I know you are probably thinking, awesome!! A crock pot recipe contest! NOPE. WRONGO. Get ready to be mad at me. I am OK with that. In fact, maybe you can help change my mind. You see, I have a huge problem with the crock pot. The crock pot and I are not a match made in heaven. One might say that I hate the crock pot but hate is a strong word and it should be reserved for more serious things, like carrots.
I dreamed of getting a crock pot for years. I finally decided to get one after listening to everyone and I mean EVERYONE swear that I would get “the best dinner I ever had” out of it. Just the concept of tossing a bunch of stuff into a pot, hitting a button and leaving it to cook itself all day = GENIUS!
Only… not so much. Right off the bat I had an issue because every freaking recipe I found had ingredients like these:
1. A can of condensed crap, (i.e. a can of condensed MSG, just in case the regular version didn’t mess up my body enough);
2. A packet of powdered soup mix or ranch dressing mix, (i.e. a packet of MSG. It’s not even hidden in these babies! We’re talking the hard core shit listed right there on the back “Monosodium Glutamate”);
3. A bottle of salad dressing, (i.e. a bottle of hidden MSG, preservatives and sodium) or,
4. A bottle of beer or BBQ sauce. Beer is fine so I can’t complain about that one. BBQ sauce can be fine, depending on the brand but most have “natural flavorings” or undefined “spices” which generally is code for MSG and still makes me sick.
Are you sensing a trend here? Now I know I am going to piss some of you off who cook with these ingredients on a regular basis, but I beg you to read the labels and realize what is in these “foods” you are eating. Even if you aren’t MSG sensitive like I am, there is still no reason to put so many preservatives and that much sodium into your body. If a food actually tastes good it shouldn’t need a neurotoxic flavor enhancer to trick your brain into thinking it tastes good! Trust me, it takes just a few extra minutes to make your own BBQ or ranch seasoning! I promise it will be worth your time and your body will thank you! With a little planning, everyone can make fresh, delicious food without using these high sodium, MSG & preservative laden substitutes. That being said, I do enjoy a good Cadbury Cream Egg here and there and I still feed my kids processed foods sometimes but I have cut a significant amount of them out and it’s made a big difference for us!
Now back to my other problems with the crock pot. If I sound angry, it’s because I am actually a little bitter that I didn’t love this machine as much as I had hoped. I feel a bit disillusioned and I am not over it yet but time heals all wounds, right? Anyway, so the idea is that you throw a bunch of meats, seasonings and veggies all into the same pot and voila! They are done when you get home. Does anyone else get a baby food feel from this?
There are only a couple of meats that actually need to be cooked low for a bazillion hours to taste good. Most, like chicken or pork tenderloin are totally mushified (it’s a word) by cooking them this way and they are much better tasting when grilled, sauteed, broiled or even baked! The one time I made a chicken in the crock pot using a recipe that had about 1500 reviews claiming it was “to die for” and “the moistest chicken ever” it was so “moist” that the end result was a disgusting mess of chicken, weirdly colored vegetables, sauce and way too many teeny tiny yet still choke worthy bones. Mmmmm. Delicious. I am jumping right on that one again.
Don’t even get me started on pork tenderloin in the crock pot. You are going to pay that much money for a prime piece of meat and mutilate it by cooking it in the crock pot? Sear it, bake it, grill it! Want to save time? Slice it thin and throw it on the grill for a couple of minutes. By the time you get together a salad and grab the utensils the pork will be done.
Speaking of pork, I did have a positive experience with the crock pot. The only dish I have ever made in the pot that I actually liked was pulled pork, simply seasoned with salt & pepper with no added liquid. The thing that gets me is that the dish could have been cooked just as easily in the oven at 250 for a few hours, especially since technically you should sear the outside of the pork for maximum flavor so it takes virtually the same amount of prep time! Am I missing something here?
I clearly am in the minority here and I seriously want to love my crock pot but I just don’t get it! I think I need a to find a crock pot animosity support group. I am a mom of two young kids. I need this to work for me, it just DOESN’T! OK, I am going to ask again. If anyone has a seriously good crock pot recipe that doesn’t involve ANY bottles or packets or cans of anything (except tomatoes and beans) and doesn’t turn out tasting like baby food then lay it on me. I might try it. I might hate it but maybe yours will be the one that wins me over. There’s always a chance, right? I do love a good challenge.
I am going to stop complaining now and finish packing for our Florida vacation. Friends, sunshine, sea, Key Largo & Disney here we come! Happy place. Find a happy place.
The Good Life With Jamie 
You’re right! Most crockpot recipes call for whole bottles/cans of crap to be poured in, or a packet of yucky seasoning! I don’t like cooking like that!
I usually use my crockpot to cook a big hunk of meat or something simple like that.
I am waiting for my dream recipe to come along so I can fall in love with this crock pot!
I have done those recipes with the packets but I do not do it anymore. Mostly, I use it to cook my beans or rice all day, make a chicken soup (this one takes a couple hours to cook which is too long for after work) that I just add dough to the top of at the end for dumplings, and cooking a whole chicken or roast. The one I have used the most is cooking a whole chicken/roast. Basically, it makes the meat fork-tender so I can use it in other recipes.
Can you email me the recipes or post the links here? I will try them! I really don’t want to throw in the towel completely!
I will go find them when I get home later. I have found that using too many ingredients in the slow cooker does not work very well. The meats do not usually absorb the flavors like I thought they would if I added lots of veggies, so I use minimal ingredients and complete the flavors in steps after. I just like to take advantage of the long, slow cooking process.
http://dashingdish.com/recipe/the-easiest-shredded-crockpot-chicken/
It is very simple but it created a nice pull-apart chicken. Sad to say, I am not very good at writing down or taking pictures of my culinary creations. After we eat dinner we put them to bed most nights. I tend to change recipes but ones like this, I do by the recipe the first time because this is a technique. It was extremely useful for me. I have used it for beef too. I made this then I made a tomato sauce with tomato paste, dried oregano, fresh garlic, salt, pepper, and fresh basil at the end. Heated them together and made sandwiches with melted parmesan on top. It was really good. I will look for the other two recipes.
Thank you! I will check them out after we get back from vacation next week.
I altered a recipe from AllRecipes.com for chicken and dumplings.
4 chicken breasts
1 diced onion
2 diced carrots
24 ounces chicken broth
2-3 cups proofed bread dough
Put ingredients in slow cooker and add water to cover chicken. I often find I need to add a bit more later too. Cook 4-6 hours on high. Thirty minutes before serving, add the dough in tablespoons to the top of the soup.
I added pepper and garlic powder toward the end as well. I do not use the normal garlic powder because it is not actually ‘powder’ it is granules. I use Spice Islands, which is actually powdered and dissolves easier and is not as overpowering when it has been sitting for a long time.
Thanks! I printed it for future reference. I am going to try a beef one this week then I will try one of yours next week. 🙂
I use organic or homemade seasoning if I am tight for time. Most of the time I just season to taste.
I use mine mainly for beef stew, chili or soups. I never use pre-made ingredients like seasoning packets or condensed soup and they always turns out great. I actually used it last to make beef rendang (http://www.myrecipes.com/recipe/beef-rendang-10000001963955/). It doesn’t call for a crock pot but instead of cooking it on the stove, I threw it in the pot for 6 hours. It was fabulous! Sometimes it’s best to not use a “crock pot” recipe but just anything that calls for braising. Start it in the am, put it on low and dinner is ready when you’re home!
Using a recipe that calls for braising is an awesome idea. Thanks for giving me a recipe to try! I will make sure to let you guys know when I try these and what I think of them!
I wanted to let you know that I am going to try this sometime this week! It’s very different from most of the stuff we make and we loved the soup we made with coconut milk and lemongrass a few weeks ago. I am excited!
Give it a shot — i’m sure you’ll love it! It’s so flavorful. If you need inspiration I just did a post about it: http://attemptsindomesticity.com/2013/03/11/the-spice-of-life-my-first-attempt-at-beef-rendang/
I’ve got one! I’ve got one! Technically my recipe calls for a can of Cream of Mushroom soup but you can totally LEAVE IT OUT! No biggie. And though I specified a can of chicken stock here I always try and use homemade. Just up the stock if you leave out the condensed soup (no one likes weird mushroom bits, anyway.)
http://modernmouthful.com/2013/01/14/your-infant-could-make-this-slow-cooker-london-broil/
Let me know how it goes! Everyone I know loves this recipe.
Awesome, thanks! I will check it out when we get back from vacation next week. Thanks again!
You are not alone. And I feel like I’m “in the closet” with my crock pot dislike. Everything turns bland, the texture of almost every meat is ruined, liquids don’t condense properly — yet everyone raves about crock pots! I was beginning to think I was a crock pot crack pot until I read this post.
Glad to hear there is someone else out there who feels the same way!! I did try the beef rendang recommendation from Jessamine in PDX and it was fantastic however it’s basically the same concept as pulled pork and the only thing you are getting out of it is super tender meat. She also took some extra steps before and after the cooking to make it not so crock pot-ish. New phrase. 😉