my potatoes and carrots are still hard after being in a slow cooker for about 24 hrs at 'med' heat. what gives

Question

just a regular beef stew recipe.

Answer 1

Thick chunks of veggies seldom cook properly in a Crockpot. They remain hard long after the rest of the soup or stew is done. Your best bet is to partially cook them before adding them to the recipe. That way, they will be tender when the cooking time is finished.

As far as the current batch is concerned, if you don't mind fishing out chunks of carrots and potatoes, put them in a bowl and microwave them until they're tender. Then add them to the rest of the stew again.

Answer 2

Get yourself a pressure cooker, those thing can make an old boot tender as can be. try it out, I use one all the time, great for the traditional pot roast.

Answer 3

you need to turn up the heat, cook at high heat that should get them done

Answer 4

I always turn stuff up to "high". Once it is at or near boiling I turn it down.

Answer 5

Make sure you have enough liquid (stock, water or wine).