Crock pot questions

[sarahmck]

I don't have a crock pot. I'm a vegetarian and it's always seemed like most of the recipes that I see for them include meat. But I love the idea of just dumping a bunch of things in at the beginning of the day and then having dinner mostly ready with little effort in the evening.

This month's MDC newsletter had a link to a crock pot thread and I read that and got re-interested in the idea. I looked on Amazon and saw a bunch of vegetarian crock pot recipe books. I haven't actually seen any of the books, though. Is there really a decent variety of good vegetarian stuff to make?

As for the crock pot itself, I live in the Netherlands and the selection of appliances is always way smaller and more expensive here. On the plus side, all the good stuff is generally available. You just miss out on the low end. I can live with that, though. Which crock pot brands are really great? And what size is necessary? We are a family of 4 and will hopefully eventually become a family of 5 or even 6. I've seen models from Solis, Crock Pot, and Cuisinart ranging from 3 to 6.5 liters (here is a link -- don't be shocked at the prices; I'm sure they're way higher than the US prices for the same products but I've gotten used to that).

Thanks for your help.

[anj_rn]

I have both a hamilton Beach and a cuisinart. One is a large 6.5 litre and the other is a smaller one. I use them for making spaghetti sauce from scratch, cooking lentils, I have a couple of fruit and oatmeal recipes that are fantastic. Basically anything that you cook slowly works great. I also use it for making broth/stock, and making soup. We eat fish & fowl, but I mainly use the crockpot for our veggie dishes.

[ollyoxenfree]

I can't really answer the vegetarian question, although it seems that there is a fair variety of stews, pasta and risotto-type dishes that would suit. It's also useful for hot oatmeal for breakfast, warm cider after skating, even a few warm pudding type desserts.

I thought I'd give a brief recap of my research. I've been researching slow cookers to replace an old one. I've been a little disappointed at the reviews I've read about some of the higher end brands. It seems that the KitchenAid cookers have a problem with the ceramic insert cracking/breaking, often very soon after purchase. The Cuisinart cookers have trouble with temperature regulation - they overheat, even on the low setting, so everything is ready in a few hours (not great if you want to put it on in the morning, leave the house and come back at the end of the day).

The only cooker that gets a fairly good universal review is the All-Clad, and it's by far the most expensive - double the price of the others.

This may be one of those instances where a medium priced appliance is as good or better than the pricey brand.

For our family of 4 (2 teenagers), I'd like to get a 6.5 litre cooker. I'd like it large enough to make a main meal, hold a chicken, etc.

HTH

[ramama]

I really like my 6.5 quart size. Usually it's a little bigger than we need (family of 4, but kids are only 4 and 6yo) so food cooks a little faster since it's not full, but I'm not a morning person, so I usually like prepping the pot around 11am, rather than super-early. Other days I can fill it to the rim, cook for the full 6-8 hours and eat that food for a couple days. A full 6.5 qt can feed a lot of people.

Anyway, I am interested in this thread, because I've discovered that using the crock pot has introduced more meat into our diet than we normally eat, so I am looking for vegetarian recipes too!

[sunnysandiegan]

We have a Hamilton Beach 3-in-1 slow cooker. It has one base and one lid and three different sized crocks. The crocks nest well, so the whole unit takes up the same amount of space as one crock pot. We love it and use it frequently...all three crocks!

I don't know how widely available it is. It normally runs $90-100, in my research, but we got it on Black Friday for $22. If we had to buy it again full-price, we would.

My only complaint is it tends to run a bit hot. Since it is a 3-in-1, though, I can adjust for that tendency rather easily. If I use the biggest crock and want it to cook slow and long, I can "trick" the base by pushing the smallest size or medium size crock button instead of the biggest size crock button. When I use the smallest crock, I use "warm" instead of "high" or "low".

[luv-my-boys]

cant help on brand selection but we have a 6.5 capacity and love it. We have *grown* into over the yrs and babies. The great thing about a crock pot is that you dont necessarily have to fill all of it but it allows enough room if you want to make like a double batch or whatnot.

Love my crock pot for bean soup!!! just a bunch of beans,salt pepper and herbs...yum

[sarahmck]

I've been reading a bit more and have come up with more questions:

--It seems that lots of appliance reviews complain about food getting overcooked if the pot isn't full enough. This implies that if you have a big one, you have to always be making a whole lot of food. I went into a shop today and looked at some and even the smallest one (3 liters) looked like it would hold tons of food. Will a big one be overkill?

--Is the main advantage of the large capacities that it can hold a whole chicken/roast/whatever (or of course feed a large family)? Since I won't be cooking meat, does that automatically mean that a smaller capacity will be better for me so I can ensure that it's always at least 1/2 to 2/3 full?

--Some models have an end timer that then automatically switches over to keeping the food warm, while some just have a switch that you have to change yourself, forcing you to be home to switch it from cooking to warming. It seems like the timer is a pretty important feature, even for a SAHM like myself. I do, of course, leave the house. But I don't see this mentioned a lot in the reviews of the ones that don't have a timer. Is this an important feature?

[ollyoxenfree]

Size - I think it depends on portion sizes for your family. 3 litres isn't a lot if you are making soup or stew or curry or risotto for a main meal. At least not in my family, with a hungry dh and 2 teens. If you have small eaters and/or you are going to use it for side dishes, then the smallest size will probably be fine. Also, we use any left-overs for lunches, so I find the 6 litre useful.

Timer - For me, this is an important feature. As you point out, even SAHMs leave the house. In fact, the nicest use for a slow cooker is to set it up in the morning, and then take the family out for a trip to the beach or the park or some other daytrip. It's nice to know that when you get home, tired and hungry after a fun day, dinner is ready and waiting for you.

[Altair]

links to favorite recipes?


I use mine to make a turkey or veggie chili the most. Saute garlic/onions/turkey (I use half a pound of ground turkey, so $5 worth of turkey stretches far) (optional) then throw in some cans of organic beans and 1 diced tomatoes and any veggies in the fridge. A little extra water, salt and pepper, chili powder (sometimes garlic/onion powder). I keep it on low all day. It's my 14 month old's favorite meal.