Tag: CROCK POT

TUESDAY TRIVIA ~ SLOW COOKER SECRETS & TIPS ~ BLOG 365.34B

I’m continuing on with the slow cooker theme while we’re still in winter and my slow cooker is in use regularly. Last week I talked about the invention of the slow cooker. So, this week let’s talk about some secrets and tips to get the most out of your cooker.

Slow Cookers come in a variety of shapes and sizes these days and from a multitude of manufacturers. I recently saw an old West Bend in an antique store that was in pretty good shape for its era.

Not every slow cooker is right for every recipe though. I, myself have 4 different types. And I use each one for different reasons and recipes. For example when making most of my chicken breast or pork chop recipes, I LOVE using my long flat one to have a single layer, but for soups or chilis I LOVE my NINJA slow cooker because of all the options for browning meats first right inside the cooker and varied temperature options.

SLOW COOKER SECRETS

  • Did you know they make disposable liners for your slow cooker? I buy them at my local grocer 4 for $1.29 and they are a real time saver for clean up! If you don’t use these, be sure to spray the crock before use to make your clean up easier.
  • The more marbling or fat to a cut of meat means more liquid that is released during the cooking requiring less added liquid.
  • Vegetables tend to cook slower than meats and should be placed on the bottom for direct contact with the cooker unless the recipe states otherwise.
  • Pasta should be cooked separately and added last to any slow cooked meal to maintain their texture.
  • Long grain converted rice is best for use in a slow cooker.
  • Dried beans take longer to tenderize if mixed with sugar, salt or acids. Be sure and soak beans for at least 8 hours before beginning your cook time. Save the salt, sugar or acids for the end of your cook time.
  • FRESH herbs and spices are better than dried because they take longer to release their flavors. If you must use dried use whole or crushed and avoid ground all together.
  • Both dairy and seafoods break down when cooked for extended cook times. Unless otherwise indicated, any dairy or seafood should be added in the last 15-20 minutes of your cook time.
  • Defrost frozen foods before adding them to your slow cooker to insure foods reach a safe internal temperature and cook evenly.
  • ALWAYS allow the ceramic crock to cool COMPLETELY before washing to avoid cracking the insert.
  • NEVER immerse and slow cooker with a non-removable crock in water. Unplug it and wipe clean or better yet use a liner for easy clean up.

SLOW COOKER SUCCESS TIPS

  • Be sure a trim excess fats from meats before slow cooking. Browning the meat before adding it to the slow cooker adds a depth of flavor also.
  • Soups, stews and chilis made in the slow cooker are pretty forgiving on time. It’s okay if you run a little late. Low and Slow is my advice.
  • Resist the urge to continually peek inside while the slow cooker is doing its job!! Each time you do, it releases heat and moisture! Each time you remove the lid can add 20-30 minutes to your cook time! There is usually no need to stir the ingredients during the cooking time unless the recipe specifically tells you to.
  • When opening the cooker when it’s time to serve lift the lid AWAY from the food to avoid making things soggy from dripping condensation.
  • When making roasts or stews, pour the liquids directly over the meats. Avoid the desire to add more liquid than called for. Meats will release quite a bit of moisture as they cook and there is less evaporation than traditional roasting methods.
  • Be sure and use wooden or silicone utensils to avoid scratching the interior of your cooker, especially if using one of the newer coated ones like a NINJA.
  • Rule of thumb is that 1 hour on HIGH equals 2 hours on low.
  • If your cooker has a removable insert, you can usually add your ingredients the night before and refrigerate the entire insert until time to start cooking. Cold ingredients can increase your cook time. If time permits, bring your refrigerated crock to room temperature before you begin.

SLOW COOKER SAFETY

  • Newer slow cookers tend to cook with higher temperatures than older ones. Maintaining even temperature is the key to success whether you inherited an old one from your grandmother or have just bought a new one.
  • Rule of thumb is to fill your slow cooker between 1/2 to 2/3 full. As you can see from the game of Jenga my girlfriend plays with hers every week, this is rule meant to be broken. By the end of the day she has a crock pot full of the MOST delicious chicken for Taco Tuesday.

TRIVIA TUESDAY @ the OFFYCE ~ NAXON BEANERY to CROCK POT ~BLOG 365.27B

Do you ever wonder what inspired people to invent the things they do? In today’s homes I would bet there is AT LEAST one type of slow cooker in every home. It was only a little over 80 years ago that the slow cooker didn’t even exist!!!

The first patent was issued in 1940 to Irving Naxon in 1940. But it wasn’t for the slow cooker as we know it today. Long before the Crock-Pot was a household name, the patent was for Boston Beanery or Naxon Beanery or the Flavor Crock and it was marketed to luncheonettes and coffee shops with a more specific purpose to use for making soups and chilis specifically.

Today’s versions produce not only soups and chilis, but roasts, savory stews and even moist breads and cakes.

Naxon’s slow cooker allowed families to prepare a meal without turning on the oven. The basic idea for the slow cooker was inspired by Naxon’s grandmother and a story she would tell about his great grandmother making CHOLENT back in Lithuania. Cholent is a traditional Jewish stew, a slow cooked meat, bean and barley stew served on the Sabbath that cooks unattended from before sundown on Friday to midday Saturday. Naxon wanted to create an appliance that would do all the work.

Dubbed the Beanery all-purpose cooker, a self contained ceramic crock with a heating element that ran at a low temperature with the contents left to simple simmer for hours. There was originally no removable insert or even a control switch. It was either plugged in and on or unplugged and off.

The “bean pot” never caught on large scale, so in 1970 Naxon sold his device to Rival Manufacturing. Rival was a Kansas City company already famous for kitchen gadgets like the Juice-O-Mat or the Knife-O-Mat sharpener. Rival was less than impressed with the original Beanery and gave it to their test kitchen personnel to see what they could do with it.

“No one paid any attention to it,” Rival president Isidore Miller told the Kansas City Times in 1981. “We almost forgot about it.” As the story goes, Miller handed the Beanery over to Rival’s test kitchen, where an employee named Marilyn Neill had an immediate epiphany: This can cook way more than just beans. Creating a freedom from kitchen duties. The tag line “Cooks All Day while The Cook’s Away” was embraced by working women everywhere for its ability to save time and money.

The test kitchen was able to create MANY recipes for the device that were both delicious and required minimal effort. This helped make it a BIG hit and the slow cooker was rebranded in 1971 as the Crock Pot and it was manufactured in Chicago, USA. This accomplishment also gave more attention to the accomplishments of the test kitchen. With that attention also came pressure to teach people how to use this new and novel small appliance as well as creating a book of successful comfort recipes for the soups, stews, roasts and other comforting old-fashioned food that would accompany each appliance. Multiple recipes were influenced by their midwestern origin. Flipping through 70’s cookbooks you’ll find recipes like steak soup, and brisket cooked low and slow or “Busy Woman’s” roast chicken that relied heavily on carrots and stove top stuffing, “Pork Chop Abracadabra” which relied heavily on a can of cream of mushroom soup or “Male Chauvinist Chili” which relied heavily on a trifecta of bacon, sausage, and ground beef. Other recipes centered ingredients you can’t find as easily today, nor would most people want to, like stuffed beef hearts and chicken livers.

Home economist, Mabel Hoffman contributed to the Crock-Pot craze when she published her cook book, rockery Cookery, in 1975. With over 250 recipes it was an instant best seller that she has revised over the years to changing palates.

The renamed Crock-Pot made its official debut in 1971 at the National Housewares Show in Chicago. Offered in colors like avocado or harvest gold print ads and television commercials flaunted the Crock-Pot as a miraculous, time-saving device, assuring women in no uncertain terms that they could have it all. And the pitch worked with their sales hitting $2 million the first year it was introduced.

They didn’t stop trying to improve the design and in 1974 they made removable crocks for ease of cleaning. That next year sales reached even higher – $93 million.

In 1981 they were developing recipes that required more than just a piece of meat and a can of soup. Moore and Wyss loved developing recipes together, but they spent a majority of their time doing quality control and putting the Crock-Pot through its paces with Rival’s engineers. They also felt pressured do always do more!

Each day before they went home they would set up eight Crock-Pots with whole chickens and carefully measured-out proportions of carrots, onions and celery.

It was all very scientific. They’d leave the slow cookers overnight for the engineering department to watch over their temperatures and would come to work the next morning to evaluate those chickens to make sure that those pots were performing acceptable.

When the oil crisis hit the U.S. in the 1970’s, Americans were especially concerned about energy usage and turned to their slow cookers after learning that a crock pot took a mere 4 cents a day to operate, making it far more efficient than an oven. And, more importantly it was during this era that more and more women were working outside the home and Rival began marketing the Crock-Pot directly to them. The marketing plan worked. Women turned to the Crock-Pot to provide nutritious and affordable meals for their family that required minimal effort when they arrived home at the end of a long work day. To the working woman it was an easy, foolproof way to turn inexpensive, tough cuts of meat into more tender, long braised meals that also make the house smell great.

Moore and Wyss eventually left Rival Manufacturing, but they never stopped creating recipes together. They’re still in Kansas City — they just cook on their own terms now. The two women authored nearly 20 cookbooks together.

If you ask Moore and Wyss why the Crock-Pot endures today, they’ll tell you convenience plays a big part, but it’s not everything. The Crock-Pot has an emotional appeal, too — that feeling of coming home to a hearty meal, already simmering away. “I don’t think that any meal delivery or any of the frozen products can ever replace the aroma, the comfort, the emotion and the memories that come from a home-cooked meal,” Moore says.

My girlfriend received one many years ago as a wedding present and she still uses it today in her business to prep for Taco Tuesday every week. I love how she plays Jenga with the frozen chicken 🙂

REUBEN BRAID ~ BLOG 365.336

This is a fun twist on the classic Pampered Chef braid—a square corned beef braid! A preheated stone makes a perfectly crispy crust. I skip the deli slice corned beef though and use my SLOW COOKER corned beef leftovers that were frozen with the sauerkraut. We also like to skip the Everything bagel seasoning – it just isn’t necessary.

REUBEN BRAID serves 4

8 ounce package crescent rolls
½ pound crockpot reuben leftovers, squeezed dry
1/3 cup WELL drained sauerkraut
4 slices Mozzarella or Provolone cheese
1 egg, beaten
 Homemade Thousand island dressing for dipping

  • Preheat oven to 375°.
  • Preheat your baking pan or stone for a crispier crust.
  • Unroll the crescent rolls on a cutting board and press to seal the perforations. Roll the dough out into a 9″ x 13″ rectangle.
  • Place the corned beef mixture in a square in the center, leaving ½” from the long sides of the dough and 3″ from the short sides.
  • Top with the extra sauerkraut, if using and the cheese.
  • Cut 8 strips in the dough on each of the short sides about 1” apart.
  • To braid, lift the two opposite strips of dough up, twist, and pinch. Tuck the ends up to seal the braid.
  • Transfer completed braid to baking pan or stone using a pizza peel or extra large spatula.
  • Brush the egg over the dough.
  • Sprinkle with the seasoning, if using.
  • Bake 20-25 minutes or until golden brown and cooked through.
  • Remove the stone from the oven and cool for 5 minutes.
  • Serve with the dressing.

OLIVE GARDEN COPY CAT CHICKEN ALFREDO Ala SLOW COOKER ~ BLOG 365.308

Super easy, but extra flavorful copy cat Olive Garden Chicken Alfredo.

OLIVE GARDEN COPY CAT CHICKEN ALFREDO Ala SLOW COOKER adapted from The Magical Slow Cooker
1 1/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breast
16 ounce bottle Olive Garden Italian dressing
1/4 cup FRESH grated parmesan cheese
FRESH ground black pepper, to taste
8 ounces cream cheese, cubed and at room temperature
16 ounces penne pasta, prepared per package directions just as slow cooking time is done
8 ounces Le Seur peas, drained
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese

  • Add the chicken breasts to the slow cooker in a single layer.
Pour over the Italian dressing over the chicken.
  • Sprinkle over the parmesan cheese and pepper.
Place the cream cheese cubes on top.
Cover and cook on LOW for 5-6 hours.
  • Gently and slightly shred the chicken into the dressing and cheese sauce.
  • Fold in peas and cook 5 more minutes.
  • Drain pasta well and fold into chicken mixture. 
  • Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.
  • Serve and enjoy!


NOTE: Olive garden dressing is high in sodium and can be a bit salty. If you prefer, choose a lower sodium dressing.

CROCK POT CHICKEN & STUFFING ~ BLOG 366.123

CROCK POT CHICKEN & STUFFING 

3-4 LARGE (Dolly Parton size) boneless, skinless chicken breasts, sliced in half horizontally if really thick
1 tablespoon FRESH chopped parsley
1 can of Campbell’s cream of mushroom soup (see notes)
8 ounces sour cream – I use Mexican sour cream, but not sure if it’s available everywhere
6 ounce box Stove Top stuffing mix
1/4 + 3/4 cup homemade chicken bone broth
1 LARGE shallot, chopped
1 1/2 cups FRESH Green Beans (frozen works in a pinch – see notes)
1 1/2+ cups baby carrots (1 small bag)
2 stalks celery, chopped

  • Whisk together the soup and ¾ cup broth mixture together with the stuffing mixture.
  • Add the onions and celery.
  • Generously season the chicken breasts with salt and pepper.
  • Pour 1/4 cup broth on the bottom of your slow cooker and lay chicken breasts in a single layer, if possible.
  • Add stuffing mixture on top of chicken.
  • Add green beans and carrots last on top of the stuffing.
  • Cook on low for 6-8.

NOTES:

  • You can use any condensed cream soup you have on hand. I often use cream of broccoli or potato if that’s what I have on hand and you get an enhanced flavor profile.
  • You can use any vegetable combination you like. If I’m out of green beans, I use peas or peas and carrots.
  • You could cook this on high for 3-4 hours, but I find the chicken stays MUCH moister when cooked on low.
  • If you slice your chicken breasts horizontally, layer chicken, stuffing, chicken, stuffing before adding the veggies. You can even chicken the chicken pieces for more of a stew consistency.

 

SLOW COOKED BEEF IN GRAVY ~ BLOG 366.114

SLOW COOKED BEEF IN GRAVY

3 tablespoons of avocado oil
1 1/2 – 2 pounds of top round roast, sirloin steak, chuck roast, rump roast or pork butt
1 medium Vidalia onion, sliced
8 ounces mushrooms, cleaned & sliced (I LOVE Beech mushrooms – see note)
2-3 cloves garlic, minced
1 red bell pepper, sliced
2 cups beef broth
1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce
1/4 teaspoon each of thyme, tarragon and oregano
FRESH ground salt and pepper, to taste

2-3 tablespoons of cornstarch whisked together with 2 tablespoons of beef broth

  • Heat oil in a large non-stick frying pan over medium heat.
  • Add beef, sautéing on both sides until it browns.
  • Spray the slow cooker liner with non-stick spray.
  • Add the onion, peppers, mushrooms, and garlic on the bottom then the beef slices on top.
  • Whisk together the beef broth, Worcestershire and seasonings. Pour over top of meat and veggies.
  • Cook on HIGH for 5 hours.
  • 30 minutes before the end, fold in the cornstarch mixture, stirring together evenly.
  • Thinly slice meat and serve over noodles, baked potatoes, rice, or hard-crusted sourdough bread topped with gravy.

NOTES:

  • If using Beech mushrooms DO NOT add them until the last 1/2 hour. They also don’t need to be sliced. They have a wonderful nutty flavor.
  • The last time I made this I forgot to take the roast out of the freezer. So I couldn’t sear it, but it worked out even better than normal!

SLOW COOKED MEXICAN PORK CHOPS ~ BLOG 366.107

Have I mentioned how much I’m LOVING my new slow cooker? This was the 3rd recipe I made and so easy! The original recipe called for using a raw salsa and grapefruit juice, but I pivoted and switched to a jar sauce as well as added the Pampered Chef seasoning, sliced onion and additional amounts of juice from the lime and orange to make up for eliminating the grapefruit juice.

SLOW COOKED MEXICAN PORK CHOPS
1 tablespoon avocado oil
2 THICK (1 inch or so) boneless pork chops (bone in add more flavor)
FRESH ground sea salt and black pepper
1 tablespoon Pampered Chef Chile Lime or TexMex seasoning
1 SMALL Vidalia onion, halved and sliced thin
Juice of FRESHLY squeezed lime
Juice of FRESHLY squeezed orange
2/3 cup CHUNKY salsa ( I like PACE restaurant style)

  • Heat oil in a large skillet over medium high heat.
  • Season pork chops with FRESH ground sea salt, black pepper and seasoning of choice.
  • Sear chops on both sides quickly.
  • Add chops to slow cooker.
  • Sprinkle onions over chops.
  • Stir together salsa and both juices.
  • Pour over pork chops.
  • Cover and cook on high 3-4 hours until meat is tender.

MAXINE’S POT ROAST vs. GRAM’S POT ROAST OR LAVERNE DEFAZIO POT ROAST

Some of the recipes I have been waiting to try are from Southern Living’s Off the Beaten Path series. This recipe is from Maxine’s on Main in Bastrop, Texas. I made very few changes as time went on. While this was good, I still prefer MY old recipe that I’ve been using for years and I’ve shared at the bottom. But, one of my ALL time favorites is my Laverne DeFazio Pot Roast!

These slow cooker recipes are perfect for while I’m “LEARNING” to eat again. These allow me to cook a few times a week with plenty of C.O.R.N. (Clean Out Refrigerator Night) in between.

MAXINE’S POT ROAST
2 tablespoons Avocado oil
3 pound boneless chuck roast
1 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
2 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1 1/2 teaspoon seasoned salt
3 medium red potatoes, washed and quartered
2 celery ribs, washed and large chopped
2 carrots, washed and large chopped
1 LARGE Vidalia onion, large diced
3 cups STRONG brewed coffee
1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon Kitchen Bouquet
3 tablespoons butter
1/3 cup Wondra flour
3/4 teaspoon salt

  • Whisk together 1 1/2 teaspoon ground pepper, 2 1/2 teaspoon garlic salt, 1 1/2 teaspoon onion powder and 1 1/2 seasoned salt.
  • Rub seasoning mixture over entire roast.
  • In a large skillet over medium-high heat, brown roast on all sides and edges.
  • Place roast and potatoes in slow cooker.
  • Saute’ celery, carrots and onions in hot drippings from browning the roast.
  • Add coffee, Worcestershire sauce and Kitchen Bouquet cooking for 3-5 minutes, loosening any particles stuck to the bottom of the skillet.
  • Pour over the roast and potatoes.
  • Cover and cook on LOW 8 hours or until roast and potatoes are fork tender.
  • Transfer roast and vegetables to a serving platter.
  • Shred roast with forks, cover and keep warm.
  • Melt butter in saucepan.
  • Whisk in flour until golden.
  • Add to drippings in crock pot, stirring to blend well and cooking until desired consistency.
  • Serve with Mashed potatoes, vegetables and roast.
MY SUPER SAVORY POT ROAST & VEGGIES
I love Pot Roast. I adapted grams old recipe to my family and their likes.
3+ pound Pot Roast
2 medium Onions
1 bag baby carrots
3 Tablespoons Avocado Oil
3 large Yukon potatoes~scrubbed clean, but not peeled
Kosher Salt
White & Black Pepper
2-3 LARGE cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon rosemary
1 teaspoon thyme
1 teaspoon Pampered Chef Rosemary mix
Beef bullion
Red Wine (2 cups) OR White Wine (2 cups) or plain old broth (2 cups) or combination of the three.
  • Pre-heat the oven to 350°. The meat you use is important. My favorite roast is the chuck roast because it has wonderful marbling throughout the meat, and when cooked right (prep, cover, cook ~ don’t fiddle with it while it’s in the oven) any chuck roast winds up being tender and melt-in-your-mouth delicious. Be aware that the tougher the piece of meat is, the longer it needs to cook so that the connective tissue will soften and break down. You truly can’t rush a pot roast, you’ll be disappointed if you try as it will be dry or lack flavor. BE PATIENT. You want the meat to basically fall apart. You SHOULD NOT need a knife to cut it.
  • Bring the piece of meat to room temperature.
  • GENEROUSLY sprinkle the first side of meat with the Kosher Salt and Pepper mix.
  • Heat enough avocado oil in the bottom of a fry pan on medium-high heat to make a thick coating.
  • Cut the onions tip to root, cut off root and stem, peel and lay flat into hot oil. Brown both sides well.
  • Remove to side.
  • Add the baby carrots and do the same. I normally cut each carrot just in half. Brown carrots (you’re aiming more for color here than cooking them). They will have plenty of time to cook in the oven.
  • Add garlic and spices at this point. By this time I have put them all into a mortar and pestle to revive their scents and aromas.
  • When carrots are finished, remove them to the same plate as the onions. If necessary add more olive oil to the pan and add the roast seasoned side down. While it’s browning season the other side really well. Brown both sides and all edges really well.

Now, for the oven I like to use my grandma’s old Magnalite dutch oven which cooks really even! And see those little hobnail bumps in on the bottom side of the lid? Those are better known as drip catchers. They collect the steam from the juices and redistributes it all right back down on the roast as it cooks. These help keep the meat moist and juicy.

  • After the roast is browned, place it in the dutch oven and spread vegetables all around it.
  • While fry pan is still hot, add white or red wine and the beef bullion to deglaze the pan ~ make sure you scrape up all the stuck little bits from the bottom. Cook long enough to mix well and then pour over the roast. The liquid should come up at least half way on the sides of the roast and vegetable mixture. For this recipe we added the white wine to the recipe and drank the red. The red wine, Harrod wine, is from our nephew’s vineyard so we don’t waste it cooking, but enjoy every last drop.
  • Put the lid on the dutch oven, put it in the oven, don’t open the door for AT LEAST 3 hours! Today’s roast was 2.39 pounds and I roasted it for 3 1/2 hours. Go relax or at least get the dishes you’ve dirtied so far done up. At 3 hours, I prep the potatoes for boiling. I prefer not to cook mine with the roast  every time ~ sometimes I prefer a bit of substance instead of the mush they can become with the roast. I do a basic mashed with heavy cream, salt, pepper, and butter (hey you gotta splurge a little sometimes!)

CROCK POT BUFFALO CHICKEN

My favorite slow cooker took a dive this past week so I ordered a new one and I love it!! My old one was great, it was a west bend with a non-stick surface and griddle base, but was a bit limiting when trying to make say a pot roast.  I did a bit of research and found this one:

It’s only 3.5 quart and has latches for carrying making it perfect for pot lucks AND is the perfect size for two!  It came with a little recipe book and since I woke up with a cold I did a little juggling on my menu and made this recipe.  Because I felt so bad I adjusted it to what I had on hand, which included “GASP” canned soup and I hate to admit it was YUMMY! 

I will make a few additions next time, and there WILL BE a next time, and I will adjust for “REAL” soup base as well as serve it over mashed potatoes instead of the noodles for our personal preference.

CROCK POT BUFFALO CHICKEN
1 can Cream of chicken soup or 1 batch real soup base
1/4 cup bleu cheese or ranch dressing (I used Ken’s Sweet Vidalia Onion)
1/4 cup Cayenne pepper sauce (I used Frank’s original hot pepper sauce)
1 stalk celery, sliced
+1 small onion, chopped
+1 carrot, chopped
4 ounces shredded Monterey Jack (I used half jack, half medium cheddar)
1 1/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 batch of your favorite mashed potatoes

  • Whisk together the soup, dressing and hot sauce.
  • Fold in carrots, celery, onions and half the cheese.
  • Spread into crock pot base and layer chicken pieces in a single layer.
  • Cover and cook on low 6 hours.
  • With 2 forks, shred the chicken into bite sized pieces.
  • Add remaining cheese and stir well.
  • Serve over prepared mashed potatoes.
  • Enjoy!