How to Adapt Your Favorite Reciepes to Easy Crock Pot Reciepes
Many of your favorite reciepes can be successfully adapted to easy crock pot reciepes if you
follow a few simple rules. Here you'll find a basic time/temperature guide for converting recipes, some do's
and don'ts for specific ingredients and a few tips for making your slow cooker dishes more
flavorful.
Reciepes that lend themselves to Crock-Pot cooking are limitless. Almost any
reciepe requiring baking or simmering will work beautifully. Here are a few simple guidelines that will help you
prepare your favorites in the crock-Pot; Allow sufficient time on "Low" setting.
Timetable Adaptations:
If your recipe says cook for 15 to 30 minutes - Cook in Crock-Pot 1 1/2 to 2
1/2 hours on High or 4 to 8 hours on Low.
If your recipe says cook for 30 to 40 minutes - Cook in Crock-Pot 3 to 4 hours on High or 6
to 10 hours on Low.
If your recipe says cook for 45 minutes to 3 hours - Cook in Crock-Pot 4 to 6 hours on High
or 8 to 18 hours on Low.
*Most uncooked meat and vegetable combinations will require at least 8 hours on
Low.
Ingredient Adaptations:
Vegetables
Dense vegetables like potatoes, carrots, and other root vegetables should be cut no larger than 1" thick, and
placed in the bottom of the pot, since they take longer to cook.
Liquids
Usually liquids may be decreased in slow cooking - about half the recommended amount. Unless the dish contains rice
or pasta, one cup of liquid is usually enough.
Pasta and Rice
If a recipe calls for cooked pasta to be added, cook it until just slightly tender before adding to the crock pot.
Add 1/4 extra liquid per 1/4 cup uncooked rice, and use long grain converted rice for the best results. For
long-cooking recipes, add cooked rice shortly before serving.
Milk/Cheese
Milk, sour cream, and cream break down over long periods of cooking, and should be added during the last hour.
Condensed cream soups are good substitutions for milk and can be cooked for extended times. "Healthy," or reduced
fat cream soups can be used in any recipe as a substitute.
Cheeses don't generally hold up over extended periods of cooking, so should be added near the
end of cooking, or use processed cheeses and spreads.
Soups
Add water only to cover ingredients in soup, and add more after cooking if necessary for a thinner soup.
For milk based soups, add 1 or 2 cups of water and during the last hour, stir in milk, evaporated milk, or cream as
called for.
Herbs and Spices
Ground herbs and spices tend to lose their taste over long cooking times, so it's best to add them near the end of
cooking. Whole herbs release flavors over time, so are a good choice for slow cooking. You should taste and adjust
seasonings, if necessary, before serving.
Beans
It is best to soak beans overnight before cooking them in a crock pot. Before adding sugar or acidic ingredients,
the beans should be softened first, either in the crock pot or on the stove top. If your recipe includes tomatoes,
salt, or other acidic ingredients, the beans should be tender before beginning. Instead of pre-soaking, you can
cook the beans on low for about 8 hours through the night in water with a little baking soda. In the morning, drain
the beans, add the ingredients with fresh liquid, then cook per recipe directions. Cooking times might be shorter
using this method.
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