a crockpot no no

**sinopa27** · 10-17-2011, 06:09 AM

Is there anything you recommend NOT to cook in a crockpot??
I see so many recipes for the crockpot and was wondering if there is a "crockpot no no"

**pat in east texas** · 10-17-2011, 09:25 AM

Popcorn???

**HappyMama** · 10-17-2011, 10:42 AM

Raw kidney beans, and to a lesser extent some other beans (such as broad/fava beans), contain the toxin phytohaemagglutinin, which is destroyed by boiling for at least ten minutes, but not by the lower temperatures of a slow cooker, so dry beans must be boiled prior to slow cooking to avoid poisoning. Even a few beans can be toxic, and beans can be as much as five times more toxic if cooked at 80 °C (175 °F) than if eaten raw, so adequate pre-boiling is vital. Cases of poisoning by slow-cooked beans have been published in the UK; poisoning has occurred in the USA but has not been formally reported. This risk can be avoided entirely by using canned cooked beans, adding them towards the end of the recipe's cooking time.[9]

Slow cookers do not provide sufficient heat to compensate for loss of moisture and heat due to frequent removal of the lid, e.g., to add and remove food in perpetual stews, (pot au feu, olla podrida). Added ingredients must be given time to cook before the food can be eaten. If food is allowed to cool below about 70 °C (158 °F) and not reheated, harmful bacterial growth is possible; some bacteria produce toxins or spores which are not destroyed even by reheating.

Source :[ame="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Slow_cooker"]Slow cooker - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia[/ame]

For kidney beans etc I use dry, soak, and pre cook or parboil then add to my recipes. Hope that helps.

**Jayne** · 10-17-2011, 11:05 AM

Wow, never knew that about beans, thank you!

**dinah** · 10-17-2011, 12:09 PM

whole frozen poultry and roasts. the high temps can't be reached fast enough so bacteria forms...or something like that.

**Libby** · 10-17-2011, 12:27 PM

HappyMama - I did not know that about the beans! Yikes! I used can...I'm assuming those are already cooked since you can eat them right out of the can?

As for my tip for a crockpot no no - DH likes to tease me. "Its not a magic pot you can throw just anything into and 8 hours later have a gourmet meal'

He always says that when I've made a wonderful creation.

**HappyMama** · 10-17-2011, 12:52 PM

Originally Posted by Libby

HappyMama - I did not know that about the beans! Yikes! I used can...I'm assuming those are already cooked since you can eat them right out of the can?

As for my tip for a crockpot no no - DH likes to tease me. "Its not a magic pot you can throw just anything into and 8 hours later have a gourmet meal'

He always says that when I've made a wonderful creation.

Yes Libby canned are fine. It is for those of us who use dried beans, they should be properly soaked, then pre cooked or parboiled for at least 10-15 minutes on high, rolling boil, the foam skimmed off to be rid of the toxin . Hope that helps.

**Libby** · 10-17-2011, 12:56 PM

One more question about the dried beans - the packaging won't state that you should pre-boil the beans would it? I've never noticed before. Would the same apply to bagged dry soup mix?

**HappyMama** · 10-17-2011, 01:08 PM

Originally Posted by Libby

One more question about the dried beans - the packaging won't state that you should pre-boil the beans would it? I've never noticed before. Would the same apply to bagged dry soup mix?

I always pre soak, helps with digestion of the beans and tastes better to me. Not all beans need pre boil for crock pot but Kidney and broad beans etc. Even to cook on stove, you should always bring Kidney to a rolling boil for 10 minutes , before lowering temperature and cooking or simmering to rid of toxin. Hope that helps.

**moasmom** · 10-17-2011, 03:33 PM

Personally, I don't care for the texture of chicken breasts that have been cooked in the crockpot, so I use other cooking methods for them (they are quick cooking anyway, and don't need a crockpot). So for me, that's a no-no, that's just personal preference, not a hard and fast rule.

Kara

**Rhayne** · 10-17-2011, 04:39 PM

I have heard about the boiling of kidney beans only in the last few years. But as a child my mother always made chili with raw bagged kidney beans and never pre boiled them. She would soak them overnight, rinse and then cook in slow cooker. We never got sick.

**Uniwolf** · 10-17-2011, 04:57 PM

I did not know about the beans, and my no no is not really a no no. But I refuse to use mine without the plastic liners. I guess to me the cost of them is completely off set by the time that they save in clean up.

**sinopa27** · 10-20-2011, 06:19 AM

Originally Posted by HappyMama

Raw kidney beans, and to a lesser extent some other beans (such as broad/fava beans), contain the toxin phytohaemagglutinin, which is destroyed by boiling for at least ten minutes, but not by the lower temperatures of a slow cooker, so dry beans must be boiled prior to slow cooking to avoid poisoning. Even a few beans can be toxic, and beans can be as much as five times more toxic if cooked at 80 °C (175 °F) than if eaten raw, so adequate pre-boiling is vital. Cases of poisoning by slow-cooked beans have been published in the UK; poisoning has occurred in the USA but has not been formally reported. This risk can be avoided entirely by using canned cooked beans, adding them towards the end of the recipe's cooking time.[9]

Slow cookers do not provide sufficient heat to compensate for loss of moisture and heat due to frequent removal of the lid, e.g., to add and remove food in perpetual stews, (pot au feu, olla podrida). Added ingredients must be given time to cook before the food can be eaten. If food is allowed to cool below about 70 °C (158 °F) and not reheated, harmful bacterial growth is possible; some bacteria produce toxins or spores which are not destroyed even by reheating.

Source :Slow cooker - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

For kidney beans etc I use dry, soak, and pre cook or parboil then add to my recipes. Hope that helps.

thank you so much!! I had no idea about that. I am glad I asked the question!!

**sinopa27** · 10-20-2011, 06:21 AM

Originally Posted by Uniwolf

I did not know about the beans, and my no no is not really a no no. But I refuse to use mine without the plastic liners. I guess to me the cost of them is completely off set by the time that they save in clean up.

I just saw those plastic liners. I have such odd shaped crockpots. Are they stretchable??

**sinopa27** · 10-20-2011, 06:23 AM

Originally Posted by Rhayne

I have heard about the boiling of kidney beans only in the last few years. But as a child my mother always made chili with raw bagged kidney beans and never pre boiled them. She would soak them overnight, rinse and then cook in slow cooker. We never got sick.

there are a lot of things that was done in the past that is recommended that we don't do now. I believe it is all the "junk" that is in food now and how things are grown that is the difference.