Slowcooker recommendations - cookbooks too

T

twosquared

Cathlete
Been thinking about buying a slow cooker - have never used one and know nothing about them. Anyone tell me what to look for and what to avoid when purchasing one and any good cookbooks out there geared towards healthier slow cooked meals?

Thanks for any and all info
 
I've had a few slow cookers. One did not have a removable "crock" and I love that feature. Also get one with a few different cooking times, High, med, low, warm if you can. That comes in handy.

Other than that, there are loads of slow cooker books out there. You could try Amazon.com or Costco.

I think there is even a couple of Slow Cooker threads here on the Cathe forums. Do a search. Our fellow posters have great recipes ! Yum ! :p
 
I love my slow cooker-- I've found a lot of good recipes in Cooking Light Magazine & I have a cookbook, "Fresh from the Vegetarian Slow Cooker" that's pretty good too.

One thing that's been debated a lot lately is the lead content of certain slow cookers-- I guess there is some naturally occurring lead in some brands. I know Hamilton Beach is one company that assures that their cookers are lead-free. Whether or not the lead is really an issue... I don't know for sure. An expert I am not. :)

HTH! Good luck & happy cooking! :D
 
I posted a while back and there were some great recipes posted (I remember in particular a pulled pork that I make frequently). I'm not sure how to search & find it but I bet someone can help out and post the link. Yes?
 
I have a Rival and love it ~ use it every week. I can't compare it to anything else because it's the only one I've owned.

Most of the recipes I use aren't geared toward the more health conscious individual, but I can say it's wonderful for cooking plain chicken. Throw some breasts in there and cook on high for a few hours, and the chicken comes out tender and ready to shred.
 
Hamilton Beach

I like my Hamilton Beach Stay or Go Slow Cooker. The lid locks in place so traveling with it is easier. It has a warm, low and high setting. I use mine almost weekly and have been very happy with it. Allrecipes.com has a nice selection of recipes for crock pots; you can search based on ingredients you have on hand.
 
Geez....I had four slow cookers and actually gave one away (....it was an old one from my mother that didn't have a removable crock pot). Do get one with a removable crock as Jacque suggested (it really is very important as far as cleaning ease).

As for my other recommendations, do choose one with a timer that will put your crockpot into warm mode after it's finished cooking. It's one of the best feature ever developed. I sometimes work a 10 or 12 hour a day and I love coming home to food that is not overcooked. I time my food to cook on low for 6 hours and send it into "Keep warm mode."

As for what I do own...I have a large Rival (gosh, it must be 20 years old) which doesn't have the timer feature but does have a removable crock. It cooks wonderfully but I simply can't let it cook all day and it doesn't have a warm mode (just low and high). :( I also have a Versaware Pro....it's supposed to be fancy...you can saute in it, put it in the fridge etc...but it's really not all that. Because of it's shape (my belief), my food tends to dry more quickly. It never stays as wonderfully moist as the food in my old upright Rival Crockpot. What it does have (over the old guy) is a fantastic timer feature that allows me to slow cook for a certain amount of hours then it then shifts to a warming mode. Because of that feature, I use that crockpot the most. I don't want burnt food. I also have a small Rival, I used to use for steel cut oats...but I bought a Zo Rice cooker so I never use it now. It was great back then. Anyway.....

When I do buy another crockpot (probably next winter)....it will be upright and have the timer feature. I haven't bothered yet because the Versaware Pro is doing okay. Only okay. I still wouldn't recommend it only because I it tends to be more drying then any other crockpot I've ever owned.

My recommendations: Buy a removable crock that is narrow and upright (keeping the moisture in the food), but make sure it can cook on low, high and have a warming function. The timer is especially important if you are a working person. Ignore those expensive ones that promise saute and refrigerate functions....you really won't use them, but don't discount the timer function...it will come in handy.

(Please note there are also 2 Versaware products.....the less expensive one doesn't have the timer function. Don't be fooled. I honestly don't recommend either one.)
 
i have 3 rival slow cookers,different sizes so i can make meat in one and a side dish in another. the cookbooks i have are Not Your Mother's Slow Cooke Cookbookr(bought online)-my fav,no can soup and Fix and Forget it lightly from Target. i also bought the cookbooks from there

laura
 
We use the crockpot/slow cooker quite often. I've found a lot of my recipes from an internet blog called the crockpot lady...I think someone here posted a link to her blog once. She made a crockpot recipe every day in 2008 and posted the ingredients/recipe and then reviewed it. She's great, really funny and candid, and posted some great recipes. You can cross reference them by main ingredient or meal type too. Check it out! Her blog is so popular that she was on GMA and is even making a cook book.

Heidi

www.crockpot365.blogspot.com --- I think that's it!
 
buckeyegirl said:
We use the crockpot/slow cooker quite often. I've found a lot of my recipes from an internet blog called the crockpot lady...I think someone here posted a link to her blog once. She made a crockpot recipe every day in 2008 and posted the ingredients/recipe and then reviewed it. She's great, really funny and candid, and posted some great recipes. You can cross reference them by main ingredient or meal type too. Check it out! Her blog is so popular that she was on GMA and is even making a cook book.

Heidi

www.crockpot365.blogspot.com --- I think that's it!
Click to expand...

That website is amazing! So many great recipes, so little time. I loved all of the fish recipes that you can make in the crockpot. I would have never have guessed that it could be done. I've already got mine out and am getting ready to make something. Thanks for sharing!
 
125 Best Vegetarian Slow Cooker Recipes by Finlayson -- everything in is good and the children eat it because they don't always realize how many vegetables are involved.

Tobermory
 
I second the allrecipes website, they are really good and reliable.

I have a Rival which I love, I would recommend the largest version with a warming feature, a timer is good too. Again, the removable crock is key to everything.

Best of luck on your purchase.:rolleyes:
 
LOVE my crockpot!! I have used it for many things, from pork (just chicken broth, pork, onions, it comes out SO tender! Over rice or a sweet potato or pasta!). Also make a mean beef stew, chili and even lasagna! Here's another good site I like: http://www.anitasrecipes.com/BrowseRecipes/ - lots of different low fat recipes - including slow cooker recipes.
 
I bought a Hamilton Beach 4-quart slow cooker based on Amazon Reviews. I love it! I also picked up a 1.5 quart for doing things like dips and baked brie...mmmmmmm...brie. Both have removable crocks. They're both very easy to clean.

ITA on the Crockpot365 web site. It rocks!

Karina's Kitchen web site also has some good slow cooker recipes: http://glutenfreegoddess.blogspot.com/
 
You have received a number of great recommendations. The only thing I have to add is that if you do not want to the spend the money on a timer feature, just use a Christmas lights timer. I make a crockpot night before, set it up in the morning so that the timer turns on around 12-2 depending on what I am cooking and everything is ready when I get home from work. HTH.
 
Another vote for Not Your Mother's Slow Cooker Cookbook - I use it all the time and everything I've made has been simple to prepare and delicious. There's a good mix of old standards (many interesting versions of stews and chilis) and more unusual things (Moroccan chicken thighs with spicy chickpeas YUM), good veggie selections (a whole section just on beans), it's a nice-looking book and fun to look through.

I would also recommend 300 Slow Cooker Favorites - a large well-organized selection with mostly conventional dishes but really good and easy, and including side dishes and desserts.

Have fun with your slow cooker! I resisted buying one for many years when I was in my Martha Stewart phase, and last year we bought one and now use it at least once a week, I love it!
 
I use my crock pot at least 3 times a week in the cold winter months.

I own the Rival Smart Pot Crock Pot. I believe it is 5qt. Might be 6 - maybe. Anyhoo I love the fact that it has a digital timer on it. So when it's done cooking it clicks to a warming mode. Then I don't have to worry if I don't make it home before its done. It does run a bit hotter than my other pots in the past but the warm mode is so worth it. I think it was $99 and I had a 20% off coupon at Bed, Bath and Beyond but now I think the price has dropped to $60.

Cookbooks - I live out of the Semi-Home Made Cookbooks/Slow Cooker Recipes Volume 1 and 2 by Sandra Lee. The white bean chili in the first book and the tamale pie and cheddar/beer chicken in the second book are family favorites. And easy! Check in the used section on Barnes and Noble or Amazon.

Good Luck
 
I must use my crock pot at least twice a week.... I make anything from veg.soups that we will eat through the week to roasts to ...well, you name it! I love the following books: Church Potluck Slow Cooker, ANY of the Fix It and Forget it books, and there are many special issue magazines that you can pick up at the grocery store that are devoted to crock pot cooking.

Good Luck and don't be afraid to jump right in!

BestICan
 
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