Quote:
Originally Posted by GtrsRGr8
My main beef with slow cookers/crock pots is that with many dishes you have to add different ingredients at different times, so a slow cooker/crock pot does not offer any particular advantage, that I can see. Where a slow cooker is nice is when you use one of the very few recipes where you can throw everything into the cooker at one time, set the temperature, and go off and leave it for a few hours.
I never have done much cooking--I do none now--but one of my favorites was pot roast beef with potatoes, onions, and carrots. However, as far as I could figure out, you couldn't just throw all of them in together at one time and let 'em cook. The roast needed to cook a long time, so it went in first and cooked a good long while, then either or both carrots and onions went in after 3 or 4 hours, finally about 45 minutes before you were ready to eat you'd throw in the potatoes.
Oh, and to make pot roast, you are supposed to let it sear at a high heat on both sides for about 5 minutes, before adding water and covering it and turning the heat down low. I know that that is the correct way, because that's how Momma does it.  I don't know of any slow cooker/crock pot that has the capability of searing meat at a high enough temperature. So, if you're going to use a pan/pot on the stove to do that, you might as well stay with that cooking utensil and just turn down the heat to take care of the whole job. |
I have a good recipe for Microwave Pot Roast (40 Minutes) from
Microwave Gourmet by Barbara Kafka. It doesn't do a sear step but when I did, I used a Wok which I then used for stir fry vegs so no extra work. I have also done this before slow cook in a very very low oven overnight.
I think adding potatoes to these slow cook dishes is a mistake since you have to add them late to avoid them trying to become soup.
Try Squash, Swedes, Rutabaga, Parsnips, Turnips instead.