Cooking Times?

How do I know how long to cook my food in the slow cooker?

If you are converting a favorite recipe to a crock pot recipe, you will want to follow these basic guides:

If your recipe says cook:

15 to 30 minutes, you will want to cook in a crockpot LOW 4-6 hours / HIGH 1 1/2-2 hours
35 to 45 minutes - crockpot LOW 6-10 hours / HIGH 3-4 hours
50 minutes to 3 hours - crock pot LOW 8-18 hours / HIGH 4-6 hours

Remember to reduce all liquids by almost 1/2...

Happy Slow Cooking! Enjoy!

Here are more Q and A Days on Hazel's Crock Pot Kitchen

How do I use dairy products in the crock pot?

Dairy products are products you don't want to mess with. As we all know, leaving dairy products out too long can make them spoil, so what about cooking them slow...as in a slow cooker?

My rule of thumb on this is that I never add dairy products to a crockpot recipe until the last 30 minutes of cooking. Why? Because they can spoil.

Most dairy products are going to be used to make the recipe creamy...but it really won't add much to the taste (there are some, such as: cheese, cream cheese, etc. that do add a flavor, but mostly dairy is added to make your recipe look creamy)...

Since, you are really just going for a creamy look, you don't need to 'cook' the dairy product, you just need to 'melt' it. Products like cheese and cream cheese will melt in 30 minutes time, so why take the chance of them spoiling and cooking them any longer than that?

Dairy, such as: milk, sour cream and other creams shouldn't be added until the last 15 minutes of cooking. Again, they are being added for the 'cream' look not really any big taste factor.

Now, products such as creamed soups can be cooked all day in a crock pot and it won't hurt anything.

Even if I come across a recipe that doesn't tell me to leave the dairy products out, I do any way.

Happy Slow Cooking! Hugs...

How do I use my crock pot the correct way?

The Q&A for today is:

How do I use my crockpot the correct way?

As easy as slow cookers are to use, they do come with a few rules...

1. Make sure you don't over fill your crock pot...You only want to fill the crockpot 1/2 to 3/4 full. If you overfill the slow cooker, your food might not cook the proper way. It may be undercooked and you might end up with spills. When you use a crock pot, it creates condensation and this will add liquid to your 'pot', so if you overfill it, you might end up with spillage.
2. The removable stoneware is oven safe up to 400', so you can put it in the oven. BUT do not use on gas or electric burners and do not use during broiling..
   
3. Do NOT ever use your crock pot to reheat the food that was cooked in it the day before. Because it takes so long for the crock pot to get hot enough to start cooking that your food might spoil. You can warm the crock in the microwave.

I do find it easier to put any leftovers into a different container and wash the crockpot the same night I use it. It just seems to clean up better.

Hope this helps give your crockpot a longer lifespan...

Happy Slow Cooking...Hugs..

Rival or Hamilton Beach?

Do you use only one brand of crockpot or do you have many different brands in your cabinets? I happen to have many different brands...Rivals and Hamilton Beach. So which do I like better?

Well...Hazel was a Rival Brand and she lasted a long, long, long time...so over the years, I have been very fond of Rival. I have always asked for Rival crock pots for gifts, and have always purchased that brand for myself.

But I started noticing that the Rivals were starting to break, even the newer ones. The glass lids would be cracked and sometimes they were even shattered. Which would ruin our dinner, etc.

I even had one Rival crock pot where the handles came off, and the temperature knob fell off within 2 months of getting the slow cooker.

So little-by-little, I started purchasing and asking for Hamilton Beach slow cookers and crock pots and have found that they are very well made.

George has been a very nice replacement for Hazel (of course there will never be another Hazel, but...)

So I guess, my final answer would be that I prefer Hamilton Beach crock pots over Rival crockpots..

What about you? What is your favorite brand of crockpot?

Happy Slow Cooking! Hugs...

Cooked or Dry Pasta?

The Q&A for today is a question I get a lot. Can you use dry pasta in the crock pot? And really the only answer is: It depends on you...

But...I have not had recipes turn out with using dry pasta and letting it cook in the crockpot. If you have, please share with me how you did it...

When I have a recipe that calls for pasta (and many recipes do call for cooking the pasta in the slow cooker) I just omit that step when putting the ingredients into the crockpot.

I choose to cook my pasta (per box directions) in a pot and then add it to the crock pot just before serving (pasta such as: spaghetti, macaroni, etc.)...If it is a recipe where the meat is larger (chicken breast, etc) then I will cook the pasta, put it on a platter and then spoon the slow cooker mixture over the pasta and then serve.

So for me, then answer to Cooked or Dry Pasta would be cooked and added just before eating.

Hope that helps! If you have a question you would like answered about slow cooking, please let me know and I will do my best to find the answer...

Happy Slow Cooking and Hugs...

Crock Pot or Slow Cooker?

After talking to a few people, I decided that it might be good to have a Q & A Day to answer some of questions that you might have...

If you have a question, please email me and I will add it to my Q & A Day and if I can't find or don't know the answer, then maybe a reader will...

One question I get all the time is:

What's the difference between a crock pot and a slow cooker?

The simple answer:

Basically, they are the same difference...in other words, the are a lot alike, but have aren't the same...

Crock pots..

• have a lid (usually glass), a 'crock' insert that is made of either ceramic or porcelain, and a heating container that the crock fits into
• the heating container heats your food from all sides continuously
  
• usually have the temperature settings of LOW (200' F), HIGH (300' F) and sometimes WARM.
• are usually the better choice if you aren't going to be home during the cooking

Slow Cookers...

• also have a lid, but their 'crock' is usually called a 'cooking pot' and instead of fitting inside a heating container, it sits on a heating base
• the heating base can usually be used as a small griddle
• the cooking pot is heated only from the bottom, but it does not continuously heat, instead it turns itself on and off. It gets to the temperature setting you have it set on and then it cuts off, it gets below that temperature it cuts itself back on
  
• temperature settings are numbered from 1-5

Now a crock pot can be a slow cooker, but a slow cooker can never be a crock pot...so if you have a recipe that says "put ingredients in your crockpot" then you need to use a crock pot...but if your recipe says "put ingredients in your slow cooker" then you can use either one.

Hope that helps...

So do you have a crock pot or a slow cooker or both? Which do you like better and why?

Hugs and Happy Slow Cooking...

Hazel's 5 reasons for having a crockpot

I have been asked many times about why I use a crockpot so here are the top 5 reasons that I always give:

1. Simplicity - Toss a few ingredients into one pot, plug it up, turn it on, go to work and when you get home, you have dinner...
2. Economical - Using a slow cooker can save you money. It cost less to make your meal in one crockpot over cooking a meal in an oven and/or on the stove...
3. Versatile - You can make everything from meats, vegetables, casseroles, breads, desserts and so much more...
4. Time-saving - Dinner is ready when you get, so you have more time for family, friends and other activities that you wouldn't have if you had to make dinner the old-fashioned way...using a stove...
5. Popularity - The crockpot does all the work and you take all the credit...