Cooking with a crockpot can make it easy to have dinner waiting when you come home. By filling up the crockpot before you leave for work or school in the morning, you can be greeted by the delicious scent of dinner when you walk in the door at the end of the day.
Crockpot Tips
There are a few tips that will help your crockpot meals turn out perfect every time. First, never overfill the crockpot. Make sure when you are filling it up that the pot is between half and three-quarters full. Too full, and your food will not cook enough. If the pot is too empty, the food will cook too quickly and you will come home to a dinner that is overdone.
Fresh vegetables should be placed in the bottom of the crockpot because they take longer to cook than your meat. You may have trouble believing it, but try putting them on top and see what happens. Frozen vegetables should be placed on top of your meat since they do not take long to cook.
Browning your meat before putting it in the crockpot helps render any fat on the meat and caramelizes the natural sugars in the meat. The meat will look more appetizing, and if you deglaze the pan and add the drippings, all that flavor will be added to your meal. Removing skin and extra fat will help as well.
Ingredients that are tender, such as tomatoes, peas, and other soft foods should be added in the last half hour or so of cooking. Dairy should be added only a short time before you serve as well. When you add dairy products, make sure your temperature is on low so they will not curdle. Thickeners like cornstarch can be added during the last hour of cooking. Place the crockpot on high so their thickening qualities are activated. Rice and pasta should be added during the last 45 minutes or so or they will tend to turn to mush.
While cooking, try not to remove the lid. If you need to add more ingredients, add them all at once if possible to reduce losing heat from the crockpot. Every time you lift the lid, add another half hour to your cooking time.
Crockpot Recipes
Following these simple suggestions makes cooking in the crockpot easy and fun. Your crockpot can be used to easily make just about anything. Roast pork and beef work well in the crockpot. Add a whole chicken or chicken parts with your favorite sauce for a tender, tasty meal. Stew works well, as does soup. Side dishes can also be made in the crockpot. Vegetable dishes, rice and lentil dishes are all easy to make while you are away.
Did you know you could even bake in your crockpot? It is true! Cakes, breads, and other baked desserts are simple to make in your crockpot. All you need is an insert pan. Crockpot cookery is easy and versatile. It can serve you well several nights a week.
