Crock Pots.
 

Well, I have been wanting on so badly and my mom told me she would get me one for the holidays. So, anyone know a good website or have some ideas for me to use this crock pot to good use? I love soups and stews but I heard that meats come out really well in crock pots too.. I'm open to anything as long as its low carb of course!!

Thanks.

Here is a list of all the forum's crockpot recipes (from the Frequently Asked Questions sticky): http://forum.lowcarber.org/showthread.php?t=219464

I've been studying these a lot lately, as I, too, have a brand new slow cooker. I've also found a zillion or two recipes via Google.

One thing I have found useful is to drain off excess fluid into a frying pan at the end of cooking, then reduce it until there is only a tablespoon or so of liquid left, and then (depending on the recipe) thicken it with cream, sour cream or butter.

I have also found that the newer cookers have more power than the older ones, and therefore take less time to cook, especially chicken. I check my chicken after 4 hours or less, and it has been well and truly done each time. I let my first chicken dish cook for 8 hours, as per the recipe, and urk - it was WAY overcooked to the point of tastelessness.

HTH :)

Roz:rose:

I gave away my crockpot years ago, and have never regretted it. I use a heavy dutch oven instead, either on the top of the stove of in the oven.

Just my opinion.

I love my crockpot. It makes cooking meat practically idiot-proof. Everything I've made - even without a recipe - has been delicious. I can take a roast, toss it in, throw in whatever spices or veggies I think might be nice, and forget about it. :yum:

There are some really good low-carb slow-cooker recipes ~ do a quick search on amazon and you'll see them. I recommend Dana Carpender's. :)

I did the same thing and I've found that a Dutch Oven in a slow oven seems to give the same, or very similar, results - as Alton Brown keeps reminding us we should multi-task - the only uni-tasker permitted (according to AB) is the fire extinguisher!! I haven't compared the cost difference between a slow cooker and a slow oven - it would be interesting to see a comparison. A lot depends on how much storage space and how much counter space your kitchen has!!

And, we could start a whole thread about what kind of kitchen those of us who actually cook daily need, plus those who cook large amounts on the weekend for easy meals during the week, and then for those who cook as a hobby on the weekends but eat out all week.

Actually,there's probably a sticky for stocking different kitchens - I know there's one for low-carb needs but .... ??

and then there's those of us who can only cook in sporadic intervals between shifts and jobs...whaaaaaaaa!

For me, the slow cooker is a "safer" option (relatively speaking) than leaving my gas powered stove (or any stove or direct source of heat) on in my absence for many hours.

Just saying ;)

Thank you, Lord, for spiffy multitasking appliances...they are SUCH a help.

:wave:

I would just die without my slow cooker!! I have found that you can cook pretty much ANYTHING in one. I looooove to cook down chicken breasts with some water and fajita spices until you can shred it with a fork, it's soooo good on LC torts, on top of a salad or even just heaped onto a plate with some sour cream and cheese!! :yum:

I love my slowcooker. Don't forget to brown the meat before you put it in though...otherwise it can be pretty bland.

Do you recommend browning the meat in the oven or frying?

(Sorry if this is a dumb question.)

I guess I must be doing something wrong...most of the crock-pot stuff I make comes out kinda yucky (like it "steams" instead of "bakes") and my family will not touch it. (I do have a recipe for a dijon-rosemary coated beef chuck roast that is really REALLY good, but no one will eat it but me!)

But I have never tried to "bake" a chicken or roast in the crock pot without any liquid added. That I do need to try. And I will definitely brown it first. White skin is pretty gross to me!

I brown it in a frying pan. My favorite slow cooker recipe is pork chops....

Brown pork chops
place in a slow cooker
add spices (salt, pepper, garlic, etc...)
add 2 cans of creamy chicken mushroom soup (just the soup...no added water)

cook for about 5 hours on high.

Serve with mashed califlour or rutabagas.

my old crockpots seem to brown the meat if I don't add liquid. They just bake the stuff wonderfully.

sometimes I'll take out wings and put them under a broiler for 5 minutes just to crisp them.

I love mine!

I make saucy, soupy things in mine. Stews, soups, chilis, curries. I love it for that. And I don't generally bother browning stuff.

I'd love to get one of those dutch ovens though...

Wifezilla -- that is a great recipe, thanks. I adore my crockpot and am always looking for suggestions. :)