Do Crock Pots Make Superior Soups?

[tenspeed]

There was a soup I made in a slow cooker that came out horrible. I put some pearl barley, onion, celery, potatoes, carrot, cabbage and Kielbasa all into the slow cooker on medium heat. I let it cook all night and to the next evening. I was expecting this wonderful soup with all of the flavors maried together, along with the seasonings I had added. What I got was soup with veggie mush, and sausage that was so out, though it was completely submerged in the broth, that it was like chewing on sawdust filled casing.

I don't know what temperature medium is on your slow cooker, but it's probably in the neighborhood of 220 - 230 F. Sounds like your soup was cooking for more than 20 hours. There is a technical term for cooking like that - it's called "cooking the snot out of it"! With cabbage cooking for that long of a period, I would think your house would have "old boarding house" smell. You can roast a whole pig in less time than you cooked your soup.


Don't blame the slow cooker.

 

[Kayelle]

Way back on page one this 2004 post was reopened with this.

I must admit that there is definitely a difference! I've made my soups both ways and voude to never use the stove top method for soups again. Slow cooking is the best and more flavorful way to make soup.

Since then, has anybody changed their mind?

 

[Chief Longwind Of The North]

I don't know what temperature medium is on your slow cooker, but it's probably in the neighborhood of 220 - 230 F. Sounds like your soup was cooking for more than 20 hours. There is a technical term for cooking like that - it's called "cooking the snot out of it"! With cabbage cooking for that long of a period, I would think your house would have "old boarding house" smell. You can roast a whole pig in less time than you cooked your soup.


Don't blame the slow cooker.

I agree that it wasn't the fault of the slow cooker. The point that I was making is that no matter whether you are using a slow cooker, a pressure cooker, a dutch oven, or a simple covered pot, if you use it correctly, your will be rewarded with good, even great food. If you use poor technique, as I did with that particular soup, you end up with a mess.

Seeeeeeey; Chief Longwind of the North

 

[caseydog]

To me, using a slow cooker/crock pot kind of ruins why I like to cook. Set it and forget it is like buying take-out. I like to cook, check, taste, season, and fuss over my food, including soups.

I have a small crock pot that I use for some things, but not many. I make a side of canned black beans and Rotel tomatoes that the crock pot works well with, and since it is all canned ingredients, it's not like I am actually "cooking," anyway.

If I'm making soup from scratch, I like to make it a project -- especially on a cold, rainy day.

CD

 

[Kevin86]

So you sauté before you use the slow cooker like you may on stovetop

 

[cookieee]

We do only if the recipe says to. We have a slow cooker that the inside can lift out and go on the stove. It sure cuts down on pans to wash.

We like using a slow cooker once in awhile. It comes in handy when DH (he has to do all the cooking now) will be busy all day and not up to doing much cooking at dinner time. He thinks of it as his "day off" lol

I just read in one of my cooking mag. that I receive a different use for a slow cooker that I never thought of before. They just put some water in it, turned it on low and kept jars of things like chocolate, dips and such in it that you would serve at a party or such and it melted and kept warm. I'm sure there are a lot of other uses for them that we just haven't thought of.

So, don't get rid of your slow cookers people. Just like us ol folks, we still can come in handy for something. You just never know when. lol

 

[Rocklobster]

If you start with a good quality broth, you will make a good soup regardless..I guess slow cooking will help draw more flavor out of the meat/veg, but then you also get real mush veg..I like mine to have a bit of fight left in them..

 

[cookieee]

I guess a lot of the people that have posted here, like to make their own soup recipes, but I have found that if we follow a recipe, we don't run into any problems .

 

[Kevin86]

I find the main difference is recycling the steam or releasing it. If you find it to water you can put a paper towel across the top to remove the water cycle. It may need replacing depending on cooking time. I first saw this done with meat balls as to not let the sauce go watery

 

[cookieee]

Our slow cooker comes with a hole in the lid, which sometimes is a bad thing. Well, that does depend on what's cooking and for how long. My office is just off the kitchen and very close to the slow cooker. lol

 

[CWS4322]

Are slow cooking electric crock pots superior to covered saucepans on a gas stovetop for making soups?

Hi Tom--welcome! I have used both, but IMO, what makes a superior soup is the stock.

 

[Kayelle]

I guess a lot of the people that have posted here, like to make their own soup recipes, but I have found that if we follow a recipe, we don't run into any problems .

Cookie, I'd venture to guess the vast majority of the cooks here seldom follow savory recipes to the letter. By the way, be very careful where you get your recipes as not every recipe can be trusted. I've seen blatant mistakes written by famous professional cooks turn out to be real failures...memories of a recipe I followed from Ina Garden.

 

[CWS4322]

Cookie, I'd venture to guess the vast majority of the cooks here seldom follow savory recipes to the letter. By the way, be very careful where you get your recipes as not every recipe can be trusted. I've seen blatant mistakes written by famous professional cooks turn out to be real failures...memories of a recipe I followed from Ina Garden.

This was why I had to test-drive the recipes supplied by the 10-12 chefs in the Ottawa, Ontario area. Steps missing, food safety (fiddlehead fern prep comes to mind). I typically don't follow recipes for savory--inspiration. I do, however, follow recipes when I bake (which isn't often since I don't eat sweets).

 

[cookieee]

Thanks Kayelle. As you know, I have been saving and using recipes for quite a few years, and sorry to say, I can't remember if we found any failures due to the authors or us. lol
But we use recipes that at least look right and make sense. Thank goodness we have had more success than failures.

Of course we don't use recipes every day. DH is very good at winging it.