Frugal Food and Cooking

Re: Crockpot cooking

My Family's Interests — Thu, 30 Aug 2007 16:39:29 GMT

I am glad you enjoyed it! Welcome! You will find many friends here! The recipe is good for picky eaters! and pot lucks etc. you can add beans to leftovers or serve over rice, add canned tomatoes to make the leftovers a bit more interesting. Cooking on low and cheap cuts of meat that shred easy. Pork shoulder, whatever cut you use for pot roast. I have done it with boneless, skinless chicken breasts too. I think ribs have too much connective tissue maybe. My small crockpot cooks a 2lb pork shoulder roast in about 5hrs on low and then I pull it out and shred and then put it back with more sauce. I think whatever meat that falls apart easily when slow cooked in an oven works.

Re: Crockpot cooking

Pat — Thu, 30 Aug 2007 15:41:05 GMT

Pat Whipple:
Yes, I am new in case anyone notices. I have read all the posts, including the older ones, and have cooked some of the recipes given. I am just finishing chemotherapy for breast cancer and one of my goals for my new and improved life is to cook more and waste less food.

Welcome! :) I'm glad you decided to start posting.

Re: Crockpot cooking

Pat Whipple — Thu, 30 Aug 2007 15:24:27 GMT

My Family's Interests:

... a favorite is shredded pork sandwiches- pork roast with a cut up onion and 1/2 bottle bbq sauce. Cook it and then shred it and add rest of bbq sauce. Freezes well...

Thank you for this tip. I cooked 3 lb. of boneless country-style ribs with chopped onion and a bottle of bbq sauce in the slow cooker. It came out great, but the next day, the meat was firm and did not pull apart. I will try shredding the leftovers the same day and add more BBQ sauce.

Yes, I am new in case anyone notices. I have read all the posts, including the older ones, and have cooked some of the recipes given. I am just finishing chemotherapy for breast cancer and one of my goals for my new and improved life is to cook more and waste less food.

Pat

Re: Crockpot cooking

My Family's Interests — Thu, 30 Aug 2007 02:39:42 GMT

Sounds like my hubby! His mom had a small rep. of recipes when growing up, chili every fri etc. but she did marry at 18 etc. but she can cook had has a wide range of recipes, ethic etc and loves to make new recipes. specially since they quit smoking about 16yrs ago (heavy smokers) He apparently was a good eater until he was about 2 and got sick with chicken pox and turned fussy after that and then allergies set in. She tried to get him to eat but it didn't work, would rather not eat. And she is a tough cookie. but has improved greatly since me.

Re: Crockpot cooking

Brianschef — Wed, 29 Aug 2007 11:13:11 GMT

Kalamata's yes I like them also. ; ) No he has no clue, he doesn't pay much attention to how its made as long as its made with sugar! lol His mom has a small repitroire of recipes she is good at but for the most part cant cook a lick. So he thinks scratch cooking is failed cooking. People are shocked when he tells them I am a chef as he's wolfing down a double cheese burger from BK, and that he prefers fast food. The guy even prefers cold cereal to my grilled Thai chicken!

Re: Crockpot cooking

My Family's Interests — Wed, 29 Aug 2007 03:25:22 GMT

Well that is why they use them in all those Halloween fright food recipes lol! I don't like them either but I don't like the taste of those green or black common olives. I like kamata? greek ones, marinated ones in herbs & garlic etc. That is funny about the boxed mixes! He hasn't figured out that lots of the stuff you make don't come in boxes ? lol of course men tend not to see what they don't want too !

Re: Crockpot cooking

Brianschef — Wed, 29 Aug 2007 02:21:04 GMT

I dont even buy jars of green olives with pimentos because they remind me of eyes looking straight at me, blech! I am married to a wonderful man, but he wont eat baked goods from scratch, they eave to be boxed mixes. So I bake when he is at work, a very dear friend of mine sends me her opened box mixes, empty of course. Ween I bake I make sure one of those boxes are accidently left on the counter when he walks in the door. ; )

Re: Crockpot cooking

My Family's Interests — Wed, 29 Aug 2007 00:43:17 GMT

Probably not! My dh has said rice looks like maggots! of course he has reformed his comments if he wants a home cooked meal! or he has to learn to cook. Though his father (another non cooker, who was told to eat everything when his kids were small) has been getting cocky with comments lately. Like why I am not eating the beets (hate them, like beet greens) and setting an example for the kids (the one thing on the table at their place I wouldn't eat). Got a hairy eyeball for that one! It is not like I serve my dh liver or okra or tongue or lamb, anything we can't stand so he can't complain much. I buy my mil liver everytime I go that deli I spoke of in other posts. Tongue is too expensive except for a treat. It's funny how liver and tongue etc were budget meals when I was growing up and now are luxuries.

Re: Crockpot cooking

Brianschef — Tue, 28 Aug 2007 21:20:31 GMT

My Family's Interests:
My hubby is just picky lol. I tried a recipe called cowboy stew which was beans, beef etc and he didn't like it. He doesn't like mashed potatoes, rice etc because of textures etc. I lived on what he ate (hamburgers and no veggies) and gained 40lbs in no time flat after we were married. Now as his mom and I say you have to set a good example for the kids :)

I understand, I am also a texture freak. You would be shocked at some of the things I wont eat and why I dont eat them!~ lol

Re: Crockpot cooking

Brianschef — Tue, 28 Aug 2007 21:18:56 GMT

Pat:
Brianschef:
Well I answered the question to Dollar Stretcher....

Wow, thank you! If I ever had any doubts about your expertise (which I didn't), you erased them right there. My success is probably because I use the cheaper cuts of meat all the time in the crockpot. I do whole chickens, but I use liquid with it (rice, mushrooms, etc. and a lot of water).
I really am a doofus having good luck!
Thanks, Brianschef.

You are welcome, one moment of clarity today...

Re: Crockpot cooking

My Family's Interests — Tue, 28 Aug 2007 14:43:32 GMT

My hubby is just picky lol. I tried a recipe called cowboy stew which was beans, beef etc and he didn't like it. He doesn't like mashed potatoes, rice etc because of textures etc. I lived on what he ate (hamburgers and no veggies) and gained 40lbs in no time flat after we were married. Now as his mom and I say you have to set a good example for the kids :)

Re: Crockpot cooking

Pat — Tue, 28 Aug 2007 14:03:10 GMT

Brianschef:
Well I answered the question to Dollar Stretcher....

Wow, thank you! If I ever had any doubts about your expertise (which I didn't), you erased them right there. My success is probably because I use the cheaper cuts of meat all the time in the crockpot. I do whole chickens, but I use liquid with it (rice, mushrooms, etc. and a lot of water).

I really am a doofus having good luck!

Thanks, Brianschef.

Re: Crockpot cooking

Brianschef — Tue, 28 Aug 2007 12:04:36 GMT

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.

Re: Crockpot cooking

Pat — Tue, 28 Aug 2007 04:51:24 GMT

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.

Re: Crockpot cooking

My Family's Interests — Tue, 28 Aug 2007 02:08:37 GMT

My husband complains that everything tastes the same if I put a mixture of foods in so I use it mostly for meat. I haven't had any problems. a favorite is shredded pork sandwiches- pork roast with a cut up onion and 1/2 bottle bbq sauce. Cook it and then shred it and add rest of bbq sauce. Freezes well. Have done it with chicken breasts and will with beef one day. The slow cooker is good for tortelli and sauce too but it only takes a couple of hrs to cook but keeps the kitchen cool.