Do you have use a slow cooker?

[georgevan]

I keep running into interesting recipes that call for a slow cooker to be used but I never use a slow cooker. Can't a person cook that recipe in a normal way. Like boil and simmer in an hour or so? I suppose it depends on the recipe.

 

[larry_stewart]

One of the benefits of a slow cooker, is you add the ingredients and dont have to watch over the pot. So you can start something in the morning and it will be ready to serve a dinner time.

Personally , Im an active cooker and need to mix and taste and add.... Ive tried slow cook recipes but just didnt have the patience for it.

Depending on the ingredients , the recipe would likely be different if tried on a stove top. Certain ingredients need time to rehydrate, or break down. During this long slow process, that is achieved, but if done stove top, may require overnight soaking ingredients ( dried beans). or other techniques to achieve the desired finished product.

So the simple answer is, in many case you would not be able to use the identical recipe from slow cooker to stove top. Some changes would need to be made. At least thats my opinion.

 

[Andy M.]

Converting a slow cooker recipe to regular pots and pans means you will have more steps to complete. The process of cooking conventionally requires your effort and attention but the results can be better than the slow cooker version.

You can try to convert a SC recipe or seek out a conventional recipe for the same dish.

I think it’s worth the effort.

 

[buckytom]

Slow cooking is just that. Lower temp for a longer period of time. A slow cooker or "Crock-pot" accomplishes that by a device which produces heat through resistance to electron flow, if ya wanna be specific. An electric heat maker under a big, ceramic crock

george, check out pressure cooking.
Pressure cooking is more interseting, imo. However, it is another type of physics, and can be more magical/useful.

 

[pepperhead212]

I used to have a slow cooker, but used it very little. I have never been into just dumping a bunch of ingredients in a slow cooker, turning it on, and coming back to a soup or stew 10 or however many hours later - it just doesn't work. Things need cooked in some oil or butter - meat or onions and other vegetables, blooming the spices, etc. Then the fond, giving the flavor you don't get in the ceramic slow cookers. So switching to a stovetop recipe, from a SC recipe that sounds good, you should be able to improve it!

When I got the Instant Pot I still didn't use the slow cooker mode a lot, even though it has a metal pot, with a sauté mode. There are some things I do in the slow cook mode, however, especially in the summertime. I found that it takes a little over 2 hrs to cook channa dal to just the right doneness, to make salads with. There are a few other things I use it for - sometimes lentil dishes in the high slow cooker mode, but usually in the summer, so I can work more outside.

 

[dragnlaw]

All slow cooking recipes can be done in a Dutch Oven....

start on stove top, finish in the oven.

 

[karadekoolaid]

I`ve never possessed a slow cooker and have no intention of buying one. Just dump everything in a pot and forget about it - not for me, although I completely understand those who do so.
I want to know how it tastes after a while, whether the flavours are right, whether the seasoning needs adjusting, or whether the there's too much/too little liquid.

 

[buckytom]

All slow cooking recipes can be done in a Dutch Oven....

start on stove top, finish in the oven.

Yep. That's why I think a pressure cooker is more interesting. You'd need to put your dutch oven on a stove in a barometric chamber.

 

[Andy M.]

I suggest you read this article from Serious Eats. About stovetops vs. pressure cookers vs. slow cookers.

https://www.seriouseats.com/why-pressure-cookers-are-better-than-slow-cookers

 

[Aunt Bea]

I let my slow cooker go in one of my kitchen purges.

I used it to tote food to family and office get-togethers. It was great for keeping food warm on a buffet table.

These days I just put the ingredients into a Pyrex casserole and set the oven low and slow.

This 60s recipe is a good example.

The I Hate Cook Cookbook by Peg Bracken - Peg Bracken's Stay A Bed Stew

2 pounds beef -- cubed
1 cup carrots -- sliced
2 onions -- chopped
1 teaspoon salt
dash white pepper
1 can Tomato soup
1/2 can water -- use soup can
2 medium potatoes -- sliced
1 bay leaf

Place all ingredients in a casserole dish. Cover and bake at 275 degrees F
for 5 hours. Serves 6.

Don't be afraid to change it to suit your own tastes. I leave out the potato and serve it over mashed potatoes, add some mushrooms and a big splash of Worcestershire sauce.

 

[buckytom]

I suggest you read this article from Serious Eats. About stovetops vs. pressure cookers vs. slow cookers.

https://www.seriouseats.com/why-pressure-cookers-are-better-than-slow-cookers

Interesting article, Andy.

I have to disagree about pea soup in a slow cooker, though . That's largely what I use my slow cooker for, after saving a ham bone from holiday meals like Easter and Christmas. I've made it dozens of times, and never had a runny or chunky pea soup. Although, I start by rendering some fat from the ham, then sweating the veggies in it in a frying pan before adding to the slow cooker.
The recipe was probably one of the first recipes that I ever posted here maybe 17 years ago.

 

[buckytom]

Actually, it was from about 15 years ago. Never made bad pea soup using a slow cooker


https://www.discusscooking.com/forums/f174/crock-pot-split-pea-soup-with-ham-33424.html

 

[larry_stewart]

I do use my slow cooker to Make a huge batch of caramelized onions which I freeze in portions for latter use. Still not as good as stove top ( I feel you get a better caramelization, but still tastes good.

 

[dragnlaw]

I used my DIL's slow cooker this summer to make a batch of carmalized onions.

Note to self - do not use a slow cooker that you are not familiar with for a new method of doing something.