I dug out my crockpot today

[Marthe48]

Last edited Sat Sep 23, 2023, 02:51 PM - Edit history (1)

I haven't used it for many years. I got a pork loin and divided it into 4 small roasts. I put one in the crockpot with some vegs, wine, and other seasonings. Hoping for a luscious meal

EDIT: The pork turned out good. I also stuffed the last of my hot peppers with swiss cheese and roasted them. They stayed HOT! Done cooking and eating for the day. Had a lot of fun with the post, and got some good tips and recipe ideas

[mahatmakanejeeves]

1. I'm waiting for the cold weather to get here before

I start using mine again. They heat up the kitchen. I picked up another crockpot at a church rummage sale in August. Rival, 3.5 quarts or thereabouts, complete with the lid. I was at the grocery store yesterday, hoping I could find some reasonably priced beef that I could cut up into chunks. No dice.

Enjoy. I will vicariously smell the aroma.

And good afternoon.

[Marthe48]

4. Beef is getting unafforable

I got a small chuck roast at Krogers (3.98/lb) and I see that the local IGA has ground beef, 2.98/lb. family pack. I might go and try to get a pack, break it down and have it for chili and meat loaf. Whoever thought those would be a treat!

I usually eat chicken. Even that is ridiculous.

Good afternoon, she said cheerfully

[Diamond_Dog]

11. We're trying to eat less meat.

Or more like I’m trying to feed them less meat ….

I was surprised when my guys ate black bean burgers and liked them! (I made from scratch)… I recently saw a recipe for chili made with Morningstar Farms Spicy Black Bean burgers, crumbled, and I’m gonna try that next.

Of course I always have a freezer full of fish that my hubby brings home from Lake Erie.

[screamcheese]

35. Good for You Diamond Dog

I've been a vegetarian for over 40 years and have taste-tested many soy-based meat alternatives. I highly recommend Morning Star Farms Prime Grillers burger patties. I haven't been able to find a good "fake bacon" though. It's the one meat product that I miss the most! Anyone have suggestions?

[Marthe48]

44. I found a recipe years ago for tofu jerky

My kids love it. I make it as a gift for the holidays, because it takes time. One of my kids took it to work and her co-worker thought it was the best tofu jerky he'd ever had. I marinate the tofu slices overnight, and then dry them in the oven for hours. The longer it takes to dry, the better the texture. I should get a dehydrator or borrow one.

I wonder if you had tried making your own tofu bacon? I saw recipes just now when I looked. Maybe if you combined the long marinade and long drying process, you'd get something you like? Here is a sample recipe for tofu bacon. I haven't tried it, but I might https://www.abqjournal.com/clickable/ringo-starr-fall/article_559e7c52-58b8-11ee-ae34-afe2c16da7f0.html#3

[NJCher]

45. Hmm, appears this is a "thing"

"fake bacon" though. It's the one meat product that I miss the most! Anyone have suggestions?

A friend sent me an article from the Pittsburgh Post Gazette entitled ""Rice Paper Makes Like Bacon in BLT." It was hard copy, so I searched it online to post for you and find there are quite a few articles on it.

I intend to give it try. Let us know if you do! I just used the title as a search term.

[Phentex]

48. I've bought it before but it's fragile

and was average at best. We have a vegan restaurant here that uses rice paper bacon but their's is so good! They will not share how they make it or where they get it.

We've bought lots of subs and the flavor can be good but the texture can be off or the texture is good but it's not bacon-y.

There's lots of recipes but I'm...lazy

[NJCher]

49. this sounds like a project for the RG

I'll put him on the case!

If he could try it at your vegan restaurant, he'd just taste it and tell me how they do it. He has that ability.

Several times when we've dined out, he's said, "I'd like to go back there and slap that chef. He stored the ___ next to the___ in the refrigerator last night."

LOL, I can't imagine having taste buds that sensitive.

So yeah, I'll ask him to work on this for us.

[MLAA]

52. I've tried them all, or nearly all and then...

I was checking out the menu of one of 2 vegan restaurants in town when I saw on their BLT you could upgrade for $3 to Hooray bacon. I went to whole foods and bought a package. It looks more like real bacon. I cooked it in the oven. It was thin and crispy and tasted like bacon. It did have a slight stickiness when you chewed it, but I thought it was a 9 of 10. I’ve yet to find a 10.

PS: I tried cooking in a skillet, another method they suggest, but I couldn’t get the slices turned over without them folding up, so oven worked much better for me.

Good luck!

[appleannie1]

24. I started buying turkey backs and using them to make soup stock instead of beef.

It works for soups like veg soup.

[Marthe48]

33. I read soup tips a long time ago

One of them was to use chicken stock in beef soup to intensify the flavor. Another was to add raw cabbage at the outset, It'll cook to nothing and add flavor, richness to your broth.

[homegirl]

32. If you can

buy ground beef for $2.98 load up. Then invest in a Food Saver, try temu.com for aroudf $15.00!

[Marthe48]

34. I watch for sales

and get enough for several meals. Beef once a month or less around here. It is a treat, and I guess less beef will keep my cholesterol lower :/

[2naSalit]

2. Pretty sure...

That's going to become a luscious meal! Hard to go wrong there.

[Marthe48]

5. Yes, any meal is a good meal

and if it isn't perfect, oh well!

[2naSalit]

9. Even if it's...

got something off, you can usually fix it, except for too much salt.

[Marthe48]

10. let it be so!

[littlewolf]

14. too much salt... put a whole potato in

it absorbs the salt

[2naSalit]

18. Forgot about that!

Good point.

[Marthe48]

20. I've done that

I did it a couple times. 2nd time, I sliced the potato to expose more surface.

[NJCher]

50. in some cases

You can fix too much salt. Tomatoes. The RG does it and it works.

Won't work in every case but often enough it does.

[2naSalit]

55. I have heard of it but never tried that.

[Diamond_Dog]

3. That will be delicious I am sure! I'll bet it smells heavenly.

I often use my crockpot to cook chicken breast with a few basic seasonings (garlic,salt, pepper), shred it up, and package in portion sized freezer bags. Then when I need cooked chicken breast for a casserole recipe, tacos, or for a salad, it’s already done.

[Marthe48]

7. That is a good idea

I get a family pack of chicken and cut it into bitesize chunks, repackage into meal sizes portions. I usually make a skillet meal, so pretty easy to put together. I make enough for leftovers. My freezer doesn't keep cooked stuff nice for long, no matter how I package it :/

[irisblue]

6. Pork lion & applesauce in a crock pot is good too

Bout an hour before serving, toss in some apple slices.

[Marthe48]

8. I was going to use juice from an orange

remembered the wine, so I really changed direction. It's a mystery how it'll come out. lol

I'm on a quest for juicy tender pork. I know it's possible, but missing my goal. I'll try your idea next time I cook a piece of the pork.

[Kali]

42. pork loin is too lean to come out really juicy and tender

try a shoulder roast.

[Marthe48]

46. I usually use the loin to make bulk sausage

I add olive oil and water to make it moist and juicy. I'd love to get a shoulder roast, but they are usually cut so big, I don't have the room to store it.

[wendyb-NC]

12. Crockpots are a great way to cook even in the summer

I use mine so I won't have to use the oven, which really heats up the house, here in NC.

There is a website, https://www.recipesthatcrock.com, they have quite a variety of savory and some sweet crockpot recipes and ideas. My crockpot is the old traditional kind, not an instapot or air fryer/ slow cooker, so this site fits that need.

Most of their recipes are for carnivores, I have to adapt the recipes for veggy cooking. That said, for meat eaters, it's a fine site. They send me weekly emails, too. It's free, too.

Ever notice that the spell check wants to edit crockpot to crackpot. Oh well.

[Marthe48]

22. My kids are vegetarians

so I've learned to adapt, pretty much leave the meat out and add more garlic

I'll stir fry tofu with peas, onions, garlic, and add tika masala sauce to it. Great over rice

[wendyb-NC]

27. That sounds delicious

Thank you for that inspiration.

[NJCher]

51. would you check link?

I tried it and couldn't get there. Tried a search term and couldn't get it that way, either.

[wendyb-NC]

54. Done

I fixed the URL. Thanks, for letting me know the first one I posted didn't work. It took me a while to find your post. I was rearranging my bedroom.

[wendyb-NC]

53. Updated site URL for Recipes that Crock link

Sorry, I typed a comma at the end of com. That messed it up. Won't do it again, sorry.

https://www.recipesthatcrock.com

[NJCher]

56. gracias

Oh, no prob. I should have spotted that myself but I'm on a new computer and don't have display set up properly.

This looks like a very useful site. I use my slow cooker year round and I am looking forward to trying some of these recipes. It has a good search engine and so many categories from which to choose.

I even put sausages into a slow cooker. It is amazing how tender they come out. I brown them first, though.

[mahatmakanejeeves]

13. There's this one thing I've found that works well in a crockpot.

I get it at the Walmart, which has a good price on it. It’s a two-pound polyethylene bag of Hurst’s HamBeens Cajun 15 Bean Soup mix. For some reason, Walmart prices the Cajun version at less than the non-Cajun version. The only difference is the inclusion of a packet of Cajun spices in the appropriate version.

I know that sounds backward, but the variety that has the extra ingredients has the lower price. Hey, I’m not the boss.

You start them in the crockpot at dawn on Saturday or Sunday morning and add veggies and potatoes and beef chunks as the day goes by. By dinner time, you’ve got something plenty delicious.

[liberalla]

30. That sounds really good! I had to google them because it was unfamiliar to me...

Thanks for the suggestion!

https://hurstbeans.com/recipes/15-bean-soup-crock-pot-or-slow-cooker-recipe

Yummm...

[Marthe48]

31. I've been cooking my own beans for a few years

For soup beans (or bean soup) or chili. I can stock up on dry beans and cook what I need for the meal. I have cooked beans in a crock pot, but overnight. Now, I cook them on the stove for about 3 hrs.

My husband's aunt passed along a clue. If you have to add water, add boiling water, so you don't cool down the pot. The beans get done quicker

[littlewolf]

15. pork roast sometimes we use

peperoncini peppers and the brine
add a few and some of the brine
cook on low 4-5 hours and add
rice and a veggie.

[kozar]

16. I love a chuck roast

Carrots and small taters in crock,

The best part, is smelling it all day!!!!

[AllaN01Bear]

17. ill be defrosting a steak steak grilled . cook carrot and potato in crock pot.

[PJMcK]

19. That sounds like it'll be delicious!

We’re using our crockpot today to make beef short ribs. About 3-4 hours with my wife’s marinade.

Enjoy!

[Mr.Bill]

21. We use ours a lot.

You can often buy them at thrift stores very cheap. They are very handy when tour power goes out and your generator can't run your electric stove. Here's a tip, on a hot day put it outside on your deck or porch so you don't heat up the house.

Right now we are heating up some home made chicken soup we had in the freezer.

[Marthe48]

25. I've got a couple of the pottery/ceramic wells

from crock pots that the element burned up. Good idea to set outside.

[COL Mustard]

23. What time is dinner?

I can be there in...oh, 24 hours or so!

[Marthe48]

26. Lol

Just in time for leftovers!

[maspaha]

28. What time will it be ready?

I’ll bring pecan bars for desert

[Marthe48]

37. Tempting!

I'd rather have what you're having

[no_hypocrisy]

29. Got mine out too b/c of a "new" used crockpot recipe book

full of healthy menus.

[Marthe48]

38. Let us know if you find a recipe you like!

[no_hypocrisy]

41. I like them all!

Beans, Vegetables, Chicken, Turkey, Beef, etc.

Healthy Crockery Cookery
https://www.ebay.com/itm/175866465213?chn=ps&norover=1&mkevt=1&mkrid=711-117182-37290-0&mkcid=2&mkscid=101&itemid=175866465213&targetid=1529493975502&device=c&mktype=pla&googleloc=1022331&poi=&campaignid=19851828444&mkgroupid=145880009014&rlsatarget=pla-1529493975502&abcId=9307249&merchantid=101739661&gclid=CjwKCAjwmbqoBhAgEiwACIjzECc1-YZlGQs7VFO2mOe8lL3N-9Puw4gbmPIq_7iqJMMSmiJTHkvAgRoCAnsQAvD_BwE

https://www.amazon.com/Healthy-Crockery-Cookery-Mable-Hoffman/dp/1557882908

[Pas-de-Calais]

36. We were to do the same

Then outside temperature went up to 89 degrees.

I’ll grill once again

[AnotherMother4Peace]

39. Yesterday I bought a small pork loin, & was thinking about how to cook it. I was going to

cut it into medallions, pound them slightly, and do a flour-egg-panko coating. Fry & serve w/a mushroom gravy. BUT your recipe sounds easier & delish, AND I have a lot to do today. I might pull down the crock pot tomorrow morning and get it started.

Chili is my favorite crock pot dish. I do soak the beans overnight to reduce the "fart factor". Chili always reminds me of my college days. I'd buy an inexpensive bowl of chili in the cafeteria, and load it up with all the free fixins: soup crackers, sour cream, cheese, diced onions. I would end up w/a meal that I could afford and would last me all day - kinda like the "That Girl" intro, when Marlo Thomas puts catsup in hot water for something to eat.

[Marthe48]

40. Ah memories

I had a meal plan when I went to college. It was a blessing.

I usually get the pork loin and make bulk sausage. But I still have several patties left from the last time, so I thought I'd use this one for meals I can sink my teeth into

[Kali]

43. I like my big one for doing beans

not sure if it is my water or just the metal, but doing beans in the crock pot instead of a pan seems to make them come out so much better. creamier and more tender, pintos come out a lighter color too. still good on the stove but definitely different.

also can go out on porch in hot weather.

[Marthe48]

47. I still have Visions cookware

Great for simmering things like beans, soups, vegetables. I bet getting the Visions is why I stopped using the crock pot so much.