Crock-pot Wisdom

I've been learning so much about the crock-pot lately so I thought I'd share it all here.....

~Don't lift the lid.....no peeking. Lifting the lid can add 30 min. to an hour of extra cook time.

~No stirring needed as a general rule with crock-pot cooking.

~Spray inside of crock with non-stick spray or olive oil to help prevent sticking.

~Don't rinse the hot crock in cold water to help prevent cracking. Let it cool to room temperature before putting in cold water. You can wash it in hot water while it's still hot though.

~Heat varies from brand to brand. To test what your low heat temp and high heat temps are, fill your crock-pot 3/4 full of water, cover and cook on low for 8 hours (or on high for 4 hours). Stick a thermometer (the kind used for roast will work well) into the water as soon as the lid is lifted to test the temperature. It should be 180-185 degrees. If it is higher than that you will need to reduce your cooking times (newer crock-pots are manufactured to cook at a higher temp because of concerns about undercooked food poisoning) but if it is lower than that, your crock-pot may be getting old and needs to be replaced. Another way to test it is to make sure the food you are cooking has reached 140 degrees after 4 hours of cooking on low.

~In general, one hour on high heat is equal to 2 1/2 hours on low heat.

~Converting your oven recipes....

Baking Time-----------Low Heat Crock-------------High Heat Crock
15-30 min. ------------4-6 hours ------------------1 1/2-2 hours
35-40 min.------------6-10 hours------------------3-4 hours
50 min-3 hrs. ---------8-18 hours------------------4-6 hours

~Your crock-pot should be filled at least 1/2 full to ensure proper cooking. Crock-pots come in many sizes so use the right size for the right amount or double recipes when needed.

~Some recommend not cooking frozen meats at all in the crock for risk of food poisoning since the meat needs to reach a certain temp in a short amount of time. I do cook my chicken from frozen but I usually turn it on high for the first few hours and then down to low the rest of the day to speed up the initial cooking.

~If cooking with alcohol be aware that leaving the lid on traps the alcohol instead of cooking off. All foods retain a little alcohol that was used in cooking even after cooking in a skillet. Using a crock-pot will retain most of the alcohol.