[italiancookies]

i was thinking about buying a crockpot but I had some questions/issues. WE eat healthy and really to almost never eat processed foods. but im starting to run out of ideas and starve at the same time. so i thought a crockpot would be easy but can you make things that dont require things like canned soup and artifially flavored bouillion seasoning?
so do you have a crockpot you love? whats the name
do you have a site/book you love for the recipes?
do you use it ordoes it collect dust

on another note, do they make those cubes in a non artifical way?

 

[abharrington]

well, i can't answer all your questions but i will try a few. we eat mostly whone/traditional foods, very few processed (so no can cream soups or bullion cubes) and i have found the crockpot veyr useful. just don't get that fix it and forget it cookbook. i think a can of cream soup is required in every recipe.

:

i use ours to make beans, soups and potroast. i am a student and dh works, so the crock pot allows me to feed my family a real meal and not eat dinner at midnight. as far as recipes go, i just sort of make stuff up or adapt what i normally make. roast chicken is another good one. and you can take any piece of frozen chicken and a little water, cook on low all day (or high for a few hours) and have cooked chicken to cube or shred and (if youuse a whole chicken) the carcess to make stock.

as far as brands, there are some links about most crock pot brands having lead in the cooking part, but i'm not sure what brands. ours is just a little cheap one. i would like a bigger one but this works for now.

HTH!!

oh...and i should add the crock pot is one of my very few kitchen small appliances and i am glad to have it.

 

[MissMommyNiceNice]

I cook in my crockpot all the time, and I make 85% of our food from scratch. Chili. Soup. Applebutter. Roasts. Pasta dishes. Anything can be made in there. But instead of cooking it in the oven for 2 or 3 hours, you cook it in the pot for 6 or 8. Less supervision needed. Often, I'll chop it up the night before, put it in the pot, and in the morning, put it in the base and cook on high. I usually will turn it down to low when I get home at lunch. Dinner's ready when my hubby gets home.

Actually, I have 2 crockpots and have been thinking about getting a third!

As for brands, I have a rival and a sunbeam. Both work great.

I use rapunzel brand bouillan cubes (I just started making my own veggie stock, though.) They are all natural, with no msg, gluten, or fillers. All spices, salt, & herbs.

Goodluck! Hope it helps!

 

[VikingKvinna]

Quote:

Originally Posted by italiancookies can you make things that dont require things like canned soup and artifially flavored bouillion seasoning? so do you have a crockpot you love? whats the name do you have a site/book you love for the recipes? do you use it ordoes it collect dust

Of course you can. Anything that you make in or on the stove can be adapted for slow-cooking. I make lots of things in our slow cooker, including soups, stews, chilis, casseroles, pasta dishes (lasagne, "baked" ziti), desserts, beans (both cooking them from dry and then cooking them in a recipe), appetizers, beverages, etc.

Try "Fresh from the Vegetarian Slow Cooker" and "Not Your Mother's Slow Cooker COokbook" for some good recipes. You might also look at www.justslowcooking.com, although some of those recipes do involve canned soups and other processed ingredients. Just take what you like and leave the rest.

I have three, and I use them all on a regular basis. I am not a gadgety cook, so I don't keep things that collect dust.

HTH.

 

[JkFelix]

I use my crock pot alot and I have never used cans of cream soups. Last night I made chicken and potatoes in mine. I put carrots and potatoes on the bottom, topped with chicken breasts and poured a carton of organic chicken broth over the top. In the end, I used the broth to make a gravy. It was GOOD.

I usually use organic stocks or broths and sometimes I even use organic canned tomoatoes. I just pour it over and hours later - it is done! I even add uncooked rice near the end and it cooks up in the juices.

 

[tinuviel_k]

I have the Hamilton beach 6 quart programmable slow cooker: http://tinyurl.com/2blt4u
I got it a couple of weeks ago and so far I really like it. I've made a couple of soups, chicken stock, and baked apples, all with perfect success. A neat feature of this cooker is that is has a meat temperature probe that you can use. You insert it into the piece of meat you are cooking (roast, chicken, ham, whatever) and program the slow cooker to switch to "keep warm" when the right internal temp has been reached. For instance, if you are cooking a whole chicken you can select that the cooker switch to "keep warm" as soon as the chicken reaches 180 degrees, and that way your meat does not overcook.
I haven't tried it yet, but hope to soon.

A great cookbook is Not your Mothers Slow Cooker Cookbook. http://tinyurl.com/2a6zch
I've tried many of the recipes and they have come out really well.

 

[Bearsmama]

Hi,
We are a veg house (my DH is a vegetarian, but I eat fish every now and again). I purchased a crock pot maybe 4-5 years ago and I love it. I probably use it on the average about 3-4 times/month. They are not the old school type gadget that they used to be. In fact, I have and use often a great cookbook called Fresh from the Vegetarian Slow Cooker (forget the author's name). Some of my faves in the crock pot include black bean chili, veg irish stew, many hearty bean dishes, and a great Moroccan-inspired stew with chick peas, onions, cinnamon, dried fruit, beans, etc.

 

[cristeen]

I have a Rival Versaware and I love it. I usually just toss a piece of meat, some veggies and some wine/stock/water in with it. Definitely no canned soups here.

 

[kwilki8]

I use my crockpot a couple of times a week, and I love it. No processed foods here, either. In fact, I used it last night to make a yummy potato soup. The recipe came from this thread The thread is huge and filled with lots of great recipes.