Slow and Easy Crockpot Cooking

You DO Have Time for Home Cooked Meals

-- By Becky Hand, Licensed & Registered Dietician

How often do you find yourself starving when you get home at night? And how often, as a result, do you grab anything and everything in sight? Why does it seem like we can stay true to our diets so well during the day only to derail when we get home?

A delicious and healthy ready-to-eat meal awaiting your arrival can help you stay on track (and NOT eat that box of crackers for dinner).

Cooking in the Crockpot (or the slow cooker) can be easy, fun and healthy. These handy kitchen appliances allow you to prepare food ahead of time and cook it without any attention. Instead of worrying all day about what to make for dinner, you know a hot meal will be ready when you get home. It's also perfect for batch cooking a healthy meal that will last 4-5 days.

A Crockpot can be a great help in preparing wholesome, nutritious meals that are veggie-rich, packed with complex carbs, and low in fat and calories. Long cooking on low heat tenderizes meat, so it is an excellent way to cook those cuts of meat that have less fat, are less tender, but are also less expensive.

Adapting Recipes

Brown and drain the fat from high-fat meats (like ground beef), before adding it to the Crockpot. Leaner meats such as stew beef, poultry, or pork chops do not have to be cooked beforehand.
Whole herbs and spices work better than crushed. If using crushed herbs, do not add them until closer to the end of the cooking time.
Always fill the Crockpot at least half full.
Reduce the liquid in your recipe to about one cup or less. The slow cooking method saves all the food's natural juices and the juices do not cook off.
Use canned soups, broths, wine, vegetable juice or water as the liquid in your Crockpot.
Add dairy products only during the final 30 minutes of cooking.
Vegetables take longer to cook than most meat, so put them on the bottom.

Cooking Time

Dried beans should be cooked and softened before you add them to the recipe. Cover the beans with 3 times their volume in unsalted water and bring to a boil on the stovetop. Boil 10 minutes, reduce heat, cover and allow to simmer 1-1/3 hours or until the beans are tender. Discard the water after boiling. The beans can now be added to the Crockpot recipe.
Cook pasta, rice and noodles until just tender. Add to the Crockpot toward the end of cooking.
Uncooked meat and vegetable combinations require 8-10 hours on low or 4-5 hours on high.
One hour of simmering on a range, or baking at 350 degrees in an oven, is equivalent to 8-10 hours on low or 4-5 hours on high.
Fresh vegetables should be added at the beginning of cooking. Canned and frozen vegetables (remember to thaw first) should be added during the last hour of cooking.
Do not remove the cover of the crockpot unless it's necessary for stirring, though most recipes don't need stirring. You can lose 30 minutes of cooking time each time the lid is removed.

Safety Concerns
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About The Author

Becky Hand
Becky is a registered and licensed dietitian with almost 20 years of experience. Through her company, An Ounce of Prevention, she makes nutrition principles practical, easy to apply and fun. See all of Becky's articles.

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Member Comments

BLESSEDLOSER

FRACKIAM1:

I'm not sure about beef, but I cook frozen chicken breasts (boneless, skinless) all the time, and end up with very versatile cooked chicken -- cubed for casseroles, shredded for quesadillas, tacos, and such, or tender pieces to use as the main protein. I usually add enough water or chicken broth to cover, and add herbs, spices, or even salsa as desired. I usually cook a good 8-10 hours or overnight, so it's always cooked through just fine. Cook enough ahead of time, and you have plenty to make a variety of dishes! - 7/21/2012 5:43:31 PM
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SANDFLEA28

Ocliao
It depends on how many people your trying to feed, I use my 2 qt a lot, but on campouts and pot lucks I may use 1 or 2 5 to 8 qt depending on what I am going to do for my part, and how many there are of us.
- 7/21/2012 5:20:34 PM
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SANDFLEA28

I'm single and use mine for stews, a simple one is 1 med can of stew, 1 can mixed veggies, drained, 1 can diced tomatoes, drained, set on low, about 1/2 to 1 hr ahead of dinner add 1 c of rice, or pasta, or 1 small tube of refig bisquits, the little ones make good dumplings, and what you don't use can be "baked" in a small cast iron skillet on stove top.

I do this a lot, all day on low when working, 1 hr hi, then low for 1/2 day when home, using a 2 qt pot.
enough food for 3 med or 2 large meals.
- 7/21/2012 5:16:04 PM
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FRACKIAM1

I have a crock pot and use it at least once a week and love it. BUT I have a question. Can you put frozen meat in it and let it cook all day? If anyone has or has not done this I would like to know. - 7/21/2012 4:55:40 PM
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MCFITZ2

I love using my crock pot, although I use it more in the winter. - 7/21/2012 12:03:32 PM
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--KREN

From someone who REALLY uses a crockpot, frozen veggies work just fine! Do you think a package of frozen broccoli won't cook in 6 hours in a crockpot? LOL. I also put meat and chicken in my crockpot right out of the fridge. No problem. - 7/21/2012 7:16:14 AM
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SIRIUS7N

Thank you for all these tips.!! - 7/21/2012 3:35:09 AM
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OCLIAO

what size crockpot is the best? - 7/4/2012 10:26:50 AM
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1954MARG

Crock pots are great for batch cooking if you have a weekend off cook something each night and each day over the weekend and you get out of cooking for 2-3 weeks. - 6/7/2012 4:07:22 PM
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TAZZ2300

I thought you were supposed to have your meat the same temp as the crock pot... example if your crock pot is cold, your meat should not be hot.

I haven't made much in my crock pot except pot roast. I do need to utilize it more though. THe awesome thing about mine is it has a timer, so you set it to high/low and program the hours for it to cook, then after that it goes to keep warm. It's so awesome. - 5/23/2012 4:21:00 PM
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APONI_KB

I use frozen vegetables in my crock pot all the time. We keep little containers in the freezer for leftovers. When we want stew we thaw them just enough to get the veggies out and toss the little chunk of icy veggies in.

I also don't precook beans but I do soak them overnight before cooking them. - 5/23/2012 3:25:24 PM
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IMAVISION

I don't work outside our home; however, I have three slow cookers & use them almost daily. I have one going now. To this gal the crockpot is the best kitchen appliance - even more so than a dishwasher. - 5/23/2012 2:41:43 PM
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TISTYEN

I've used mine for pot roast and for spaghetti sauce, but I'm more likely to use it on days my roommate works and I have off because I don't have time to brown meat and peel spuds in the morning if I have to work. Both come out really well. The spaghetti sauce can't be left alone for the 12 hours between when I leave for work and when I get home, though, so it's more of a weekend thing. - 5/23/2012 2:19:59 PM
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HEALTHY_ONE2

I've been using a crockpot for more years than some of the posters have been alive - LOL!!!

I don't brown meat first and I've used frozen veggies, unthawed. I've NEVER put the crock in a microwave to warm it up. And when pressed for time, I make up the recipe the night before, place the crock in the refrigerator. Before heading out the door the next morning, I plug it in & turn it on low. I've NEVER had a problem.

- 5/23/2012 11:56:11 AM
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JENNAAW

I received a crock pot as a gift but until now I seldom used it because the recipes I found were not that healthy (too much emphasis on meat and pasta, etc.). But this is a great motivator! - 5/23/2012 11:49:48 AM
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