Pat:Well, if I'm a doofus having good luck, I guess all of you are, too!
I wonder what she could be doing to cause food to dry out? Overcooking
it, maybe? But even then, the sauces and juices seem to stay in the
cooker.
Well
I answered the question to Dollar Stretcher. Part of the issue is
the slow cooker or crockpot itself. Those made after the mid to
late 90's are designed to cook faster, 4-6 hours instead of
8-10+. If you look at the older cookbooks and recipes and compare
to todays you can see the difference.
Another reason is the
way they are breeding meat now, less fat or marbling, so it has nothing
to produce moisture naturally. Unless you lard the meat ahead of
time or brine it, it will be dry. The cheaper cuts of meat or
meat with the bone on it will produce a better end result in a slow
cooker.
For meats like boneless skinless chicken breasts, if you
brine it or package and freeze it in buttermilk the meat will stay nice
and juicy. For red meats you can brine it in salt water and
herbs. For pork plain milk(powdered is fine also), or sour milk
will work wonders.
Any meat with the bone still attached will
also produce a much moister meat in the newer crockpots. The bone
slows down the cooking process as it takes time to heat it and the meat
to temperature. The slower the process, the more tender the
meat. : )
For foods that end up tasting the same, such as a
roast with carrots, potatoes, onions, etc. If you slow cook the
meat and add the vegetables for the last hour or so(depending on the
cut) you should avoid that problem.
And for a last bit of advice,
always make sure you add 1/4 cup water or liquid to the bottom of your
slow cooker, the end result of your meal will be much moister or
creamier. No matter what type of meat I cook, I use 1/4 cup of
buttermilk as the first ingredient.
