Crockpot cooking for one?

iVillage Member
Registered: 03-22-2005
Crockpot cooking for one?
10
Sun, 04-10-2005 - 7:02pm
I just purchased my first crockpot, even though the weather is warming up and crockpots are great for preparing comfort food. I'm really liking this idea of short prep time and leaving it for the day, coming home to a warm dinner. It's hard to cook for one sometimes. Has anyone had any bad experiences with crockpots? Are they really safe to leave up to 8 to 10 hours at home? I bought a 5-ingredient slow cooker recipe book, and I'm liking the healthy and easy cooking already.
iVillage Member
Registered: 01-21-2005
Sun, 04-10-2005 - 8:13pm

Crockpots are great! And totally safe to leave on all day without being there. :) You said you are cooking for one, but here is what I would do if I was just feeding myself: I would cook the recipe just as it is..usually it's for atleast 4 servings...and just freeze the other servings, individually, for another day! Super fast and super easy. :) Most things freeze very well. Even pot roast w/ potatoes can be frozen and altho the potatoes get a little but mushy, it's still very very good. You can pop a frozen bag into the microwave...or you can let it thaw out slowly in the fridge. I love to double recipes for my family of 5...just so I can freeze some for a later date. I have a cookbook called "Fix it and Forget it" that I got at Sam's...and it's all crockpot recipes...very good ones too. You are going to love having a crockpot! Let us know how you like it!

Kim

iVillage Member
Registered: 04-19-2004
Mon, 04-11-2005 - 10:36am
Crock pots are the best. I use mine whenever I can. One great thing is to throw in a bunch of chicken legs, cover with bbq sauce and water and let cook all day. The meat just gets infused with the taste and it falls off the bone. YUMMY!
iVillage Member
Registered: 03-19-2003
Mon, 04-11-2005 - 12:28pm
...just wanted to say hi and welcome to the board! I don't have a crock-pot, but it's funny you should ask about them- I was just looking at them last week and mulling over the idea of getting one. Maybe I just might....

~IslandGirl


*** Moderation Is Key ***


_____________________________________________________

iVillage Member
Registered: 04-05-2005
Mon, 04-11-2005 - 1:23pm

Crockpots are a dream if you don't want to slave over a stove on a 100°

iVillage Member
Registered: 04-30-2003
Mon, 04-11-2005 - 1:41pm

oh get this. My mom bought me one, while they were in Hawaii. LOL. I have yet to use it...and that was YEARS ago. I have some sort of cookbook, but I'll have to find some more healthier ones.


Are the cookbooks that ppl have listed, healthy?





my pet!

iVillage Member
Registered: 01-28-2005
Mon, 04-11-2005 - 2:08pm

I love my crockpot... in fact it's cooking RIGHT NOW!

I put a taco mix and a pound+ of groud turkey in yesterday... had burritos for dinner with no greasy steamy mess... I then left it plugged in after dinner, threw in a couple of chicken breasts (bnls/sknls) overnight and have lunch for today. I've done that a couple of times (the back to back) and it turns out fine... just keep the pot in and there are no 'issues'.

I don't do recipes... just add a 'flavor', a meat, a vegetable and sometimes a starch. Just plug it in and let it go.

If you don't want to cook an entire pot, get a small crock pot... I have a lg and a small... love em both.

Lynn

iVillage Member
Registered: 10-26-2004
Mon, 04-11-2005 - 4:09pm

I have a small crockpot, but it still makes enough for several meals. I like that I have more than one meal after cooking with it. I can eat the leftovers throughout the week, or freeze some. They're great for cooking something like bone in chicken breasts. I take the skin off then put them in with some seasonings. After the chicken is done, you can make soup from the stock. If you use a rice in the soup, it does tend to suck up the liquid though. My last chicken rice veggie soup turned out more like a casserole, but I am not a big broth fan anyway. I also like to make potatoe soup in mine. You can do chili too.

Even if you don't want to make a soup, it's a good way to cook meat like chicken in the summer because you don't have the oven or stove heating up the area. And it is indeed safe to leave on while at work or whatever, and it's done when you get home, so nice.

Lorie

lorie6-26-09.png Lorie 6-26-09 picture by runningwomen

iVillage Member
Registered: 03-19-2003
Mon, 04-11-2005 - 10:22pm

You know after reading all these positive comments about them I think I might just HAVE to get one....things are heating up here already (83F in my living room right now!!) so that aspect of it really appeals to me ;-)


How about you Nadine?? You getting one too? :-)

~IslandGirl


*** Moderation Is Key ***


_____________________________________________________

iVillage Member
Registered: 01-21-2005
Tue, 04-12-2005 - 10:29am

I posted a healthy crock-pot recipe down below in the recipe section. :)

Kim

iVillage Member
Registered: 03-22-2005
Sun, 04-17-2005 - 6:19pm
Hello: Thanks for all the replies about the crockpot. Mine's working for me right now. I just threw in some chicen breasts and some pasta sauce with mushrooms. I'll freeze leftover's. It's easy and the chicken cooked in this tastes incredible. It's moist and it shreds to eat. Very good.