The Crock Pot

How To Convert ‘Normal’ Recipes To Crock Pot Recipes.

From normal to crock pot recipe is not nearly as much bother, as most people seem to think.

Step 1 is not to panic. A lot of people get worried about the whole thing.

You really can't go wrong. In all the years we have been cooking with the Crock Pot we have only had two stuff ups and they had nothing to do with the recipe.

Basically, just chuck everything in the pot. No need to fry or brown first – unless you really need to have the meat brown. (we never bother).

But, How much do I reduce the liquid by?(Relax it's easy)

It all depends on the recipe. Don’t you hate answers like that. Generally, you will need to half the amount of liquid you add.

It does not really matter. If when it is within an hour of being done and there is too much liquid, just remove the lid and let is boil off.

The other solution is to mix a tablespoon of cornflour (or plain flour) in a cup with just enough water to make it into a paste. Stir this into the Crock Pot and allow to boil.

Easy Really. And not such a drama as some ‘experts’ try to make out.

Basic Hints

• Cook with the lid on.

• Most meat and vegetable combinations will require about 8 hours on low to cook and 4 on high.

• The flavour of fresh herbs may be intensified in the Crock Pot. So reduce the amount. Towards the end of cooking – taste, if it needs more just add it in.

• Dried herbs and spices are generally best added in the last hour.

• Be careful when cooking with milk, cream and sour cream. Due to the slow cooking process, they tend to curdle. The solution is to just add them at the end of cooking.

My biggest tip is to relax and enjoy your Crock Pot cooking. Experiment and try new ideas. The Crock Pot is great – you can’t really stuff it up.

Still not sure – huh!. Well try these recipes. Neil and I have cooked all of these, eaten the results and lived to tell the tale (ha ha) – seriously we recommend all these recipes. Crock Pot Recipe Index.