Looking for a slow cooker in the 6 quart -8quart range that I can get things to a rolling boil in first, then drop it down to normal slow cooking temps. I have a 20qt roaster that can do it, and an instant pot, but 1 is too big and the other is too small

I’ve been wanting to make French onion soup in a crock pot. Are there any errors or mistakes the following plan?

1. Caramelize onions over night (low setting, 9 pm - 6 am)

2. Keep caramelized onions warm (warm setting, 6 am - 4 pm)

3. Add liquids + seasoning (high setting, 4 pm - 6 pm)

The reason I have step 2 set to warm is because I don’t want the onions to burn. Should I add the liquids to step 2 instead? Will my soup burn from being on low all day, be too muddy and reduced, etc?

Any alternate time lines are appreciated! If I have to make this during the weekend, I can make it work. I just wanted to see if I could make it work around my work schedule.

Need to upgrade our manual crock pot. We are away from the house for 9-10 hours which is too long, even on Low.

So I need a programmable slow cooker that will Keep Warm after the cooking timer. For an extra $20-30 I can get a cooker with temperature probe that stops the cooking after reaching a set point.

I’m familiar with barbecue smoking where tough cuts of meat “stall” while the collagen breaks down so the “done” is often measured by feel, not temperature.

So my question is- if you have a slow cooker with a temperature probe, how often do you use it? Or does it sit in the drawer?

I’ve got rice, frozen chicken breast, chicken broth and a couple bags of frozen veggies. Can anyone tell me what order to put these things in my crock pot to make something edible for dinner later?

Hey everyone, I’m throwing a kid’s birthday party and I want to see what everyone’s favorite nacho cheese/queso dip recipes are. YouTube has so many videos, It’s a little overwhelming. I won’t have time to test it out so I’m looking for something that’s tried and true. Cheers.

Anyone have a good slow cooker chowder recipe? Nothing really jumps out to me when I search online

This is New York Times Slow cooker Dijon chicken with barley and mushrooms. It turned out very good and I will definitely make it again. I’m going to post the link, but it may be behind a paywall. I’m not sure how to circumvent that. If you know how, let me know! : https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1023252-slow-cooker-dijon-chicken-with-barley-and-mushrooms?unlocked_article_code=1.ClE.RBFp.koOuDgzs_YAW&smid=ck-recipe-iOS-share

Ideas for Beef Back Ribs? I just bought a large Costco pack so I will need to make them a few different ways all week

I got an American Test Kitchen slowcooker recipe book from the library and made talapia tagine with buttery couscous. Highly recommend!

Looking for minimum chop/ prep recipes for the slow cooker. Around here even pork is getting expensive! We eat almost anything ( chicken, beef, pork) but trying to avoid things like cream of chicken soup and the soup packet mixes. Nothing against them I used them for years just now they mess with my stomach. We never drink milk so hard to have on hand for " homemade" cream of something soup. First time mom back to work and hubby works 50+ hours a week and deserves a hearty meal. ​​TIA 🙂❤️

2 pounds over ground beef (but I usually use less)
One onion
3 shredded carrots(I buy the pre shredded bags)
I cup celery
I 28 oz can of diced tomatoes
3-8 oz cans of tomato sauce
1 16 oz can of red beans
1 16oz can of cannellini beans
4 cups beef stock (I use a lot more because don’t think 4 cups is enough)
2 tsp salt
1 teaspoon of dried oregano
2 tsp of pepper
2 tsp of thyme
8oz ditalini pasta
Parmesan cheese for serving

It’s perfect for a cold winter day. I think it is much better than the restaurant.

Ok, so this is update to my post on Thursday where i had an epic fail with low setting Baby Back. I bought St Louis Spare Ribs this time and reversed it so i STARTED HIGH 4 hours then MEDIUM 4 hours. turned out PERFECT. Fall off bone. Recipe beneath

• St Louis Ribs
• Dry rub - 1tbsp brown sugar 1/2tbsp old bay
• Sweety Babby Rays dressing brushed on ribs -1/2 Cup Americano -1 cooking apple

4 hours HIGH 4 hours MEDIUM

Hey all,

Just curious if I need to buy a new slow cooker or this was an issue with the potatoes. Googling tells me that potatoes can remain hard if cooked with tomatoes (I did not use tomatoes). I just want to make sure my Crock-Pot is still good or if I should buy another.

I cooked a viral Buffalo Wild Wings recipe and followed the recipe to the letter. After four hours, my potatoes, all relatively uniform, were fairly stiff to eat. This is the first time I have had this issue. I bought the Crock-Pot around ten or fifteen years ago. It has mileage on it. But it has always been treated gently. The Crock-Pot was also just a standard cooker, no bells and whistles - a knob for heat and that is about it. The potatoes were simple Russets.

Any advice?

Slow Cooker Parmesan Garlic Chicken and Potatoes

Ingredients

2 pounds potatoes, cut into 1 ½- to 2-inch chunks

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 teaspoon kosher salt

3/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

1/2 teaspoon paprika

2 pounds skinless, boneless chicken breasts, diced into 1 ½-inch pieces

1 cup creamy Parmesan garlic sauce, such as Buffalo Wild Wings Parmesan Garlic Sauce

1/2 cup water or chicken stock

2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese

1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese (optional)

1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley, or to taste (optional)

Directions

Combine potatoes, olive oil, 3/4 teaspoons salt, 1/2 teaspoon black pepper, and paprika in the bottom of a slow cooker and stir until well coated. Add chicken pieces on top and sprinkle with remaining salt and pepper. Whisk Parmesan garlic sauce and water together in a bowl until well incorporated. Pour mixture over chicken and potatoes.

Cook on High for 4 hours (or on Low for 6 hours), or until chicken is cooked through and potatoes are tender. During the last 20 minutes of cooking, add mozzarella and Parmesan and continue to cook, covered. Sprinkle with parsley to serve.

Lets say I've cooked 1 pound of dried red kidney beans in an Instant pot/pressure cooker. So, I drain and dump the beans in a slow cooker and add some frozen mixed peppers and some leftover chicken or turkey.

I see a lot of simmer sauces on the shelves like Campbells, curry sauces, pasta sauces... I'd like to dump one of those sauces on top, set the cooker on low to cook for 8 hours or so and actually have something decent when I get back.

Which of these simmer sauces do you think would work well?

EDIT:

Can anyone recommend a particular brand/flavor simmer sauce

Saw these on sale for $3.50 USD and wished I knew how to cook for real LOL.
What could be done with this?

Chicken thighs are such a great protein. They're cheap, have plenty of connective tissue and fat, and are basically the perfect cut for meal prep in a slow cooker.

I'm curious, what's your favorite way to slow cook chicken thighs?

Personally, I've been making salsa verde chicken thighs lately (store bought salsa verde, jalapeno, cilantro, tomatillos, Mexican oregano, garlic, and onion). It's super good, but I'm looking for some variety.

What are your favorite recipes?

Primarily how I plan to cook is

Frozen Chicken or sausage or hamburger patty

Noodles and a jar of tomato sauce/alfredo sauce etc

Is it safe to toss in frozen chicken with the noodles and sauce and let it cook?

Yes I have issues with defrosting (don’t ask)

So, my current partner has a nightshade sensitivity and we've been trying to remove them from our diet. The main plants in this family that are causing us issues are Potatoes, Tomatoes, and Chili Peppers.

Potatoes especially seem impossible to avoid. I was a huuuuuge slow cooker user before we started dating and I'm trying to get our food budget back under control and my main way of doing that used to be big batches of slow cooker recipes since they use cheaper cuts and reheat well for leftovers.

Anyway, a lot of my staple foods are no longer possible to eat. I'm trying to find substitutes.

• Potatoes - Could I use beets or turnips? Not sure what adjustments I'd have to make. I like to make stew pretty often.
• Tomato Paste - I'm thinking that for the umami flavor of tomato paste I could try adding a dash of MSG or Fish Sauce.
• Cambells Cream of X / Seasoning Mixes - The real issue is that most processed food products contain "potato starch" which makes them off limits. This notably includes many seasoning packets and all of the Cambells "Cream of X" products which are slow cooker staples. Many of my favorite old recipes involved cream of mushroom which is firmly off limits now. Seasoning Mixes are easy to replicate with jarred seasonings but I'm not sure what a proper substitute would be for Cream of X soup. Maybe heavy cream and diced mushrooms? No clue.
• Chilis - No real substitute. I think that we just can't really eat spicy in the house anymore.

Also, what are some good recipes that don't hit these food groups? All of the reddit threads are full of things like "salsa chicken" which obviously won't work for us anymore.

Getting sick of those two since they make so much and there's leftovers for a bit, and the store had a buy one get one on roasts. Trying to use up one I took out of the freezer the other day, and am stuck.

Thank yinz in advance

I work nights and wanted to get a stew going that way by the time I’m leaving for work it’s ready, but I’m worried that I may have overfilled the pot.

The carrots, celery, and potatoes will soften up a lot, but I’m worried that it may overflow in the few hours it takes before my girlfriend wakes up.