Is there such a thing as a crockpot rack?

[Teenytoona]

I've been making about half my meals a week in the crock pot, mostly from recipes of crockpot 365. Which has been great as a timesaver. We get home at 6 and dinner's basically waiting, yay!

But, my recipes always end up more watery than what they seem on the website. She admits she's a "peeker" and I get the feeling she's at home during the day and can leave off the lid for a few hours or so as needed. Not so for us, we set it and go and are gone for 11 hours before we get to it again.

I've really liked some of the recipes, but many times it's too darned watery. Sometimes this works out ok and I drain out the meat and make a very flavorful rice with the liquid part. Sometimes it doesn't work out so hot and by the time I'm home, the meat's falling off the bone, or shredding or something.

I suppose I could cut down whatever liquid goes in. But I also wonder if there's a way to keep the meat from being completely immersed in the liquid at the bottom. Is there something like a rack that can be put into a crock to keep the food from soaking completely? Any other tips?

[elmh23]

What have you made and how much water are you adding? The meat will create it's own juices, so you only have to add very little liquid in the beginning.

About a rack, do you have small metal cooling rack that would fit in the pot? If so, I'd just try that on a day when you can be home most of the time. More than likely, it would be fine, but I'm a worry wart and would want to be home when trying this.

[Chicky2]

Check your manual that came w/the crockpot. There should be a section of crockpot accessories. Or you can check the manufacturers website. Yes, there are absolutely crockpot racks!

[cristeen]

Different crockpots cook differently, so if a few recipes aren't turning out, chances are good that most of them will have the same problem. Once you figure out how much liquid your particular pot needs, you can easily adjust the recipes.

And whether or not you can find one made for your pot, you can use any cooking rack in the pot.

[Teenytoona]

Thanks everyone. I'm just basically following her recipes as closely as I can. I will hunt down a nice rack, at least that will help with the meat and juice issues.

[sunnysandiegan]

Another idea: DH always puts a thick layer of sliced onions at the bottom of the crock when cooking meat. This raises the meat up a bit and the onions get soaked in the liquid instead of the meat, but the whole crock stays moist. Works well for roasts and meatloaf and such.

[Ola_]

I don't use my crockpot that much but when I do I find I don't have enough liquid and I usually put in more than the recipe calls for. I wonder if this may vary by the brand/type of crockpot. I think reducing the liquid that you put in would be the first thing I'd try.