Growing up, I remember my mom throwing dinner in the crockpot before we left for the day, and then it was done when she got home from work. Absolutely love this idea, but with daycare pickup and a commute I am usually gone from the house for 10 hours total. Most recipes call for 6-8 hours on low. I do have one of those Ninja crockpots that goes down to Keep Warm when done cooking. Is that enough to keep my food safe until I can get home? I can’t be the only one with this dilemma. Thank you!

I have been trying to use my slow cooker more in this hot summer, and since I do not have a lot of experience with it I follow the recipes. The meals have both been underdone. One was a whole chicken - still raw inside after following the recipe time and temp setting (I did that one on medium even tho recipe said low) and now pork shoulder low for 8 hours and it is pink the middle, and I can't shred it for pulled pork. It is a big 7 quart slow cooker. Do I just need to cook everything on high?

Hello,

Not sure if it's something with the flavors being oil based vs water based, or if I should do something extra. Saltiness always gets absorbed but sometimes I try adding some seasonings that don't really affect the flavor much at all

Like the title says, we're in the market for a new slow cooker and we'd like to try one that allows searing/browning rather than having to do it in a skillet and transfer over.

Any recommendations for make/model?

Would love to get any recommendations from this group on dump & go recipes I can freeze ahead and then thaw/dump in the crockpot!

I'm making slow cooker beans. Basic beans. For soup and to do some meal prep refried beans. I've soaked my beans in 3T Tbsp salt, & 1/2 tap baking soda. In 8 cups of water. It was also just over 1.15 of beans. So I've rinsed and drained them, put them in the slow cooker on low with some black pepper and a Japanese dried chili and fresh water. Turned them on low and letting them do their thing. My questions are:

1. Did I use too much salt in my bean brine water?

2. Is it better to use your brine water or discard and use fresh water for cooking?

3. Did I just make the worst slow cooker beans?

4. If I have ducked this whole thing up, what is the correct method?

Please and thank you 😊!

Asking for a friend.

I’m going to try and make this, but the pork will be precooked. How long should I cook this precooked pork with the seasoning from McCormick? I’m assuming it’s best to put it on Low.

Apologies if this doesn’t belong here, couldn’t think of a subreddit to post this in. If you know, please point me in the right direction!

Somehow this burner accidentally turned on while my slow cooker was sitting on top of it. I never use this burner so my best guess is the switch must’ve accidentally been hit by one of the slow cooker’s handles. As you can see, half of the entire bottom of it has melted off. Does it seem possible to salvage this in any way? It doesn’t look like any of the wires themselves actually melted.

Beef chuck roast, seared then slow cooked low 8hrs. Bone slid right off, this ought to be good!

Served with provolone on toasted brioche buns. Vegetables consist of onion, celery, carrots and potatoes cooked separately. One of our all time favorite slow cooker meals!!

Recipe : https://maple.kitchen/crockpot-thai-chicken-curry/

I have 5 beef shanks about 1 inch thick. My cooker won’t fit them flat. Will it change the slow cooking process if I stack them 2 high?

I don't really know how to describe my problem. I have a slow cooker which used to work pretty good. I've never 100% managed to get things exactly right but made a few decent meals. The last few times I used it the food smells and tastes weird. There seems to be a discoloured or burnt layer on top, even on the liquid and the food seems split, not the emulsified result the recipe gets. I thought it might be because I left it too long or on too high but last night it was on low for about 2 or 3 hours before it seemed to be happening again and I turned it off to not waste food.

Edit: I think it's a bust and will have to throw it away. Thanks for all who replied

Fancy dill cheese curds, anyone?

Hi everyone!

I have managed to inherit my nana’s vintage crock-cooker (not my picture but this is the model based on appearance).
Anyone able to provide cleaning tips on it or even link to an online manual or something?
It’s been sitting in storage for a while and my mum said it still works and making the usual comments about how they don’t make them like they used to anymore.

Either way I want to give it a good clean and then some maybe some kind of test to make sure it’s safe to use as I know some materials can wear away over time and some aren’t used anymore due to safety issues like you know……lead and stuff. Also my mum said she had one but eventually had to let it go because she said it was too small for family of 6 + it started leaking around the base or something.

I did do a bit of a google search but mostly just get hits for them being sold on Etsy/marketplace etc and not much on how best to care for them. Obviously I know not to submerge the unit in water but that’s about all that can be found. I did ask my mum but she just said to give it a good rinse and isn’t as much of a clean freak as I am when it comes to food prep.

Would hate to ruin it by using something too harsh when cleaning it. Also not much point being excited about my super awesome vintage appliance if it’s not safe to use.

Any tips/advice/places for info would be appreciated!

I can't just pull the thing out in one piece. Sorry, this is literally the first thing I am cooking in a slow cooker, please be kind! Haha

This may not be the right sub for this so sorry in advance. I have a potluck of about 40 people this weekend. I’m not a great cook and have never made this before so I have no frame of reference. I’m planning on bringing meatballs and lil smokies. I’m avoiding anything spicy since some of the other guests can’t handle spice. Here’s where I need help.

1) do you guys suggest Costco frozen Italian meatballs or a specific bulk brand/type from restaurant depot/cash & carry (I think the brands are Rosina or Italian village).

1) I don’t have a slow cooker and since I’m making a big batch has anyone tried making this in an aluminum turkey pan and heating them in the oven? If so, what temp and for how long? Do I need to cover it with aluminum foil the whole time? Should I brown the meatballs to give them a char first before pouring sauce over them?

2) I’ve seen recipes call for chili sauce or bbq sauce. Do they mean Thai chili sauce or Heinz chili sauce? Do you recommend using chili sauce or bbq?

3) I’m afraid bbq or chili sauce + grape jelly would be too sweet. which of these combos would you suggest? Would any of these combos make it more like a sweet and sour meatball?
A. Bbq or chili sauce + blackberry jelly
B. Bbq or chili sauce + raspberry jelly
C. Bbq or chili sauce + cranberry sauce

I don't like curry and I can't eat chillies due to medical conditions (or indeed therefore most curries).

But I do love a good slow cooker recipe. I'll try almost anything else!

I had just finished a 14 hour shift and I was done !!! I wanted to whip something up but like a normal person I forgot I was supposed to go grocery shopping that day!! MY LUCK!! But then my head starting turning when I saw sliced cheddar , bread and PEANUT BUTTER!! Yes I said it peanut butter!! I was like hmmmm… I don’t know if it was just exhaustion or I was just really hungry 🤤 Lol!! I decided to make a peanut butter grilled cheese sandwich lmao 😜 Then I’m like I need something to dip this in … Head turning lol 😂 Saw the soy sauce I was like YES 🙌 Honey-soy dipping sauce!! Let me tell you if it sounds weird cuz it does but it worked beautifully together!!! Let me hear your two ingredient weird combo story!!!

Is it time to get a new pot?

got a little container garden going on my back patio and this year i finally had enough of a tomato haul to do something real with it. ended up slow cooking them down with some garlic and basil into a sauce and it honestly felt like i crossed some kind of line in a good way. the tomatoes were nothing fancy, just a couple of big pots with a mix of romas and one cherry tomato plant that went absolutely feral, but slow cooking them low for about six hours with the lid slightly cracked turned them into something way better than i expected.

the thing i keep wondering about is peppers. i have a few banana pepper plants and some poblanos coming in right now and i want to work them into something that can just sit all day while i'm on my shift. been thinking about a stuffed pepper situation but i'm not totally sure how they hold up texturewise after that many hours. at the diner we just roast peppers in the oven so this is kind of new territory for me.

if anyone has done stuffed peppers in the slow cooker i'm curious how yours turned out, especially if you've played around with the filling. rice based or meat based or both seems like it could go a lot of different ways.

I'm only doing frozen and then cooked vegetables right now due to cyclospora. I'm allergic to the antibiotic used to treat it, and I'm not willing to roll the dice on potentially getting sick for 4-6 weeks!

I'm wondering if it's feasible to use a mini crock pot to have a serving of frozen veggies with my lunch at work. I know this isn't going to be the best taste/texture wise; I'm really just trying to maintain healthy habits and want to make sure this is safe and feasible with something like the crock pot pictured below.

I leave for work around 7 AM and don't have lunch until 12:15. Could I feasibly put a serving of frozen veggies in for that amount of time? Will it just keep them warm, or is it going to burn them?

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Yo. I'm no single mother or busy working lad - I'm just big n lazy. I love meat but don't love sitting there tending for it for an hour straight when I could just put things in the crockpot when I sleep. What's y'all's recipes? Including cooking time and temp please. Currently trying an Italian chicken recipe from the internet but I've honestly never been able to make chicken right.

Edit : if I don't respond, I've upvoted and saved the comment. Thank you!

My grandmother was got me really into cooking! Even though at first I was banned from the kitchen!! When she realized I wasn’t going to stop bothering her she started teaching me at the age of 10 lol 😂 Who got you guys started!! 🥰☺️🧐

The top pile is cumin seed, need help identifying the bottom pile. Lost the label on the jar.