What's so great about crock pot cooking?

[bunnys]

I am single and a vegan. Eating a vat of anything longer than about 4 days gets really old to me. I do it a lot, but it has to taste great to make it possible for me to endure it that long.

I don't know how crock pot cooking would really work for me. I have a crock pot and use it occassionally but don't really understand why it's so much better. Is it cheaper? How? Easier? What?

I'm sure I could find a lot of good recipes to do in the crock pot but I really don't want to freeze anything I've already cooked as I think freezing makes most things mushy when I defrost them.

What do I need to know that I don't get?

[Contrary Housewife]

The two things for me are 1.Set it and forget it -- food cooks in the pot overnight, or during the day when I am doing something else. I'm not standing at the stove preparing food for an hour. 2. I like having leftovers like tomato sauce or chili to put in the freezer for another night.

It's also handy when I have to prepare food for community events. For example, DH had to bring in a dish for a work potluck, he took a crockpot full of chili. Last weekend I was at an event with 5 pots of soup. Mine could have been one of them but I opted for a different (cold) dish. So they are handy for that.

[MissSeetonFan]

I know you said you don't like to freeze but you can find good recipes all over the place for various types of things to cook that would give you some more variety to what you already use it for and would freeze well. Test some of those out. A good rice and bean chili (plus other ingredients) would probably freeze quite well without going mushy on you. Crock pot recipes are all over the place for all kinds of eaters including vegetarian and vegan. Some soups would be wonderful even reheated from frozen - butternut squash soup for instance. Something already "mushy" but tastes oh, so good!

You could also do other kinds of cooking in it. One book we have, Fix it and Forget it Cookbook, has how to make breads and deserts using the crock pot. Lots of those kinds of recipes are online too.

Another option might be to use a smaller sized crock pot that would cook smaller amounts. Still have the benefits of leaving the house while dinner cooks without several days of leftovers

[frugalfranny]

Is it cheaper? How? Easier? What?

I really don't want to freeze anything

Soooooooooo much easier..........what is nicer than having the dinner ready to eat when you get home? A little prep in the AM.........and it is 'good to go'...........

Cheaper in the sense for non-vegans..........U can use tougher cuts of meat.

If you don't want to freeze..............don't fill up the pot. Or, like I had to do, get a smaller crock pot.

Experiment and see what works for you........you might even find
something that is 'freezeable' without getting mushy.

[joyofsix]

When I was single I used a small crock that only made dinner for maybe 2 nights. Feeding 9 and being ultra busy it is a way to feed us all quickly or at the different times we'll be home.

[savvy_sniper]

I have a big crockpot that I use about 5 times a week and a smaller one that I use a couple of times a week. Get out there on the internet! There are all sorts of recipes for breakfast, lunch, dinner, snacks, desserts, dips, etc.

YES, it is easy and cheaper. Especially if you eat out a lot! I can make nutritious, healthy, tasty meals from scratch with ingredients from my pantry. I KNOW what goes into my meals!

For it to be really worthwhile, I make enough to feed us (2) that night and a portion for a couple of days later. I know you said you didn't want to freeze meals, but I often make enough to freeze one or two portions to heat and eat at a later date.

[Ponderer]

For the record I love my crockpot and use it often, especially in the winter. On the flip side of the coin I personally do not think I would use one if I were in your situation. But that is just me.

I use it almost completely because it is all about the meat. the magic of a crockpot is that it can take the cheapest cut of meat and turn it into something delicious. In fact it always cooks cheaper cuts better then prime cuts in my opinion. That is where I find the savings to be based.

[krbshappy71]

I don't fill mine to the top and could probably use a smaller one but I just make less in it. For me its the wafting smell of dinner being ready when I come home from work, between shifts of the 2nd job. There is just nothing like opening the lid and knowing dinner is done. I like to make soup and then get creative with what I put with the soup to make it special for the next 3 days.

Bread bowls, croutons, garlic bread, add pasta noodles on the second day, or dumplings on the top, etc. Just focus on your side dishes or complimentary items. For me it saves money to eat the same item 3+ meals in a row and as long as I keep changing up the side items I don't mind so much.

[shoiji]

You also save on the cost of heating a burner or oven. I like to put meat that I purchased on Manager's Specials into a crockpot with some stock like chicken. The meat gets cooked up nicely and I can divide it up and freeze. Saves a lot of money when it comes to meat.

[Debbie-cat]

I love my crockpot. 'Fill it, forget it' is the best way to cook!

[FrugalKate]

I love my crockpots! Have 2 and I can make and freeze about 2 weeks of dinners with basically no effort. Just set 'em and forget 'em till they are done!

[moasmom]

Do you eat beans? I'm not vegan, but we eat a lot of beans in our house. Cooking dried beans instead of using canned is *a lot* cheaper, and I prefer the result (flavor and texture).

We always "must" have beans available, so I make a crockpot-full (with diced onion, some garlic, or not, depending on my mood), and then freeze them in different size containers.

I cook lots of other things in my crockpot (soups, stews, chili, roasts), but it would be worth it to me to have one for cooking dried beans alone.

Kara

[dinah]

I enjoy my crockpot because...
1. you put it in and don't have to think about it again
2. it's (generally) 1 pot cooking - so easy
3. it's (generally) just dump it all in, stir, and put the lid on
4. it's easy!
5. it's not precise and therefore hard to screw up!
6. it's good for beginner cooks

in your case i would probably get a smaller crockpot and look for meals that can be 'changed' on the second day so that it gets new life (ie. taking leftover vegetables cooked in the crockpot and making them into a veggie pot pie).

[Trishagirl]

Today I used my crockpot to make beef stew all I did was chop up some veggies and thow them in there with the stew meat and let it simmer all day then put it on warm and go about my day not worrying what's for dinner! So I had time to so other things like rake the yard or read a book. Love it! & had leftovers so dh takes them to work for lunch tomorrow.

[sunshine]

I can cook in the car when we vacation! (I use an inverter and crock pot liners)

I don't have to heat up the kitchen in the summer - can bake potatoes in it, bake bread in it, etc.