Slow Cookers

[joeekaitis]

Meatloaf in a slow cooker . . .

 

 

 

Heavenly.  Spray the crock of a large oblong slow cooker with nonstick cooking spray, shape the loaf to fit with at least a half-inch on all sides, low setting for 8 to 10 hours.

 

For a little char, use a small oblong cooker and pack the mixture firmly.  You'll get a flatter loaf but with that exterior crispness which some folks crave and others foolishly leave on the plate for the dog or the Waste King.

 

[circlew]

My mom never owned a Crock Pot, but she did buy a West Bend slow cooker that was two pieces - a base that could be used as a grill, and a rectangular metal pot that sat on it. When turned to HI it could get pretty hot.

My sister got several Crock Pots for her first wedding in '79, as they were quite a fad at that time.

 

[polkanut]

I found this last fall at a neighborhood estate sale.  I think I paid around $5.00 for it.  Almost all of the original paperwork came with it as well.

http://www.automaticwasher.org/cgi-bin/TD/TD-VIEWTHREAD.cgi?66806

 

[joeekaitis]

Steel cut oats: bowl-in-the-crock slow cooker method

 

 

Works best in a large programmable ("smart pot") slow cooker.

 

Hunt up a Corning Ware Pyroceram covered casserole that will fit inside your slow cooker using the inverted casserole lid as a riser under the casserole.  This, of course, rules out your rare first-generation "shark's fin" lid.   The crock's lid shouldn't touch the raised casserole.  A 1.5 liter casserole will make two servings.

 

Put 2 cups of water in the bottom of the crock.  Put in the inverted lid into the crock.   Combine oats and water in the casserole using the proportions on the package.  Set the casserole on the inverted lid.  Cover the crock.

 

If you have the luxury of time and planned ahead, set the cooker for 8 hours on low; otherwise 4 hours on high.  Results should be about the same.

 

Advantages:  You only need to wash the casserole (soak in cold water until wash-up time) and wipe the crock dry.   The gentle steam prevents a hard crust from forming on the oats.  Predictable results.

 

Disadvantages:  Not for the impatient with limited time-management skills.  Can't make a crowd-feeding batch.

 

And, yes, this was inspired by the bowl-in-the-pressure-cooker method

 

[tomturbomatic]

Old electric range manuals used to have a recipe for the overnight method of cooking oats in the deep well. This was long before the quick cooking oats you can buy today.

 

I found a huge box of Quaker quick-cooking oatmeal at Costco that was much cheaper than the store brand of quick cooking oats at our Shoppers Fools' Warehouse. When I opened it, the oats were about twice the diameter of regular quick cooking oats. I found an easy way to cook them. I turn the 6 inch unit of the range to High and place on it the empty 1.5 qt A series Corning sauce pan or one of the round Corning pans with a handle molded on it. Then I pour in 1 cup of water and add the half cup of oats and a little salt. At the first sign of a bubble, I stir it once, put the cover on and turn off the current. In 5 minutes they are perfectly done.

 

[daveamkrayoguy]

Turkey With Cornbread Crust!

Well,here is the hardest & most-challenging thing that I'd made in my slow cooker:

But unfortunately when I wanted to add more meat (turkey) to pot, it got left on Warm, and not turned to Low while I was at work, so after this delicious portion was all that I got to enjoy, the whole rest of it burned beyond any recognition (& enjoyment) because I couldn't count on anyone left here to turn the cooking setting down to the warming one, when it was done:

-- Dave

 

[daveamkrayoguy]

Yes, it BURNED TO SUBMISSION!!!!

Oops! Major corrections neeed in my previous post:

"It got left on LOW, and not turned to WARM!"...

And too much leftover cole slaw, beyond the date... It's waiting to sicken the first person who bites into it...

-- Dave