Cooking With a Crockpot - It's Slow Good

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.

Easy Crockpot Cooking Tips

Crockpot

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.

If you take the time to brown your meat before putting it in the crockpot, the fat will get rendered a bit and the natural sugars in the meat will caramelize. Your meal will look more appetizing, and you can deglaze the pan afterwards and add the delicious drippings to the crockpot for flavor. It also helps if you remove any skin or excess fat from your meat before you start.

When to Add those Tender Ingredients

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.

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 with a Crockpot?

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.

Amazingly, you can even bake in your crockpot! Desserts like cakes, sweet breads, and boiled peanuts can be made easily without using your oven. The versatile crockpot is a tool everyone should have in his or her kitchen.

Cooking With a Crockpot - It's Slow Good

Crockpots save time and make mealtimes easy and delicious. If you want to explore more options for your crockpot, check out ChickenNoodleSoups.com for some delicious recipes and crockpot tips. It is easy to make nutritious, home cooked meals using your crockpot.

If you are looking for some great recipes or tips on cooking chicken soups and stews of your own, the site will be very helpful. Whether you want a quick and easy soup, a creamy one, or an old fashioned chicken stew, you are sure to find it there. Recipes like our classic chicken noodle soup recipe and many more chicken soup recipes.

If you are in the mood for chicken stew with an international flavor, or any other type of wonderful soup recipes we have a selection that is sure to fit the bill.

Nothing but chicken soups of all kinds. Also find informative articles related to chicken soup's health benefits and other interesting information like soup cooking tips.

Look for our heart health recipe guide to find soup recipes that can help you with your fight against heart disease. All recipes include nutritional information to help you make informed healthy choices about your next recipe decision.

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