For Members - JOIN!

Supporting Membership!

Create a Recipe Box

Get Your Daily Dish

Gift Membership

Fun and Games

Supporting Member Site Tour

Contests and Sweepstakes

Community Blogs

Vote For Photos!

iPhone Dinner Spinner

Add a Comment

Slow Cookers: Still Hot!

By: Allrecipes Staff

Combining unbelievable convenience and good home cooking, these wondrous appliances are enjoying renewed popularity in kitchens around the world.

Slow Cooker Videos

Top-Rated Slow Cooker Recipes

Recipe Collections

Throw some ingredients in the pot, turn it on, and come home at the end of the day to a hearty homemade supper. Here are some hints for getting premium results from your slow cooker every time.

Convert Your Favorites

You can adapt many conventional recipes for the slow cooker. Any oven or stovetop recipe that has some moisture in it--whether from water, broth, wine, sauce, or canned soup--should work beautifully in your favorite appliance, just keep these things in mind:

Cut all liquid amounts in half when adjusting for the slow cooker.
The low heat setting is approximately 200 degrees F (95 degrees C) and high heat is about 300 degrees F (150 degrees C).
For every hour you'd cook something in the oven or on the stove, allow 8 hours on low or 4 hours on high. (When in doubt, turn it on low and leave it all day or overnight.)

Get more slow cooker advice:

Meat Matters

While you can cook just about any kind of meat in the slow cooker, some are more ideal candidates than others. Chicken on the bone, as well as cheaper, tougher cuts of beef, pork and lamb will turn succulent and fork-tender under the gentle, moist heat of the slow cooker.

Hint: for maximum flavor and a more appetizing color in the finished product, remove skin from poultry and trim visible fat from all meats, then coat meat lightly in flour and brown in a hot skillet before adding to slow cooker.

The Finishing Touches

As your dish nears the end of its cooking time, it's time to add the finishing touches.

If there seems to be too much liquid, remove the lid and turn the pot up to high, allowing some of the water to cook out.
If you'd like to thicken or enrich the sauce, now is the time to stir in cream, sour cream, shredded cheese, or a slurry of cornstarch and cool liquid.
Brighten up the flavors with salt and pepper, lemon juice or vinegar, and maybe a handful of fresh chopped parsley, basil or cilantro.

Comments

Add a comment

anwhidden

Jul. 6, 2009 2:53 pm

My slow-cookers meals come out dry by the time I come home to them. I am worried that my slow-cooker isn't sealed enough to keep the moisture in. Any tips on how to enhance the seal?

oome

Jul. 24, 2009 6:24 pm

I have used aluminum foil to seal the top then place the lid on top of the foil. This works well esp if you have a large peice of meat (turkey, roast etc. The moisture/fluid stays in with the meat just as if it were in the oven or even better.

Janene C.

Jul. 25, 2009 7:03 pm

I'm a bit embarrassed to ask this, but can I cook a frozen piece of meat...like a frozen roast or corned beef? maybe put it on low and cook it over night and on to the next morning? Thanks! Janene

SARAHFCR

Jul. 25, 2009 11:56 pm

Janene - I've used a crock pot for 37 years and tonight I'm putting a chuck roast in, frozen, to cook on low for about 16 hours. I've never cooked from a frozen state but will post tomorrow night and let you know how the experiment comes out!

kmccluer

Jul. 27, 2009 7:16 am

Janene, I cooked 4 frozen chicken breast this weekend in some buffalo wing sauce in the slow cooker. It turned out wonderful.

paulpkc

Aug. 19, 2009 9:51 pm

dry slow cooker. Add water to your recipies. Also are you cooking on high or low?

ChristyB

Sep. 14, 2009 9:26 am

I cook frozen chicken breasts in the slow cooker all the time. I think I heard somewhere that you shouldn't cook the frozen chicken on low from the start because of food safety concerns. So just to be safe, I put the slow cooker on high for the first hour or two, then I turn it down to low. This way the chicken gets up to temperature faster. I don't know if this is entirely accurate, but it makes me feel safer! =) I make shredded chicken all the time to use in recipes and sandwiches. I throw in some frozen chicken and some chicken broth, add some poultry seasoning if I want to, and have perfect shredded chicken every time. And if you're into making chicken soups, the juices leftover are a perfect base.

CookingMaMa08

Sep. 21, 2009 2:41 pm

I have trouble with the meat turn out dry even though there are a lot of juice left in the pot. Could it be the choice of meat?

tattooedchick81

Sep. 28, 2009 4:16 pm

I must be slow cooker , lol. Everything I put in turns out dry. I've talked to a few people who say I use too much liquids and it just boils whatever I'm cooking, is that right? I would love to start using my slow cooker but need help! :)

Connie

Oct. 9, 2009 5:40 am

I wonder if it is what you are cooking. Potatoes and carrots have water in them so when I am cooking a dish that includes these veggies, I use less liquid. Yesterday I cooked a 2 pound pork roast with 5 potatoes and 3/4 bag of mini carrots and an onion. I only added 3/4 cup of water and it was great. Since I got it on late I cooked it on high for about 4 hours and it was very good.

Connie

Oct. 9, 2009 5:43 am

About that post I just made about the pork roast. I cooked it on high 4 hours and then continued cooking it on low for 4 hours.

Anni

Oct. 21, 2009 5:41 am

I've been told to NEVER cook frozen chicken in the slow cooker so I thaw it in the microwave-just a little..too much and it is rubbery..

kretz

Oct. 25, 2009 4:47 pm

I cook everthing in my slow cooker- I use the old style West Bend with the non stick.They are square. I mustly everything that goes in it is frozen

sfulton

Oct. 28, 2009 7:17 pm

i normally do not have trouble with things drying out. i love slow cooking. to thoses having trouble trying to figure out the balance i would suggest using recipes until you figure out the variables that affect the moisture. adding dry ingredients soak up moisture. meat and veggies release it. and you always need some to start with so it doesn't burn before it produces it. good luck. slow cooking is the best! saves you from take out and drive thru.

sfulton

Oct. 28, 2009 7:21 pm

for thoses of you wanting to cook frozen meat. I suggest no. thaw it in the fridge before hand. if a meat is not heated fast enough. such as the outside being cooked and the inside being raw for hours. it can make you sick. it allows bacteria to grow during the process. same with dairy. always add cream and milk near the end.

mimeej

Oct. 29, 2009 8:15 am

Dry meals in the slow cooker? I cook in the slow cooker 2-3 nights a week and I never have dry meals... I put them in before I leave for work on low and sometimes they cook as long as 9 hours... literally the pork chops fall off the bone they are so tender. I suggest you purchase the cookbook FIX IT AND FORGET IT... I have made over 50 items out of the cookbook and they all turn out wonderful... also, perhaps your slow cooker is too large (they should be at least 1/3 to 1/2 full when cooking in them to maintain the heat and get the best results... Again, all tips are listed in that cookbook

prof chris cooke

Nov. 3, 2009 4:14 pm

The problem may be a BAD slow cooker, with heat so high it overcooks everything and toughens the meat. I always line the bottom with vegetables (eg onion slices) so meat does not contact the ceramic. Sear meat in a pan, and use the low heat setting. If the cooker BOILS, it is too hot.

blgardner

Nov. 4, 2009 9:37 am

I also cover my slow cooker with foil and then put the lid on. I have a newer programmable slow cooker and I find that it cooks a little hotter than my older one. So, I think every slow cooker is different. If your meals come out dry, it could be that your slow cooker cooks hotter than others and you might need to adjust the amount of time you're cooking your meals.

Jollynik

Nov. 5, 2009 4:27 am

I'm a little new to cooking and I want to try the chicken flautas recipe but I don't know how to make shredded chicken (I know, how embarassing, right?) I'm thinking cook in a slow cooker with water or broth? Any tips?

Hummel97

Nov. 8, 2009 3:21 am

Jollynik ask any question pertaining to cooking on this website and I guarantee you the wonderful cooks here will come to your rescue. To answer your question, just boil your chicken, remove skin & bones, if it is not skinless boneless and then pull apart cooked chicken, it will shred easily. Another tip:save broth you cooked the chicken in to use in other recipes. Even cooking your veggies in the broth will add flavor.

tater

Nov. 8, 2009 5:15 am

i never cook thawed meat in crock pot ever. and have never had a problem usualy put frozen meat in around 7 am on low and when i return home in evening it is done juicy and tender. never gotten sick and learned that if meat is frozen only put enough liquid to come halfway up meat and the juices of the meat do not get watered down

Lisa

Nov. 8, 2009 12:36 pm

I am cooking a 4 lb. chuck roast in my slow cooker with mushroom soup and dry onion soup. Won't the potatoes and carrots be overcooked and mushy if I put them it at the beginning with the roast?

jeanne

Nov. 10, 2009 5:28 pm

can i replace gravy in a receipe instead of tomatos or tomato sauce?

Add a comment