(Part 2) Best products from r/slowcooking

For most people the best one is the one at a garage sale or Goodwill for $5. Can't beat that, it's what I did and i've had great results. If you really want the best of the best however, that's without a doubt the Instant Pot. It makes just about everything under the sun along with slow cooking. Best part is it has a stainless steel bowl so you can brown meat and get a good sear before you slow cook it, all in one pot. And if you don't have all day to cook something it's a great pressure cooker. Along with rice, yogurt etc.

That being said you definitely don't need to spend $100 on a slow cooker either. Something like This would be great, as long as 4 quarts isn't too small for you (best for 1-2 people, not for a whole family)

Scientifically speaking, what causes tough cuts of meat to turn into tender, falling apart goodness is the breakdown of collagen. Cook collagen too quickly and it gets tough. Cook it to too low an internal temperature and it never breaks down.

So, how slow do we need to cook the meat? Conventionally, your slow cooker should cook at about 215 degrees Fahrenheit, just above the boiling point of water at sea level. This is why your liquid simmers in a lovely way creating that awesome sauce down at the bottom of the pot. This is slow enough to keep the collagen from cooking too quickly. If you ever try your hand at smoking meat, this is about the temperature you should shoot for.

Collagen begins to break down at an internal temp of 160 degrees Fahrenheit and the process works even better when the meat reaches an internal temperature of 180F. I have left pork shoulder in my smoker until it reached an internal temp of 200F and it pulled beautifully and was not dry at all.

If you are wondering how best to monitor the internal temperature of your meats, I recommend a probe thermometer. A good model will have a wire running from the probe to a digital display thermometer, like [this] (http://www.amazon.com/Kuissential-Digital-Thermometer-Timer-Cooking/dp/B00MMT3VGW/ref=sr_1_15?ie=UTF8&qid=1427810991&sr=8-15&keywords=instant+probe+thermometer). Insert the probe into the thickest part of the meat before cooking and use it to monitor your meat's internal temperature throughout the entire cooking process. This will also help you learn to estimate about how long certain sizes and cuts need to cook before reaching the desired internal temp

TL;DR Cook your meat until it reads at least 180F at the thickest part. Don't worry if it goes over that temp, collagen gives you a lot of great flavor and juiciness in the meat as long as you let it do its work.

I'm really enjoying Not Your Mother's Slow Cooker Cookbook and Not Your Mother's Slow Cooker Recipes for Two (which I'm in fact looking at right now). They have some good information at the beginning about how to use a slow cooker, and what sort of food you should have on hand (building your pantry).


My best advice is to build a pantry of common food items (herbs & spices, sauces, etc), and then start practicing cooking based on simple recipes. If she's encountering terms that she's unfamiliar with, encourage her to Google them. Most people don't start out being good cooks; they just keep practicing and experimenting they're making tastier and more sophisticated meals.


Also, encourage her to watch as you cook, and as you're cooking, explain what you're doing and why you're doing it.

Browning the meat means using your stove to brown it (not fully cook, just brown the outside) before putting it in the slow cooker. Drying the pork means patting it dry with paper towels or something before putting it in the slow cooker.

Browning the meat is not fully necessary, but it will add an extra depth of flavor. It'll taste better if you do this step, but if you don't have time and just throw it into the slow cooker, it'll still cook through and you'll still have a tasty dinner. I skip that step all the time when I'm in a rush.

I highly recommend the Slow Cooker Revolution and Slow Cooker Revolution 2: Easy Prep cookbooks from America's Test Kitchen. For two reasons: One, their recipes are awesome. Two, they actually explain why you do certain steps and what the results will be so you can better understand what you're doing. Helped me to branch off from just using recipes to inventing my own. If you're looking for quick recipes, I'd go with SCR2 as the prep is much quicker for those recipes than in the first.

If you are looking for a cookbook I recommend the America's Test Kitchen Healthy Slow Cooker Revolution I've made a bunch out of here and posted most of them that are really good.

Thai Style Chicken and Coconut Soup
Teriyaki Pork Tenderloin - My Favorite
Thai Eggplant Curry
Chinese Barbecue Chicken
Sweet and Tangy Pulled Chicken



I also haveAmerican Heart Association Healthy Slow Cooker Cookbook: 200 Low-Fuss, Good-for-You Recipes and made a good Jerk Pork Loin with Mango Salsa from here. I like the cookbooks because they give you the nutritional information.

Also Slow Cooker Tortilla Soup is a good one

My two favorites are, chicken thighs/breasts + cream of mushroom soup + packet of onion dip mix. Eat it over rice ( it makes a fantastic gravy ) with veggies as a side.

Chicken breasts/de boned chicken thighs + 1 can coconut milk + good drizzle of honey, + 3-4 big spoonfuls of peanut butter + 1-2 cubes of curry powder ( i like this brand, green or gold work nicely ) + a few tbsp of thai red or green curry paste ( i usually use green ). Usually had 1-2 yellow/orange peppers as well. Such a good an easy curry to make.

I recently picked up this model, and have been quite happy with it.

My old, cheap, and very useful crock pot died a couple months back, and I was on the fence between getting another solid, cheap one, or spending a bit more on one that was stove-top safe. I am glad I spent more.

The big challenge in using a slow cooker is developing flavour depth, and browning food before putting it in the pot helps a bunch. However, browning in a pan, and then adding the stuff to the pot, defeats the one-pot-super-easy ethos of crock pots. I think it's worth it to pay a bit more for a stove-top safe model for that reason.

So, I recommend the Crock-Pot SCCPVI600-S.

I find this slow cooker perfect for small batch cooking. It is big enough to make dinner for my husband, middle school daughter and a toddler, sometimes with a serving of leftovers for my husband's lunch the next day. (I often have separate food because allergies) I work out of state for my summer job and I use it to cook single servings for me as well. I can fit a couple of chicken breasts or 3-4 boneless thighs, a small beef roast for shredded beef sandwiches or a little pot roast, or a piece of pork shoulder to make pulled pork. It's also a great size for spinach artichoke dip, which I should not eat as a meal, but sometimes I do.

I like that it has a removable crock (some in that size do not) and mine has good temperature control - my Mom has a smaller one that seems to only really get warm enough to heat dip, not warm enough to actually cook.

Rinsing your rice can help, and buy a better (e.g. Zojirushi) rice cooker.

I own this one, which is perfect if you don't make more than 2 cups of rice at a time... And it can make as little as 1/2 a cup.

http://www.amazon.com/Zojirushi-NS-LAC05XT-Cooker-Warmer-Stainless/dp/B005FVROW6/

There are other good brands too. It's just that a 20 dollar rice cooker is like a 20 dollar blender; just not worth it.

Wow. That seems a lot to spend on a slow cooker. I can't think of any that are unsafe.

The Ninja seems pretty cool.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B0093MRWJS?pc_redir=1412516198&robot_redir=1

Personally I'd like a slow cooker that has a latch down top for transport and has some programing features. Something like this.
Hamilton Beach 33969A Set 'n Forget Programmable Slow Cooker, 6-Quart https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00EZI26GO/ref=cm_sw_r_awd_JFKoub0NQ90J3

A small fully functional pot like this would be superb, or consider one of the 3qt Instant Pots.
Googling slow cooker recipes for one or two generates more results than you'll ever be able to get through😀😀 and of course you can scale down any recipe in a small crock.
Some halved little potatoes with frozen sliced onions and peppers topped with a small meatloaf or a couple chicken thighs.
Overnight steel cut oats with nuts and dried fruits.
You may need to divide up ingredients and freeze portions for easy prep later. I'll bet there are weekly meal prep guides for one or two.

https://www.theleangreenbean.com/easy-slow-cooker-dinner-recipes-for-a-single-guy/
https://greatist.com/eat/time-saving-crock-pot-recipes.
https://www.tasteofhome.com/collection/crockpot-recipes-for-two/
https://recipes.sparkpeople.com/great-recipes.asp?food=recipes+for+one+person+slow+cooker

This is one thing about crockpot cooking that you just have to learn to work around. It's due to the nature of the slow cooker. Over the long cooking period, foods like meat and vegetables give off a lot of water. Since the slow cooker is a closed environment, that water has no place to go -- any that evaporates or boils off just condenses on the lid and drips back in. To my mind, you have three choices.

1. Flavor the liquid. Use salt/pepper/spices to season the liquid so that it's palatable. When you see recipes that call for onion soup or powdered ranch dressing, that's the point. I don't like this approach because you almost never need that much liquid, and it takes a lot of seasoning to make that stuff taste good. I personally don't use seasoning packets or premade mixes.
   
   
2. Thicken the liquid. Using either tomato paste or cornstarch or a roux. Usually you would remove the meat and the vegetables and cook the liquid with the thickening agent until the desired consistency is reached. Season to taste. This is what you want if you're going for a gravy or a thick sauce.
   
   
3. Concentrate the liquid. Again, isolate the liquid from the solids but this time just bring it to a boil and let that flavor concentrate. (You may want to use a fat separator to reduce the amount of fat in the liquid depending on what you've cooked.) You may need to reduce the total volume by half or more. Add salt and pepper to taste. Use this method if you want an au jus or dipping sauce.
   
   Try playing around with these methods. The last two add a bit more work, but I think that you'll find the results are well worth it.

I'll be downvoted to oblivion because of the InstantPot cult, but those devices don't allow for stove top use.

This one is stove-top friendly, and is almost half the price. I did a cursory search and found a few that are stove-top friendly. You may have to search a bit deeper to find one that fits the size you're looking for. I googled "stove-top slow cooker"

I have a Hamilton Beach that works really well for a basic cooker. I also have this one which I love and you can brown in it as well as slow cook. You can definitely find it cheaper elsewhere, I got mine for $99 at a club store. http://www.amazon.com/Ninja-3-in-1-Cooking-System-MC701/dp/B0093MRWJS/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1419808121&sr=8-1&keywords=ninja+3-in-one

In case you'd like a slightly simpler preparation, I've found that I can make a very good butter chicken with this paste, a can of tomato sauce, some half and half and a little bit of sugar. It's cheap and it turns out great!

shred that same pork, put it on a cookie sheet in a 400 degree oven for about 20 minutes to crisp up, slap it on some warm corn tortillas and top with home made pico de gallo, and you have awesome carnitas. i make them like this all the time. you can also marinade the pork in Mojo Criollo for 24 hours prior to cooking.

http://www.amazon.com/Goya-Criollo-Marinade-24-Ounce-Bottle/dp/B00032CV8O

I have this book and I think its the best-of-the-best. Unfortunately, a lot of the recipes have more steps or are more complicated, but each recipe has some tips on why they think it does well in the slow cooker that could be transferrable to other recipes.

I find slow cooker meat only really works in scenarios where you're OK with shredded meat. And it can definitely dry out/over cook.

Every recipe I have made from The Indian Slow Cooker. Especially "Dad's Rajmah." I won best vegetarian chili at a chili cookoff with 600+ attendees with that recipe.

This is the one recommended by America's Test Kitchen. You can find it at Target for about $100 at the moment.

On the other hand, I have a large $30 one that I've been using for years that I'm very happy with. So you have a real choice.

The Slow Cook Book by Heather Whinney. Everything I've tried from it has been delicious. As well as slow cooker methods it gives an alternative method for stove top or oven which is handy if you're short on time. As you're looking for from scratch books this will be up your street as most of the recipes require fresh ingredients and some degree of preparation.

I have previously posted a couple of recipes I made from the book on this sub.

Beef Rendang

Thai Green Chicken Curry

As others said, it should still work totally fine without the clamps. That said, my mum gifted me this hamilton beach slow cooker which is currently on sale for 30 bucks on amazon. It's made me some pretty good meals.

I've only made one recipe from it as I just got it last week, and it took me a while to eat through all that vindaloo, so I'm afraid I can't give you a detailed review. Give me another few weeks, though, I have a feeling I will be making a lot more Indian food...

The vindaloo recipe is actually visible if you go to Amazon and look inside to page 114, the alterations I made to it were just substituting peppers and accidentally adding far too little ginger. If you'd like me to type it up I can when I get home.

I'm curious, though, where have you seen uneven reviews for it? I only looked on Amazon, and it's got very positive reviews there.

After reading a ton of Amazon reviews, I believe Proctor-Silex brand slow cookers seem to be a little more "old school" compared to the other brands, in that they don't get quite as hot.

My 4-quart PS cooker is my go-to slow cooker, the best of about 7 other cookers I've tried, mostly Crockpot brand. It comes closest to my mom's 30 year old cooker in terms of heat levels. (I upgraded from a 3-quart Proctor-Silex, which was also good with heat levels)

EDIT: This is the 4-quart model I have.

Idiots guide to slow cooker cooking and slow cooker revolution volume 2 have some easy prep recipes. Browning (or sautéing) means pre cooking the food for a few minute before you put it in the slow cooker. It's not necessary but from my experience it adds a lot if flavor and is worth it. It'll bind the spices to the food better. For this reason I upgraded my slow cooker to this one. It can saute and even steam food right in the cooker. I found myself using my slow cooker sometimes twice a day so for me I didn't mind spending the extra money.

I got this one about 3 years ago and I'm pretty happy with it:


http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00B7N00JU/ref=mp_s_a_1_7?qid=1462802831&sr=8-7&pi=AC_SX236_SY340_FMwebp_QL65&keywords=hamilton+beach+slow+cooker&dpPl=1&dpID=41GxlKhf7IL&ref=plSrch


It's got warm, low, and high settings, and a timer for 2 ,4 ,6 ,8 , or 10 hours (you can always hit a button on it to add an additional 2 hours onto the existing time if need be), after which point it defaults to the warm setting. 38 bucks plus shipping, not sure if it's Prime eligible.

I'm pretty sure they make turkey roasters that also slowcook

e: like this https://www.amazon.com/Oster-CKSTRS23-SB-Roaster-22-Qt-Stainless/dp/B00CQLJESK

Definitely check out Slow Cooker Revolution Volume 2: The Easy Prep Edition by America's Test Kitchen. Totally worth it.

• 3 lbs frozen chicken breasts
  
• 2 lbs frozen vegetables (e.g., harvest hodgepodge)
  
• 3.5 oz curry paste (e.g., butter chicken curry paste)
  
• about 1 cup water
  
  Add the chicken and vegetables to the pot, use the water to loosely dissolve the curry paste, and then pour the soupy paste-and-water mixture into the pot.
  
  It comes out like a very, very chunky sauce which is best served over rice or pasta.

I got this one https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00B7N00JU/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

It was only $6 more for the "programmable" features (using that term loosely) compared to the best seller / amazon recommended.

If you like Indian food (much of it healthy), I recommend this book. (Not affiliated with it in any way, just like it): https://www.amazon.com/Indian-Slow-Cooker-Healthy-Authentic/dp/1572841117

Yeah, no. Slow cookers are for braises. Chicken/beef/pork/whatever parts, in a liquid, to get it nice and tender like a stew. Slow cooking is traditionally for tough cuts of meat to make them more palateable, that you can leave running unattended while you're out for the day. Something like beef stew, chili, pulled pork, pulled chicken, etc.

You're looking for a roaster, not a slow cooker. Something like this:

https://www.amazon.com/Oster-CKSTRS23-SB-22-Quart-Self-Basting-Stainless/dp/B00CQLJESK

I use an oil separator pretty successfully on other recipes.

Not your Mother's Slow Cooker cookbook. https://www.amazon.com/Your-Mothers-Slow-Cooker-Cookbook/dp/1558322450

The authors have done a couple different books, they're all pretty good.

yeah, theres a device thats used to seperate fat from drippings. it looks like this.

what i do is, i pour the hot (but not boiling) gravy into a zip lock freezer bag. then i "hang" the bag in the fridge. you dont want it to keep getting jostled, you just want it to remain exactly upright and stretched out. this basically amounted to hanging it off of one shelf and weighing it down with a gallon of milk.

the fat goes up, the gravy goes down. then you cut a corner off of the bag and let the gravy portion pour out, and pinch it shut/tip it when the fat gets to the bottom.

you can use it the same way you use bacon fat. also, in ramen and other soups, you can take a tsp or so of it and mix it into 1 cup of soup for some added richness and flavor.

It's not carnitas, but close enough

1 pork loin, between 4-5lbs.

1 Bottle of Mojo Criollo. Check in the Latin foods section or with other Goya products.


2-3 spoonfulls of minced garlic

1 lime


One whole yellow onion and jalepeno, cut up


Put the pork loin, mojo criollo and garlic in a container to marinate overnight, at least 8 hours. Next morning put the pork loin and the marinade in the cooker. Add the onion and jalepeno, and the juice of the lime. Cook on low heat for at least 8 hours. 10 hours is better. When it's done, pull the pork out but save the juices.


Turn the broiler on in your oven on high heat. Shred the pork (should fall apart easily). Put it on a baking sheet, and pour some of the juices over it. You don't want to drown it, just keep it moist. Put in the broiler for 3-4 minutes, just so it gets a good crisp.

https://www.amazon.com/Oster-Self-Basting-22-Quart-Stainless-CKSTRS23-SB-D/dp/B00CQLJESK/ref=pd_aw_sbs_79_1?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=B00CQLJESK&pd_rd_r=c2257cbe-df59-11e8-92bb-55b31992fc92&pd_rd_w=XstXb&pd_rd_wg=lFAOw&pf_rd_i=mobile-dp-sims&pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_p=926ebe02-3236-40c6-ac63-01ad178f498a&pf_rd_r=95ZXEV68PSTW8R19NX3S&pf_rd_s=mobile-dp-sims&pf_rd_t=40701&psc=1&refRID=95ZXEV68PSTW8R19NX3S

This may be what you are looking for. I want one for cooking the Xmas roast so it frees up my oven. There are some more on Amazon, so look around. Hope this helps!

Check out amazon, if your still looking, the 3 quart is 59.99 and the 6 quart is 79.99. The three quart would be perfect for you.

​

link: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01MFEBQH1/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

I have Not Your Mothers Slowcooker Cookbook and I like it. It was also only $5 when I bought it.

Lots of variety, easy recipes. Check it out.

I realize that this is not made in a slowcooker, but if you don't have the ingredients to make this (I don't), this is a very good alternative:

Butter Chicken Curry

My time to shine This isn't slowcooking, but those packets make really good butter chicken in less than 30 min. The wife and I have that at least once every two weeks.

It is a problem, and some folks here don't care, but overcooking stuff is an issue for a lot of pots IMO. I had a crock pot model that was horrible about overcooking.

I found this model to be spot on temp wise:

http://amzn.com/B005MMNBDO

Most of the complaints about it are about lids breaking, I haven't had that issue, great crock pot. Very good on temp. Other reviews (Cooks Illustrated) also noted the temp was spot on.

We cook a lot of beans in the crock pot. It's super easy to do - soak the beans in water overnight in the fridge and then turn the crockpot on in the morning on low with beans + veggies. When you get home 8 hours later voila! We cook some bacon when it's done and chop that to add sometimes. Mine has a timer that allows me to set it for 8 hours on low (or high). It then reverts to keep warm. I would suggest this cookbook for some tasty options. I checked it out from my local library before buying a copy. When I make beans I usually do 2 cups of beans and 6 cups of water. Black eyed peas are great because they require no soaking beforehand. DO NOT do this with kidney beans though. They have a poisonous ingredient that requires boiling on the stove.

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00032CV8O/ref=sr_ph?ie=UTF8&qid=1425313914&sr=1&keywords=mojo

(yes you could probably make your own, but I grew up with this stuff and I find it simple enough to pour a cup of it in with a pork butt and call it a day - quick and easy, as slowcooking should be)

Have you considered a Ninja Cooking System? I love mine.

It is like a crockpot but it can do so much more with its stovetop settings.

http://www.amazon.com/Ninja-3-in-1-Cooking-System-MC701/dp/B0093MRWJS/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1407713043&sr=8-1&keywords=ninja+cooking+system

Might buy this one as my first crock pot when I move out https://www.amazon.com/KitchenAid-KSC6223SS-6-Qt-Cooker-Standard/dp/B005MMNBDO?th=1&psc=1.

Does anyone here own one? :)

i bought this $19 4qt one and have had zero issues. 2qt sounds way too small and i cook for only myself too.

An Instant Pot would be useful.

Or, if one is bound and determined to eliminate a browning pan from the equation there are less expensive alternatives: Crock-Pot SCCPVI600-S Countdown Slow Cooker with Stove-Top Browning, Stainless Finish, 6-Quart

Get yourself a gravy separator

http://www.amazon.com/OXO-Good-Grips-4-Cup-Separator/dp/B0002YTGIQ

I find this essential for braising/slowcooking so I can skim fat easily and leave those condensed cooking juices in the recipe.

It's delicious. Get a bottle of mojo, put the pork in the slow cooker, dump the bottle in top, cook for 8-10 hours on low.

https://www.amazon.com/Goya-Criollo-Marinade-24-50-Ounce-Bottle/dp/B00032CV8O

This is it.

Amazon

I just got the book The Indian Slow Cooker which has a lot of vegetarian recipes in it.

One of these guys!

It's ceramic/DuraCeramic. Here's the actual slow cooker.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00IPENZK0/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_hqm.ybZ4Q1S1X

With a normal slow cooker, absolutely. But I got me one of these beasties for Xmas and this was its first run: https://www.amazon.com/Crock-Pot-Countdown-Programmable-Stove-Top-SCCPVI600-S/dp/B00IPENZK0

Crock-Pot, 6-Quart, Countdown Programmable Oval Slow Cooker with Stove-Top Browning, Stainless Finish

Boom.

​

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00CQLJESK/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o06_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

From Slow Cooker Revolution


https://i.imgur.com/dz008ZC.jpg

The Ninja. http://www.amazon.com/Ninja-3-in-1-Cooking-System-MC701/dp/B0093MRWJS

Proctor-Silex 33043 4-Quart Slow Cooker https://www.amazon.com/dp/B004O07LRC/ref=cm_sw_r_awd_62vWub04N0C5D

This is the slow cooker I've used for the years. I warn you that you might want to throw open a window before you cook because after four hours whatever you're cooking is going to permeate the house.

Woods 50006 Indoor 24-Hour Mechanical Outlet Timer, 2-Pack https://www.amazon.com/dp/B006LYHED0/ref=cm_sw_r_awd_I4vWub1FYZVTB

2.5 lbs beef chuck
1 small onion roughly chopped
1 cup white mushrooms sliced
campbells slow cooker sauce - tavern pot roast
1 lbs mini red potatoes

1. place mini red potatoes in glass bowl, microwave for 5 minutes
   
2. place half of onion, mushrooms on bottom of crock pot
   
3. salt and pepper chuck roast on both sides, place in crock pot
   
4. put the rest of the onion and mushrooms in the crock pot
   
5. place mini potatoes in crock pot
   
6. pour slow cooker sauce into crock pot
   
7. cook for 8 hours on low
   
8. remove potatoes, beef chuck. separate fat from leftover liquid in https://www.amazon.com/OXO-Good-Grips-4-Cup-Separator/dp/B0002YTGIQ/
   
9. strain out bits of onion, mushroom. place in food processor. Add defatted cooking liquid and process gravy to desired smoothness
   
10. Slice up chuck roast, serve with potatoes and gravy
    
    (gravy not pictured)

The spout of the separator takes liquid off the very bottom of the cup first. So I just pour until the fat reaches the bottom and then stop pouring.

I bought this:
http://www.amazon.com/OXO-Good-Grips-4-Cup-Separator/dp/B0002YTGIQ/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1412607167&sr=8-1&keywords=stock+separator

USA link for the lazy http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/1558322450/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?qid=1419124428&sr=8-1&pi=AC_SY200_QL40

The Indian Slow Cooker by Anupy Singla lists multiple recipes where you toss dry lentils into the slow cooker without pre-cooking.

I did notice that she lists cooking on High setting in most recipes. Maybe that has something to do with the pre-soaking and boiling to kill toxins mentioned below.