The maker of my own undoing is a crock pot.

I made an investment. I bought a slow cooker also known as a Crock Pot(c).

I bought it because we had slow cooker cook off at work earlier this week. My Spinach and Artichoke dip slaughtered the competition. (Everyone brought different kinds of delicious chili. I only think mine's was so popular since it wasn't chili!)

So now with this investment I decided to slow roast a pork shoulder for carnitas and pulled pork sandwiches. I am home all day working. I started it at 11AM, loading the crock with the 2lb pork shoulder roast, onions, garlic, green chili salsa, bay leaves, salt, black pepper, and paprika. Three hours later I'm about ready to gnaw off my leg. The pork won't be ready until 7PM

These things should come with a warning. Do not stay at home while the device is operating. Leave and comeback 7-8 hours later to avoid eating everything in the house.

I had soba, I had salad, even nibbled on low fat string cheese. It's like I haven't eaten for a week!

I have purchased my own undoing!

I love my slow cooker it makes such great food and takes nearly zero effort. You are right though it is hard to wait when you are at home.

Originally Posted by Judith

I made an investment. I bought a slow cooker also known as a Crock Pot(c).

I bought it because we had slow cooker cook off at work earlier this week. My Spinach and Artichoke dip slaughtered the competition. (Everyone brought different kinds of delicious chili. I only think mine's was so popular since it wasn't chili!)

So now with this investment I decided to slow roast a pork shoulder for carnitas and pulled pork sandwiches. I am home all day working. I started it at 11AM, loading the crock with the 2lb pork shoulder roast, onions, garlic, green chili salsa, bay leaves, salt, black pepper, and paprika. Three hours later I'm about ready to gnaw off my leg. The pork won't be ready until 7PM

These things should come with a warning. Do not stay at home while the device is operating. Leave and comeback 7-8 hours later to avoid eating everything in the house.

I had soba, I had salad, even nibbled on low fat string cheese. It's like I haven't eaten for a week!

I have purchased my own undoing!

Does your crock pot have different settings? Some do have ones that will cook at different times.

*stomach growls*

Guess I'll have to make do with this can of beans.
*sigh*

Marvelous0ne, I have three settings. High, Low, and Warm. It also has some cool little timer so after it hits the time it automatically switches to warm.

Since this is one tough piece of meat, I'm cooking it on low.

nutnog, have you even made baby back ribs in one? I may try that one day.

No, I usually make chilli or roasts in my pot but I can't see where you could go wrong with baby back ribs in a slowcooker. If you try it be sure to let me know how it is.

Originally Posted by JVS3

*stomach growls*

Guess I'll have to make do with this can of beans.
*sigh*

WARNING! Do NOT light a match!

Originally Posted by Judith

Marvelous0ne, I have three settings. High, Low, and Warm. It also has some cool little timer so after it hits the time it automatically switches to warm.

Since this is one tough piece of meat, I'm cooking it on low.

nutnog, have you even made baby back ribs in one? I may try that one day.

Hmmm... I wonder if it would have cooked better if the meat was cut up to smaller chunks?

Crock pots are a wonderful device (especially for torturing the hungered!) My fave thing is to make chicken overnight for the use in soups, casseroles, gravies or other recipes.) The only warnings I can give from personal experience are:

Never cook anything with fine bones in it (chicken breasts for example) It tends to dissolve most of the bone, but picking out the rest is hard as the dickens and leads to the dreaded crunch in the middle of chicken pot pie.

As great as the crock pot can be for little hassle cooking, it still is best to stir it...nothing worse than scouring out burnt chili from the bottom.

Ribs in a crockpot can be delicious, but I enjoy gnawing the meat off the bone and in a crockpot they tend to fall off without any provocation and again, separating out bone is tedious.

To bring out the best flavour in your roast, always sear the sides in a frying pan first (especially if you've sauteed some and onion and garlic in it first--the meat just soaks up the flavours.)

Hope you have fun!

--rhea

We love our slow cooker. Chelsey makes some REALLY wonderful meals with it. Salsa chicken, stews, etc. And a pretty popular thing is this refried beans type stuff made with lentils (so cheap, crazy versitile, great for someone on a budget) that is awesome in a burrito, dipped with chips, or (as I found out tonight in a fit of innebriated hunger) put on a sandwich with french dip, queso dip, outsides buttered and grilled on the George Foreman.

At anyrate, we got it a year ago and it's been one of our best appliances since.

We love our slow cookers as well we own two of them.One of them is a big one which is nice for entertaining and the other is a smaller one which is perfect for the two of us. It's great to be able to throw something in there and it be done by the time we both get home from work. It's a very handy device. We also have a good sized slow cooker recipe book which we both love as well.

Thanks asharachal! It was, but it was a recipe from a cookbook so not really my recipe.

rhea, excellent suggestions as always. We should open a catering business but only cater .org functions because I could not put up with the general population again.

Is it sad that I bought another pork shoulder? I'm thinking white pork chili! But I will not be home while it cooks!!

While we are on the subject of slow cookers, my work’s next pot-luck is themed ‘Death by Chocolate!’ Can I do a chocolate fondue in my slow cooker? Maybe make it a peanut butter base? Any suggestions?

This is a really choice thread I'm not sure why I love it so much.

Originally Posted by JVS3

*stomach growls*

Guess I'll have to make do with this can of beans.
*sigh*

Judith, I think you should invite Val over to your house.


The poor guy's hungry!

Originally Posted by Judith

While we are on the subject of slow cookers, my work’s next pot-luck is themed ‘Death by Chocolate!’ Can I do a chocolate fondue in my slow cooker? Maybe make it a peanut butter base? Any suggestions?

I wouldn't do a chocolate fondue in a crock pot (If you're not careful, chocolate has this nasty way of seizing up. )


I would suggest using a double boiler.

My parents love the crock pot.

You can prepare it in the morning before work and have dinner waiting for you on your return!

Originally Posted by Mirage

Judith, I think you should invite Val over to your house.


The poor guy's hungry!

I think he's afraid I would not let him leave. Not only would I have control over the Other Forum but the whole website as well.

Originally Posted by Mirage

I wouldn't do a chocolate fondue in a crock pot (If you're not careful, chocolate has this nasty way of seizing up. )


I would suggest using a double boiler.

I don't have a double boiler or access to one at work... what if I melt it slowly before the event in the microwave and then just left the crock pot on warm during the event. I won't leave it on for hours... I actually hope there is not chocolate left after hours.

I still don't know about leaving it on all day.

I may do that Chicago con.
If it's the folks running the SDCC and NYCC show, it may bring back the glory of the Chicago show!
With the dawn of MOTUC and the movie on the horizon (hopefully), could this be a dawn of a new gathering of old friends???

Originally Posted by asharachal

judith.. maybe if the new april chicago con takes off and val comes up for that, we can all have an .org crock pot pot luck in the hotel rooms

Originally Posted by JVS3

I may do that Chicago con.
If it's the folks running the SDCC and NYCC show, it may bring back the glory of the Chicago show!
With the dawn of MOTUC and the movie on the horizon (hopefully), could this be a dawn of a new gathering of old friends???

That would totally rock out!! I'll bring the Spinach and Artichoke dip!

Originally Posted by Judith

I don't have a double boiler or access to one at work...

Most people make one using a Pyrex bowl and a pot of boiling water.

It also comes in handy when making custards (We don't want our creme brulee being reduced to scrambled eggs now, do we? )