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Slow Cooker Woes

Hey everyone!

I just recently got a crockpot as a gift from my parents. I was absolutely thrilled about it until I realized that I can practically never use it on a weekday.

I'm out of the house nearly 10 hours on weekdays, and I just haven't seen any recipes that are long enough without being so long that I wouldn't be eating dinner until 9 at night. (The time isn't necessarily the problem, it's just that I'm hungry when I get home from work and that's a long time to wait.)

Does anyone know of any recipes that fit this time frame? Or do I really need to just get a crockpot that will turn itself to warm after a given amount of time?

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You could use it on weekends to make BIG pots of soups, stews, chilis, to use during the week.
A lot of things will be fine with a little extra water. You just don't want them to burn. Add a 1/2-1 cup extra water to any recipe.
http://www.familycircle.com/recipes/slow-cooker/10-hour-slow-cooker-recipes/?page=1
http://www.themagicalslowcooker.com/2013/05/12/12-all-day-slow-cooker-meals/

Are there other people who are at home when you are not who can turn it on? I sometimes will leave mine on for an hour or two when I am not home.

Food.com has a quick and easy section :http://www.food.com/topic/crock-pot-slow-cooker/quick-and-easy

My dad makes a chili that doesn't take too long. I have it written down at home, when I leave work I will come back and post the recipe.

Some of the recipes I've seen say that you can turn it on high and it will cook in about half the time

I use it for pot roast or pork roast. I either turn it on before bed and it's ready in the morning or I turn it on before I leave for work and it's ready when I get home. Mine has a warm setting so it doesn't turn off.

I agree that you best use of it will be to make batches of food on the weekends that you can refrigerate or freeze for later. There are three of us in my home and I always make double or triple what we need for dinner so we have leftovers for lunches.

Adding extra water would also help or you could, alternatively, buy a timer that goes on the outlet and starts your food a bit later. If it has the insert that's removable you'd want to make everything up the night before and refrigerate it so it can sit out for a bit before it starts cooking.

Just buy a timer switch and set it for when you want it to turn on

Leighkai76 wrote: »

I use it for pot roast or pork roast. I either turn it on before bed and it's ready in the morning or I turn it on before I leave for work and it's ready when I get home. Mine has a warm setting so it doesn't turn off.

I have used mine several times at night while asleep. I turn it on Low and the food cooks fine through the night and is ready in the morning when I wake up. It's nice having the function to switch to Warm after the cooking time..very handy.

RuNaRoUnDaFiEld wrote: »

Just buy a timer switch and set it for when you want it to turn on

This was my suggestion too - they're around $5

What about using a timer for the socket?

I cook alot of the meals on the weekend or at night while I'm sleeping.

Does your slow cooker have an auto off or warming feature? Or the timer is a great suggestion!!! I found a ton of great crock pot recipes on Skinny Taste that have turned out fantastic.

Even if you're out of the house for 10 hrs, savory soups, stews, and casseroles can often tolerate the extra cooking time-- so go ahead and leave 'em on for 10+ hours on LOW. Just mind your veggies--because they can get pretty wrung out in a long cook. I tend to add my aromatic veggies that are there for flavor (garlic, onion, celery, carrot) in the pot, but then microwave the veggies that I want to be a bit more toothsome (e.g., squash, potatoes, spinach or cabbage) at service time. Just takes a few minutes, and I get the best of both!

AndiVentry wrote: »

Does your slow cooker have an auto off or warming feature? Or the timer is a great suggestion!!! I found a ton of great crock pot recipes on Skinny Taste that have turned out fantastic.

It doesn't. It's just got a regular knob that has warm, low, and high.

All of the suggestions for an outlet timer are fantastic! I never even thought of that! Where would I get one?

SaltNBurnBoys wrote: »

Hey everyone!

I just recently got a crockpot as a gift from my parents. I was absolutely thrilled about it until I realized that I can practically never use it on a weekday.

I'm out of the house nearly 10 hours on weekdays, and I just haven't seen any recipes that are long enough without being so long that I wouldn't be eating dinner until 9 at night. (The time isn't necessarily the problem, it's just that I'm hungry when I get home from work and that's a long time to wait.)

Does anyone know of any recipes that fit this time frame? Or do I really need to just get a crockpot that will turn itself to warm after a given amount of time?

Just a thought - you can cook whatever those recipes are and simply reheat them the next day for lunch or dinner. While it's not the same as eating it "fresh," it's still a (IMHO) decent use of the slow cooker.

Oh, and just one example of an outlet timer: http://www.amazon.com/Simple-Touch-original-Shut-Off-Setting/dp/B002KKCVZK

You can probably get them at Home Depot, Lowes, or even WalMart.

If I'm going to be gone a long time, I'll actually put it on 'warm' and let it cook. For things like oatmeal or eggs or anything with pasta, it seems to work well, especially if you're gone for 11-12 hours

SaltNBurnBoys wrote: »

AndiVentry wrote: »

Does your slow cooker have an auto off or warming feature? Or the timer is a great suggestion!!! I found a ton of great crock pot recipes on Skinny Taste that have turned out fantastic.

It doesn't. It's just got a regular knob that has warm, low, and high.

All of the suggestions for an outlet timer are fantastic! I never even thought of that! Where would I get one?

You should be able to find one at Home Depot or Lowes or even check Amazon.

I put in a frozen roast beef or pork roast at 5 am, turn the crockpot on low and turn it off when I get home at 5. Just make sure it is frozen and around 3 pounds, works great for me!

I'd look in the hardware section for a timer. I have "magic elves" at home, otherwise known as my semi-retired husband. I put a sticky on the slow cooker and it magically turns off when it's supposed to.

The most forgiving for long cooking I find, are the chili's.

faegirl22 wrote: »

If I'm going to be gone a long time, I'll actually put it on 'warm' and let it cook. For things like oatmeal or eggs or anything with pasta, it seems to work well, especially if you're gone for 11-12 hours

I do the exact same thing. Even with frozen meats, warm cooks my meals over a long period of time.

I turn mine on at 7 and don't turn it off until approximately 5:45 or 6 (Its on "low" the whole time).... never had any problems w/ any recipe. Just yesterday I made a "Korean Style" pork roast and it was so tender and delicious!

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