Crockpot Cookery | Lifestyle

by KCKudra

It is easy to come home to a hot dinner every night when you use your crockpot. Taking the time to fill up the crockpot in the morning will reward you with a delicious meal in the evening with no fuss. When you get home, just dish everyone up, and have a wonderful meal.

Crockpot Tips

There are a few things to remember when using a crockpot that will make your meals turn out perfectly. The most important one is do not overfill the pot. Never fill it more than three-quarters full. If you fill it all the way to the top, it will not cook properly. At the same time, do not fill it less than half full. By not filling it enough, your food will cook faster than you anticipate and you will come home to food 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.

You may want to try browning your meat before placing it in the crockpot. This renders fat and caramelizes the natural sugars in the meat, creating a delicious flavor. If you wish to deglaze the pan afterwards with broth, water, or wine, you can add these tasty drippings to your crockpot so you can enjoy them later. Removing extra fat and skin will also help your meat cook better.

Tomatoes, mushrooms, and other tender ingredients should be added towards the end of cooking. Dairy products should not go in earlier than the last 30 minutes. When adding dairy, make sure your crockpot is on low so they do not curdle. Thickeners like cornstarch can be added in the last hour. Be sure your temperature is on high to activate the thickening. Pasta and rice should be added only during the last 45 minutes so they do not turn to mush.

Do not remove the lid during cooking unless you need to add additional ingredients. Try to do this all at once so you do not lose too much heat. Each time you open the lid; you should add another 30 minutes to your cooking time.

What Can You Make?

These easy tips can help make your crockpot useful and versatile. You can make almost anything in the crockpot. Pulled pork with barbecue sauce is easy in the crockpot, as is Asian chicken. Stew and chili are old standbys for the crockpot, as is chicken soup. Vegetable dishes like creamed corn with cream cheese is delicious for a side dish.

You can even bake breads and cakes in the crockpot! Desserts like apple brown betty, boiled peanuts and many different cakes can easily be made in the crockpot. As you can see, crockpots are even more versatile than most people think.

DISCLAIMER: This article is provided as information only and is not to be taken as financial advice.

If you like to use your crockpot, you will probably use it occasionally to make soup. ChickenNoodleSoups.com has quite a few recipes for soup or stew that could easily be adapted for the crockpot. You will be able to come home to a nice hot bowl of homemade soup in the evening!