Crock Pot Question

I do the cook overnight too, dish some out for lunch and put the rest in the fridge. I am terrified leaving it unattended all day!

3 ideas

- Plug in timer
- Cook overnight, put in fridge during work, reheat at home
- Add a lot more liquid

Any crock pot that is less than 10-15 years old will cook at a hotter temp than an older one. So, you have to take that into consideration when you plan your meals. Maybe, in this situation, it would be better to cook it a day ahead or over night, whatever will afford you LESS time, and then stick it in the fridge and reheat at dinnertime.
Alternately, you may want to add more liquid than is called for, which will prevent the "burned to a crisp" situation.

I really feel for you. I have one crock that is old and one that is much newer and I have to be careful about how long I leave something in the newer one.

Upgrade to a programmable crockpot that will switch to low after a certain number of hours.

http://crockpot365.blogspot.com/2008/08/help-my-crock-pot...

They make timers for lights. Put together what you want in your crock pot and plug it into the timer set for the right amount of cooking time. Also, if it was dry, turn the heat down and add more liquid.

Good luck to you and yours.

almost all of the recipes on Campbells.com are low-heat 8-10 hours. i've done a beef stew before (don't remember if it was campbells or not) and let it go all day (left house about 7, got home about 5 or 5:30) and it turned out just fine. I'd just make sure that the recipe says how long to leave it for when it's on low heat... USUALLY, it's about double the time of high heat, but not always.

Yes, I agree about the programmable pot or to get a plug in timer, that will click off..

I have a cookbook called "6 Ingredients or Less" for the crockpot. The following recipes are long cooks. PM me for the recipe/instructions.
(and btw - every time I cook using the crockpot, I try to get it all ready the night before so in the a.m, all I have to do is turn it on.)

Turkey Legs (10-12 hours)
Apricot Glazed Turkey Breast (8-9 hours)
Roast Chicken (8-10 hours)
Roasting Chicken and Potatoes (8-9 hours)
Pork Roast (10-12 hours)
Barbecue Ribs (8-9 hours)
Spicy Pot Roast (It's not really that spicy) (10-12 hours)
Family Pot Roast (10-12 hours)
Sirloin Tip Roast (10-12 hours)
French Dip Sandwiches with Au Jus (9-10 hours)
Barbecue Beef Sandwiches (10-12 hours)
Swiss Steak (8-10 hours)
Beef Rolls (8-9 hours)
Beef & Potato Stew (8-10 hours)
Ground Beef & Cheese Soup (gotta cook the gbeef first) (8-10 hours)
Potato Chowder (10-12 hours)
Sausage & Potato Chowder (8-10 hours)
Beef Stew (8-9 hours)
Veggie Cheese Soup (8-10 hours)
Navy Bean Soup (13-14 hours) (gotta soak them first)

(A lot of the other recipes are 7-8 hours or maybe 6-7 hours. You would definitely need a timer or a nice neighbor to come turn your crock-pot on before lunch. - I did this for my landlord a few times. Just went over there, got the crockpot out of the fridge, and turned it on.)

I had a crockpot that did that when I used the recommended time even. Turns out the lid would bubble and open and the liquid was all escaping. I ended up buying a new crockpot and it's cooked great ever since. Just something to look at in case your lid is letting the liquid leave!

I would cook it at night while you sleep and then set it on keep warm during the day maybe? Some recipes I have made that hold up well are beef stew, brisket, chili. Chicken recipes with white meat chicken don't usually hold up for long periods.

Usually the recipes are 8 hours on low or 4 hours on high right?

Assemble everything in the crock by 6:30, and turn it on very last thing before you go out the door at 7:30 and you should be fine with most recipes on LOW til 5:00.

I've been wanting to get a larger slow cooker (at least 6 quart) and have been researching them on Amazon. I look at the negative reviews too, and there were a lot of complaints about several models cooking too hot on the low setting and people having the same problem you had. If yours isn't that old you can look it up on Amazon and see if other people had the same problem with that model. The 5qt Crock pot I've had for over 13 years old works fine, but I havent seen very good reviews of the newer ones. After hours of looking at different brands (even higher end ones- reviewers said high price, poor quality) I think I'm more confused than ever :/
Anyway, just thought I'd put that out there. Good luck!! :)

Does your CP have a "warm" setting? If so, what I do is set it on high when I get it set up and turn it down to warm right before I walk out the door (this gets the temp up, and the "warm" keeps it at a lower, but safe cooking temp). I also add more liquid (about 1 cup more) particularly for my 6 qt cp--it tends to cook off the water more easily.

Part of it is getting to know your crockpot and how it handles stuff. My 3-4 qt cp does tend to cook differently than my 6 qt one.

I just did the whole chicken in the crockpot (http://www.food.com/recipe/whole-chicken-crock-pot-recipe...) and it was awesome. I did not brown my chicken beforehand, but I did season it well. cooked it on a bed of baby carrots & 1 large chopped onion, and rubbed seasonings under the skin and inside the cavity for more flavor. Yum!

I like the Better Homes & Gardens crockpot book, but a lot of times, I'll look on allrecipes.com for new recipes (I make sure to read at least a few of the reviews, and usually discount reviews that make a lot of changes to the actual posted recipe).

Beef stew is easy. 1 to 1.5 # of cubed roast, tossed in seasoned flour. Brown on all sides in oil in a pan. In the CP, add 2 to 3 chopped up potatoes and 16 oz baby carrots or reg. carrots chopped in bite size chunks. Add 1 onion, chopped (or if you don't like the cooked onions, add some onion powder). Sprinkle in some garlic powder & other favorite seasonings. Then add the beef. Over all, pour the contents of 1 can of diced tomatoes or 2 or 3 fresh tomatoes, diced, and 1/2 cup of water or beef broth. Sprinkle with additional seasonings as desired. Cook on low 8 hours (I've done it 8 to 10 w/ no problem).

The last suggestion I have is to do a crockpot meal on the weekend when you're around to watch it. Follow a recommended recipe to the letter, and see how it goes----is it cooking off too much liquid; or is it cooking too hot? Etc. That way, you can correct it if needed, and learn how it handles cooking so the next weekday meal has a higher rate of success.

Last thought--if you leave first, have your DH put it in the cooker when he leaves, so it's not cooking as long. Put all the stuff together in the pot and keep in the fridge. Just have him pull it out & put in the heating unit, with specific directions on the temp setting to use.

Mine burns if I don't have the pot at least half full, so I have to cook A LOT of food - a really large chicken, several pounds of ribs, 4-5 lb roast beef - and/or fill in with lots of liquid if I'm going to leave it on all day. Play around with a recipe on a weekend day and time it like you're going to work to get a feel for the modifications you need to make for a long cook. Once I got the hang of my pot, it's become a great tool for days that I go into the office.