| T O P I C R E V I E W |
| JessieMae |
Posted - Jan 29 2012 : 1:30:34 PM
Argh, don't you just hate it when a cookbook gives faulty instructions?
Made a pot roast today in my Crock-Pot, following the recipe in a slow-cooker cookbook. The cookbook says, "Cook on low for 6 to 8 hours." Well, it's only been about 5 hours, and the meat is shredding and the potatoes and carrots are cooked down to nothing! It looks like beef stew! 
Now I'm serving dinner an hour and a half before I planned to, which upsets my breakfast-at-six-lunch-at-noon-dinner-at-six husband. Already, he's making comments!
Jessie Mae
Farmgirl Sisterhood #134 |
| 8 L A T E S T R E P L I E S (Newest First) |
| MagnoliaWhisper |
Posted - Feb 09 2012 : 01:52:59 AM
I was menu planning tonight and came across this post, thought it may be helpful to you.
http://crockpot365.blogspot.com/2008/08/help-my-crock-pot-cooks-too-fast.html
http://www.heathersprairie.blogspot.com |
| MagnoliaWhisper |
Posted - Feb 07 2012 : 7:37:31 PM
The thing with crock pots (slow cookers unless it's a rival), is they are not like a oven. You can tell people put the oven on 350 and bake for 20 minutes, and almost every one will have a very simular result as their ovens more then likely will be close to the same temp.
With slow cookers, the temps vary according to size and age.
The older slow cookers are much lower temps then the newer ones. The larger the slow cooker the higher it's temp. And the less full you have the slow cooker the hotter it gets in there.
Unless the recipe specifies a model and/or size slow cooker, I think most assume you are using a 4 quart.
When I married I decided we would do a renascence theme, and I would serve beef stew in bread bowls, I'm not a catering type person so I made my own. My mom and I went to Walmart and decided to get the two biggest slow cookers they had. At the time I think they were either 7 or 8 quarts. Ours at home was probably 3 or 4 quarts and was from the 70's-we were still using it! lol We didn't know there was a difference in them or that they had changed so much-this was in 2001, the new ones were larger, had timers on them and best of all we though we loved the removable liners. We were using to making beef stew in our old crock pot so just went by our usual and it came out fine for the wedding.
But, then I needed to start cooking for my husband and I. I found things just didn't cook like I was used to! And recipes were burned when I went by the instructions. I finally decided to call one cookbook author and just ask exactly what kind of slow cooker she used. Found out she used a lot of models but all 4 qt ones and apparently that was the difference. And all that stuff I mentioned above, how full you have it the size, the model etc etc.
So basically unless you do the crock pot 365 blog where she tells you exactly which size slow cooker etc she uses, you either assume it's for a 4 quart, or you just kind of have to watch it carefully till you figure out what is the right temp and time for YOUR slow cooker. Cause they all seem to be vastly different.
http://www.heathersprairie.blogspot.com |
| JessieMae |
Posted - Feb 07 2012 : 5:58:16 PM
I love The Cowgirl's Cookbook! I bought it as a souvenir the last time I was in Bend, Oregon. I admit I don't cook a whole lot with it, but the few things I have tried, I've liked.
Jessie Mae
Farmgirl Sisterhood #134 |
| kristin sherrill |
Posted - Feb 07 2012 : 5:38:17 PM
I think it looks good and I bet it tasted even better. I love roast. My favorite is Pioneer Woman's pot roast. It's SO good and easy too. I haven't ever seen the cowgirl's cookbook. Sounds good though.
Kris
Happiness is simple. |
| traildancer |
Posted - Feb 07 2012 : 11:24:59 AM
Don't you just love "The Cowgirl's Cookbook"? Especially the photos and captions.
The trail is the thing.... Louis L'Amour |
| farmmilkmama |
Posted - Jan 30 2012 : 05:56:21 AM
I'm glad it turned out well (well, tasted wonderful at least!). Crockpot recipes always get me for some reason - we always have the issue of things NOT getting done. I think, like Joann said, the size of the potatoes and things are crucial to how fast it cooks. :)
--* FarmMilkMama *--
Farmgirl Sister #1086
Be yourself.
Everyone else is already taken.
-Oscar Wilde
www.farmfoodmama.blogspot.com
www.thehmmmschoolingmom.blogspot.com |
| JessieMae |
Posted - Jan 29 2012 : 4:27:23 PM
Well, it looked ugly, but it tasted wonderful. Have enough potatoes left over for a midnight snack, and have enough beef left over for "Monday Night Stew Pie" from The Cowgirl's Cookbook: Recipes for Your Home on the Range by Jill Charlotte Stanford.
Jessie Mae
Farmgirl Sisterhood #134 |
| Mountain Girl |
Posted - Jan 29 2012 : 1:45:52 PM
I'm making a pot roast in my crockpot too today. One recipe I called for said to put the potatoes in much later and I did that one time and they weren't cooked enough. I think the size you cut the potatoes is crucial also. JoAnn |
