could cook a 10 year old bull in a crock post and as long as one has enough liquid and cooks it long enough, it will be tender and juicy.
There’s a lot of room for more cooking in between the 10 hours recommended and the 2.5 hours you cooked it. To cook in the crock pot takes only common sense not great skill. Cook it and taste it. If it’s still tough, cook it longer. If a recipe says 10 hours and you are concerned about that, cook at least half the recommended time and then taste it. If still tough, cook longer. If dry, boil up some liquid and add it to the crock pot.
You’ll need to use more like 1/2 cup of liquid in order for your meat not to dry out. With the liquid being either a broth or wine, your dish will be much tastier. Browning first on the stove top with veg also adds flavor.
Debbie…OMG…this is me too, and I’m using a top sirloin roast.,..approximately a 3 pounder…I’m so frustrated!!! My mother used to make the best crock pot roasts and she used really cheap pieces of meat…I can’t call her for her advice because she is such a “B”…So I’m in the same boat as you…What are we doing wrong??? I am so frustrated with these same pieces of meat that cost from 14 to 23 dollars each!!! and I was so looking forward to a nice dinner!!!
Stacey
Stacey and Debbie , I have been making chuck roast (my favorite) in my slow cooker for years. I place it in Raw , sprinkle it with garlic powder , salt and pepper. I mix onion soup mix in about 3-4 cups of water and pour it over the roast ; it comes up about 1/2 way up the roast. Add peeled whole potatoes , baby carrots , peeled whole onions all around the roast. Cook on low setting for 8 hrs. I have never had a tuff roast using chuck roast .
I use the juice and left overs for a stew.
Hi ~ I am making a beef stew/pot roast in my slow cooker for a friend to freeze to eat later. Is it better to cut up the meat and veggies before I freeze it – or not? Thank you so much : )
Having put my beef on to cook at 7am for dinner guests I now discover they are not arriving until tomorrow evening. I have removed the meat and juices (8.10am) and frozen them to cool them down….Will this be okay do you think when I put it back on to cook tomorrow morning.
I know I did this once before but did not cool it all down and the meat was tough….has anyone else had this experience please
thank you and help
My barbecue chicken cooked in a crock pot always comes out mealy. Any suggestions on how to prevent this happening?