Buying a crock pot/slow cooker for the first time, looking for tips/features that I should look for? Recipes?

Question

OK, so I'm buying a crock pot for the first time and I'm wondering what features/brands etc. I should look for. Do I need a timer etc.? Should I get one that will automatically keep something warm when it's finished cooking?

I just got a new job and I'll be out all day so I'd like to have dinner ready sometimes for when I get home. I'm single and live alone, so I probably don't need a really big one, although I would like to be able to fit a whole chicken in it. I enjoy spicy foods like curries, asian style foods, and foods with lots of flavour, so if anyone has any great, easy recipes I'd love to hear them. I don't want anything where I have to pre-cook something, then put it in the crock pot to cook more.

Thanks!

Answer 1

Since you'll be leaving the slow cooker all day, it would be best to get one with a Keep Warm setting. Most already have removable crocks these days, which is essential.
Re size, most 6 qts will cook a whole chicken, but it's also possible to cut a chicken in half with kitchen scissors before cooking.

However, keep this in mind. The slow cookers/crockpots sold nowadays all cook hotter than the older ones, and that's Not Good.
It means that more delicate proteins like chicken (especially white meat) will definitely get overcooked and on the dry side after only about 4 hours (on Low), and everything will just cook hotter than optimal. (The reason they're made hotter now is because so many people were tossing frozen meat into the cookers, which is a safety concern... so to avoid being sued by anyone who got sick, they just upped all the temps of all the units.) Also, any slow cooker you use should be at least 1/2 -2/3 full of *something* to keep from it from cooking even hotter than it normally would, so you'd want to think twice about getting a larger one unless you like to cook big batches then freeze, etc. (which can be great when cooking for one though).

Various brands and models of slow cookers cook at slightly different temps to for their particular Low or High and it can be hard to find out just what those temps are. I'd do some reading at amazon.com, etc., where there are reviews of various slow cookers to see what kinds of things are good and bad about some units you're thinking of... that will give also you some good basic ideas about what the posisibilities and considerations are.

One other option to consider would be buying a freestanding "oven roaster" instead of a unit sold specifically "as a slowcooker." Those have an actual temperature dial on the front so you can select any temp you want (though don't know how many also have timers), and they'll also do all kinds of other things as well like baking, poaching, etc., without using as much energy as a regular oven but still sit on the countertop.
Here's are some of that type at the Nesco site... I just ordered one that's a 6 qt, with a porcelain crock "cookwell," that I'm very much looking forward to, but they also have non-stick cookwells, and different sizes:
http://nesco.com/products/?category=700
I probably won't need a Keep Warm setting since I can just set a fairly low temp to begin with, but if you're gone for more than 10 hrs on a regular basis, you might want that.

You might also want to check out some info I just wrote in this question about slowcooker recipes and a slowcooker Yahoogroup with lots of resources, including I'm sure info about what to look for:
http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index;_ylt=Atr_f_0L9JFSSVJR2ROMJ_jsy6IX;_ylv=3?qid=20071030123150AAHIfTB&show=7#profile-info-b5a1205e401b88aec19c6b697430c199aa

And here are some easy Asian and Indian, etc., recipes for the slow cooker:
http://www.google.com/search?sourceid=navclient&ie=UTF-8&rls=GGLC,GGLC:1969-53,GGLC:en&q=slow+cooker+crockpot+recipes+easy+Asian
http://www.google.com/search?sourceid=navclient&ie=UTF-8&rls=GGLC,GGLC:1969-53,GGLC:en&q=slow+cooker+crockpot+recipes+easy+ethnic
http://www.google.com/search?sourceid=navclient&ie=UTF-8&rls=GGLC,GGLC:1969-53,GGLC:en&q=slow+cooker+crockpot+recipes+easy+Indian


HTH,

Diane B.

Answer 2

I got an "Easy Rider" crock pot made by Toastmaster as a gift from a friend last year. It has the fold up handles and levers that hold the lid down for easy transport for potlucks. It has the off, low, high and automatic settings on it and removable pot for cleaning.

Since you are basically gone all day, I would NOT recommend it for your use because whenever I have used this crock pot, it cooks faster than my old one (as some others have mentioned). My husband doesn't like it as much either because it has a silicone ring around the lid, and he just doesn't like to hassle with it when he has to wash it. ;-)

Hope this info helps you decide.

Answer 3

I purchased my crock pot at a yard sale and it has worked great for 5 years. It has 2 temps on it, low and high. I have a family of 5 so we needed a large pot but the do make smaller ones.

I go to the library to get cook books on slow cookers/crock pots and also watch yard sales and Salvation Army for books.

Answer 4

All the other responders had great advice so no point in me saying the same thing. However, I will say this...the #1 trick to having a good tasting crockpot item is: Brown the item in a skillet before you proceed with the chosen recipe. Maybe not every item needs to be browned but I promise you it makes a world of difference in the flavor.

Example: If you are making a beef stew, take the cubes of meat, dust them with seasoned flour and then just sear them in a skillet with a bit of oil. Then, put the meat into the crockpot and proceed with cooking. Root vegetables like: carrots, onions, garlic, parsnips, beets & turnips also taste great when they've been browned. You will also enhance the color/appearance of your dish. The biggest complaint most people have is that "when you cook something in a crockpot, everything starts tasting the same". That isn't true once you brown or sear food items.

One of my favorite recipes is a Guiness Beef Stew. Just take your basic beef stew recipe, brown all the food items (beef cubes, carrots, onions), add in beef STOCK (not broth), seasoning to taste (sea salt/fresh cracked pepper) and then 1 hr. before serving, add in 1 cup of dark Guiness Beer. Just before serving, stir in 2 T. of butter. I had this dish in London on a cold winter's night. It was fabulous.

Answer 5

Get a Rival brand pot with a removable liner (MUCH easier to wash). You don't need a timer. You only need 3 heat settings - off, low, and high. The Rival brand has a booklet that includes TONS of very good recipes.

Answer 6

buying crock potslow cooker time tipsfeatures recipes

Answer 7

The most important thing is a removable pot. But even then we use the liners.

Answer 8

Fruits are the immediate way to obtain vitamins, proteins, and electrolytes, so over body can certainly absorb them. Found in the case of veggie some of the straight eatable but some need to cooked well for enhance their taste.