I remember the first time I learned about crock pots and what they were used for. When I was growing up I watched a lot of food network with my parents and I remember a specific scene of a large family surrounding the stove top. I could tell it wasn’t their first time making a slow-cooker dish. They explained how to use an instant-read thermometer and they emphasized how important food safety is. One of my favorite things about this episode was how they were able to use inexpensive cuts of meat because their methods of seasoning were good enough to make the meal taste fantastic! I knew we had to try it out so I asked my mom to give it a shot. My mom always meticulously chose the perfect cut of meat for our slow-cooker meals, which is why her meals have always been the best. For our first-ever slow cooker meal, my mom learned how to make a pot roast with vegetables.
This was the best-slow-cooked meal I have ever had, (and best pot roast) although it had a long cooking process. My mom would prepare the meal and make it in the morning. My mom made it in her slow cooker pot and added delicate vegetables and the right cut of a pot roast. She always made sure to give the meat plenty of time to cook, and the extended time waiting was worth it. The best advice I can give is to give those extra minutes to your recipes for the most efficient cooking. Once I would get home from school the house would smell delicious and it always made me so hungry! My mom explained to me that the food was not ready yet, but once we ate it would be so worth it. I would do my homework in my room, and patiently wait until dinner was ready! Once it was ready I would quickly set the table, gather the drinks, and help serve the dishes to my family. We all were able to enjoy this delicious meal that my mother had made. I was always quick to remind my family that the slow cooker was originally MY idea!
Once I was around 16 years old I showed interest in cooking meals myself and my mom taught me. At first I thought it was going to be difficult to learn but I quickly got the hang of it. The hardest part was gathering the ingredients, and then I learned that you can pretty much just throw them together! Some recipes I have learned through the years are more advanced, and some are more simple. That is the beauty of the crock pot, it can be used for so many different types of meals! I have many years of experience using slow cookers and I am confident that I can share my experience in the tips below.
You can view many slow cooker recipes on our site, these recipes vary from meals with dairy products (like sour cream and parmesan cheese) to meals with root vegetables and fresh herbs. Slow cookers are easy to use but there are many tips below that you may not know about. These tips are great for anyone using a crock pot. No matter what kind of recipe you are using, these slow cooker tips will be a good idea to use!
1. High on most slow cooker is approximately 300 degrees F. Low is approximately 200 degrees F.
2. One hour on high equals about 2 to 2 1/2 hours on low
3. When using your crock pot… DON’T PEEK! It takes about 15 to 20 minutes for the crock pot to regain lost steam and return to the right temperature.
4. Browning the meat, onions, and veggies before putting them in the cooker improves their flavor. This extra step can be skipped in most recipes. – The flavor will still taste good either way.
5. Whole or leaf herbs gain flavor in the crock pot. Ground seasonings lose flavor. Add ground seasoning during the last hour and season to taste right before serving.
6. Slow Cookers work wonders for a side dish! One of my favorites are baked potatoes. Just fill the slow cooker with cleaned potatoes, place the lid on and cook all day until done. Peel them after they are cooked. You could use them for a potato salad or even just baked potatoes.
7. Liquids don’t boil down in a slow cooker. At the end of the cooking time, remove the cover, set the dial on High and allow the liquid to evaporate if the dish is soupier than you want
8. Less tender, and less expensive cuts of meat are better suited for slow cooking. When cooked on low for 6 to 8 hours makes the meat is much more tender compared to cooking on High for 3 to 4 hours.
9. Cooking with your crock pot is a great was to keep your house cool in the summer. My favorite part of cooking with the slow cooker is that it makes your house smell amazing all day long!
10. Using Crock Pot Liners make for a super easy clean up and it doesn’t effect the cooking of your crock pot. You can find these liners at most grocery stores. If you don’t have any liners, cooking spray will also make clean up easier.
11. Foods cooked on the bottom of the slow cooker are cooked faster than those on top. This also makes the food on the bottom more tender. I usually put my meat and veggies in first unless the recipes says otherwise.
12. Cut hard Vegetables so they are close to the same size. This way they will all cook evenly.
13. Add tender veggies during the last hour of cooking. (Tomatoes, Mushrooms, Zucchini, etc) If you add them before hand they might over cook and turn really mushy.
14. Foods in your crock pot do not cook properly if they are filled all the way to the top. When your Crock pot is 1/2 way full to 3/4 of the way full, your food will cook better. If your crock pot if less than half full, cooking time will be faster and could burn.
15. Find a Slow Cooker that works for you. There are so many kinds and brands out there. Do some research before buying one. Chances are… your friends and family have crock pots so ask them what they like.
Thanks for some great tips 🙂 I really must start using my slow cooker more!
http://Www.jbseatsandtreats.blogspot.com
Wonderful tips Kristen! I just purchased your 25 Favorite Recipes – can’t wait to try them 🙂 Enjoy the weekend.
Any suggestions to keep your meat from going dry when cooked in the crock pot?
I love your blog! You’re all so BEAUTIFUL! I tried your Brown sugar chicken. It is so delicious!
~Jeneka
loveforbuttercups.com
I think it all depends on your meal that you are making, how long you cook it for, and how hot you have it.
Meat is a lot more tender when I use a lower temperature and cook it for 6 to 8 hours. Hope this helps!
Thanks for these tips! I’ve been becoming close friends with my crockpot over the last year, but didn’t know some of these things.
Great tips! However, I’ve quit using the liners. I can’t imagine that it’s good to cook in thin plastic all day long. Good to know the approximate temperatures. I always wondered about that.
Thanks for crockpot tips. I use mine year round but during the cooler months I like to make soups and casseroles.
I love my crock pot! It keeps my kitchen cool during the summer and when I’m worn out at the end of a long day, dinner is already done!
Yee-haw for crockpots!
LOVE these tips! So simple, yet so helpful. Perfect for all the busy moms out there that use their slow-cooker more than their oven (guilty!) 😀 Thanks for sharing, ladies!
You say not to peek while food is cooking, yet how then do you add vegetables at a later point in the cooking?
I LOVE LOVE LOVE your site and recipes! I am currently cooking a pork shoulder roast in the crock pot and need it to be done in 6 hours, but the recipe calls for at least 8 on low. I know at some point, I will need to switch it to HI to get it done, so should it be HI first, then switch to LO after a few hours, or LO first and switch to HI for the last few hours?
I don’t know which would be better. Your meat will be tender when you are able to do it on low for a longer amount of time. But you need to be sure your meat will be done in six hours. I’ve done it both ways when crunched for time. We are open to any expert advice from our blogging viewers! I would start on LO and then switch to HI. Best of luck to you! -The Six Sisters
That is fine to add your vegetables. That was suggesting that you don’t peek constantly all day long to check on it by lifting the lid. It will take the food longer to cook because it will have to keep reheating.
Thank you! I agree — I am starting on Low and switching to HI. I think the meat will have a better chance at getting tender if it starts on low…
hi i was wondering exactly which crock pot you use? thank you
Some of the sisters have a Rival crock pot. Some of us have Hamilton Beach. One sister has Crock Pot brand. They are all pretty good. We like the 6 or 8 quart size.
My chicken always comes out mushy even when I do it on low for 4 hours with or without liquid… any tips?
If recipe does not specify do you just put meat in raw…
We try to tell you when to cook the meat before hand. But ususally with slow cookers the meat cooks during the cooking time.
I’m cooking the garlic chicken with lime soda. I looked and almost half the juice is gone in the chicken is not covered fully. Should I add some more liquid? I was hoping to cook on high for 4 hours. Its been in for about an hour and a half and I turn it down to low. I was thinking maybe I should add some chicken broth or will the chicken still cook? This is my first time using a crock pot!
I would cook it on low. When you cook on low you will have moister meat/chicken. It’s ok if the chicken is not fully covered. But you could add a little more liquid if you feel like it will be totally gone. It will still cook just fine if you add a little more liquid. We had plenty of liquid to make a glaze at the end of the cooking time.
Thank you very much for helpful tips. Can you share cleaning tips.
Suganya@http://www.bestcrockpot365.com
Hello, I would just like to comment that using a plastic slow cooker liner to cook your food is not very safe for the same reason you should not microwave food in plastic containers. Chemicals can leach into the food. Yes convenient but better to use a little elbow grease than eat harmful chemicals. Thanks.
Just stumbled across this because I wondered when to add greens to crockpot soup recipes. (I like to buy the premixed salad packs with chopped cabbage, kale, spinach etc. for soup use and throw the fixins away.) I suspect most greens are part of the “tender veggies” category you mention, but I’m not sure about cabbage?
So happy to have run across your site!
Cabbage would fall under the “tender veggies” too.
Ahh, thank you for the quick response!
I was searching for an answer about using the plastic liners. I have been using them for years but wondered if it was emitting chemicals into the food, Found a few comments, so glad I discovered this site. I too am one of six sisters, two brothers, we all love to share what we cook with pictures and recipes.
I was wondering about cooking times my recipe calls to cook 6-7 hrs on low however by the time I get home from work it will be cooking 10-11 hrs. Is this a problem? What can I do to adjust the recipe so it doesn’t dry out or burn. Thanks.
Depending on the recipe, some chicken recipes say you can put frozen chicken breasts in the slow cooker, that buys you a little time. You can also purchase slow cooker where you can set the timer and delay the start time for a few hours and the food is still cold in the slow cooker, so it’s safe.
Hi,
Every time I cook frozen vegetables in my crock pot; for example: tonight’s broccolli and chicken, my vegetables turn to mush. What am I doing wrong?
Letty
Some vegetables cook really fast in the slow cooker and don’t need as much time as the meat. You can add them during the last hour or so of cooking. Another trick is to cut them a little thicker (or use bigger pieces of some veggies) so they take a little longer to cook. Refer to tip #13 in the post about veggies. We hope this helps.
I am cooking beef stew with red potatoes an onion & baby carrots. I am having trouble finding a specific recommendation for when to add the veggies so they are not mushy. The cooking time is 10 hours. When do you suggest I add the vegetables?
Am doing a larger pot roast for a big crowd at Christmas, do I need to add time to the recipe? Don’t want it to not be done in time for the meal.
Thanks!
You didn’t say how big your pot roast is and if you are adding other ingredients or vegetables to cook with it. Here are a few websites that might be able to help you with your slow cooker time.
http://www.crock-pot.com/service-and-support/product-support/product-faqs/help-and-how-to-use/cooking-tips/help-and-how-to-use-cooking-tips-faq.html
https://blogs.extension.iastate.edu/answerline/2014/02/06/slow-cookers-times-temperatures-and-techniques/
Try slow cooking apples, onions,and pork chops in a crock pot. Delicious!
4 granny Smith washed apples quarter and cored.
4-6 de-boned loin Chops thick cut or de-boned pork chops thick cut.
1 large onion sliced, sauted with margarine until brown, and translucent.
4-5 cups dark btown Apple juice. During harvest time (fall) Apple Cider can be used instead.
1 table spoon of light brown sugar.
Place in crock pot cool on low for 8-10 hours. Serve over buttered noodles with a toss salad. Delicious!
I am new to slow cooker so researched trying to cover all angles. I cooked chicken thighs with a packet of butter chicken , I added red potato cut to 1/2″ thick, laid it on bottom carrots on top then chicken. Tested it at 6 hours on low as i was not wanting chicken to be mushy, tried potatoes, but were still to hard lid back on and left for another 2 1/2 hrs . Potatoes perfect and chicken was also juicy and tender not went to mush, Hope this helps
Bill
I love my crockpot so much for making our meals!. My family’s favorite is a breakfast casserole that I toss in it late Christmas Eve (like 10 PM or 11). Not only does the house smell so wonderful when we get up early on Christmas Day, but I get to spend my time enjoying watch the kids and grandkids open their presents and NOT have to be in the kitchen cooking breakfast. I also use it a lot for supper. I’ve cooked fajitas, chicken, roasts, etc. in it.