Hopefully all the cooking moms can answer this for me. My mom mentioned a casserole recipe she was going to try and it said to either bake it in the oven for an hour and half or you can put it in a crock pot and cook on low for an hour. Note that it was basically hamburger and cooked noodles and some other things so there was no raw meat. Basically just heating it up I guess?
I live in AZ and its hell hot here and I don't cook at all in the summer and ideally would like to not use the oven for casseroles in the winter if I dont have too.
So has anyone ever made a "casserole" in a crock pot? And if so, how do you know how long to cook it? I'm asking if I can take ANY casserole recipe and cook it in the crock pot instead of baking it in the oven. If you've tried it, how did it turn out and if you have a recipe, please share!
I'm not asking for crock pot recipes but thanks for the info! I use my crock pot inside my kitchen and it doens't heat it up like the oven does. I just want to know if I can take a "casserole" recipe that you bake and put in the crock pot instead. I assume you would have to use extra sauce or liquid. I guess I will just have to try it myself and see! Thanks moms and dads!!!!
Well, the only casserole I have made in the crock pot is cheesy potatoes:
http://www.food.com/recipe/crock-pot-cheesy-potatoes-302690
I guess you could add ham cubes or slices to make it a complete meal, right?
A basic guideline is: 30 minutes in the regular oven is equivalent to 2 and a half hours on low in the slow cooker or crock pot.
If your recipe includes raw beef or vegetables, it will require about 7-8 hours on low.
If your recipe includes already cooked meat and vegetables, about 2 - 3 hours will do.
There are very few things other than a simple dip that would heat up in only an hour.
Here's a good link that talks about converting from oven to crock pot:
http://www.crockpot-cooking.com/cpc-basics02.php
Most crock pot temperatures are: about 200 degrees on the low setting, and about 300 degrees on the high setting. So you can apply that to your casserole. Would it heat through in an hour in the oven, if the oven was set to 200 degrees? Probably not.
You basiclly said its too hot to cook inside in AZ in the summer time. I lived in AZ and I agree. However, if you are cooking in a crock pot you are heating up the inside anyway.
Suggestion, Place your crock pot outside on a table outside the kitchen window. Place it where you can see it. Place a cloth hand towel on top of the lid only and it will act as an insulator. It will allow you to cook on low and get the same heat as high. Saves you money in electricity. Placing it outside the kitchen window saves you heat coming on the inside and making your a/c work harder.
For recipes, go to allrecipes.com They have lots of crock pot recipes.
Good luck to you and yours.
I do all my casseroles in the slow cooker.
http://www.acrossthebridge.com/cookbook/crockpot/index-5b...
Check out this website. It has lots of crock pot recipes.
I think you would need to be careful what casserole you try to make in a crockpot so it won't overcook and get dry.
Good Luck and GOD BLESS!
D.
I've heard of this - but never done it myself!! I'm VERY interested to find out how it worked for others!!!
I do most of my casseroles in the oven: pasta, potato, grain. I also do breakfast grains, soups, whatever I can! Even better, invest in a sun oven and don't heat up your house at all. You can even make one. They will work similarly to a crockpot.
Sure - you can use the crockpot to reheat stuff. I do it all the time since it doesn't heat up the kitchen. I think, though, that the time would be greater in the crockpot than in the oven. Maybe three hours in the crock versus 1.5 in the oven.
