Jenny asked:
I have one, and most of the recipes I’ve seen call for browning the meat to add flavor. Well, by the time I’ve done this and added the rest of the ingredients to the pan, I might as well finish the job by simmering for 10-15mins. Why not finish the job of cooking in the morning and just reheat it in the microwave at the end of the day? Seriously, does the crockpot really save that much time in the end?
I have one, and most of the recipes I’ve seen call for browning the meat to add flavor. Well, by the time I’ve done this and added the rest of the ingredients to the pan, I might as well finish the job by simmering for 10-15mins. Why not finish the job of cooking in the morning and just reheat it in the microwave at the end of the day? Seriously, does the crockpot really save that much time in the end?
January 1st, 2009 at 5:08 am
who cares?
January 4th, 2009 at 6:13 am
heck yeah, my wife has stuff ready to go for us at night all the time! She is awesome, the best wife in the world.
I love her so much.
January 5th, 2009 at 3:13 am
I have never browned meat ahead of time. I use a crock pot the most during the winter… You can do pulled pork (cook the pork all day with a bit of water and some spices and it is just falling off the bone, add a little sauce after you drain off the water and pull the pork and voila – delicious dinner), roasts (buy less expensive cuts – the slow cooking makes them fall-off-the-bone tender), chili, there are even dessert recipes!
January 6th, 2009 at 8:33 am
Yeah it does, I use mine all the time. It’s great for summer because it doesn’t heat up the house, and I can start it in the morning and spend till dinner playing with my son. There’s tons of recipes that are just delicious, and just require tossing everything into the pan. Here’s the link for my fave site…tons of great recipes on that site. I’ve tried just about every single one. There’s also lots of cookbooks you can pick up just for crock pot cooking. I’d die without my crock pot!!! Also, a little tip, rather than using water in the recipes I’ll use beef broth, chicken broth, or vegetable broth instead, it’s cheap enough to pick up enough cans for the recipes. It just adds more flavor to the meats you’re cooking. Using water for roasts, soups, or stews makes it kinda blah tasting.
January 6th, 2009 at 9:39 am
I use a crock pot a couple of times a week and I never brown the meat first. I throw the pot roast in with seasonings, about 2 cups of water, put it on high at around 7am; I get home from work around 5:30pm, and it’s done. I’ve used cream of mushroom soup, tomatoe sauce, bbq sauce, onion soup mix… whatever strikes my mood at that hour of the morning or whatever’s on hand, and I never brown the meat. If I have time to fix potatoes and carrots, I throw them in too.
I also put a large can of spaghetti sauce (Hunts Traditional flavor — my grandkids love it!) with a pound of hamburger meat , on high, all day. I get home, use my potato masher to crumble up the meat into the sauce. Then I cook my pasta, make a salad, butter some bread, pour a glass of wine, sit down, eat, and Hubby does the dishes…
OH, and I recommend those crock pot liner bag things for whatever gets cooked in the crock pot… saves him time washing up!
January 8th, 2009 at 7:12 am
You won’t notice that much of a difference by NOT messing up another pan, then putting it in the crock-pot. The cooking times don’t change, and the ultimate purpose of the crock-pot is to save time. All you should have to do is open a bag of salad to go with your cooked meal that is waiting on you when you walk in the door. I love crock-pots, I have 3. Use those new Reynold’s bags for crock-pots and you save cleanup too, or simply use a non-stick cooking spray to make cleanup easier. Just put your ingredients in, turn on, and walk away. No peeking. No searing needed, nothing. Just turn on and walk away.
January 11th, 2009 at 2:35 pm
yes all you have to do is mix the ingredients together and plug it in