The crock pot has changed the way people look at cooking food. Food simply gets dropped into the crock pot, turned on and you can walk away while your meal prepares itself. Though there are endless possibilities when it comes to your crock pot, knowing just what you can prepare in them in the first step to creating endless recipe options.
Soups and Chilis
One of the more common items to prepare in a slow cooker is a soup or chili. With a few ingredients like stock, vegetables, meats and spices you can create a soup that cooks all day and is rather flavorful come dinner time. Chili can be prepared in a crock pot as well using canned tomatoes, ground meat that has been cooked, spices, beans, tomato sauce and spices. A chili does not require a whole day to simmer, whereas soups prepared in a crock pot taste better if they cook all day and absorb flavor.
Desserts
Desserts are something many people do not realize can be created in a crock pot. An example of a dessert that can be created in the crock pot is baked apples. These can be cooked for up to seven hours or prepared in three hours, depending on the heat setting of your crock pot. Place raisins, brown sugar, sliced baking apples, orange juice and spices into the crock pot and bake apples until they are fork-tender. This can be served on top of cake or ice cream for a delicious dessert during the week.
Main Dishes
Endless meal ideas can come out of a crock pot. Traditional dishes such as corned beef and cabbage can be created, or exotic dishes like chicken curry can be prepared. Meats can be stewed all day to create very tender and flavorful dishes, and a crock pot can be used to prepare tougher cuts of meat that save you money at the grocery store. Some common main dishes are creamy chicken casseroles, barbecue ribs, chicken and noodles, pulled pork, sloppy joes and chicken and dumplings.
Vegetables
Vegetables can be prepared in a crock pot for the day to save baking or cooking times later in the evening. Vegetables like squash, which typically require a longer cooking time, can be prepared in the crock pot while you go about your day, so they are fully cooked when you arrive home. Some popular vegetable dishes that can be prepared in your crock pot are glazed carrots, gratin potatoes, spinach and artichoke dips, potato casseroles and buttered vegetables.
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