slow cooker users

[cindyleigh]

I'm going to buy my first crock pot.  Most of the time, I will use it to cook for 2-4 people.  Some of the time, I will use it to look for 6-10 people. 

If I buy a larger capacity crock pot ...it can still make meals for 2, right?  Or is this a problem getting the right ratio of ingredients ..or a waste of energy.

Any suggestions on brands?

Some claim the can also function as a rice cooker - I'd prefer something that can also do this.

Thanks,

edited to add: never mind about the rice cooking function, I read that if you cook rice in a slow cooker it can take 2+ hrs.  I'll buy a separate rice cooker.

[crazypants]

I've got a crock pot. I usually only cook for one.
In the food forum there was a discussion about it when I first bought it. Speaking of the Food Forum...

AHEM. Moderator.

[merigayle]

I have a zojishuro rice cooker, brown rice takes two hours. Pressure cooker, about 20 minutes total.

I have two crock pots, a large one and a medium size one. The large one often things burn because it is more spread out, so for smaller recipes i do use the smaller one. Depends on how much freezing/leftovers you want. I am vegetarian, but if you are cooking large cuts of meat in there, you need a larger one i would think.

Oh and I got my smaller one on Black Friday at CVS for like $8.

[crazypants]

Here. I found two of them.



http://chrunners.net/forum/index.php?topic=65460.0
http://chrunners.net/forum/index.php?topic=46105.0

[Lintu]

I've never had trouble having a biggish slow cooker, but I usually cook recipes made for 4-8 and eat the leftovers rather than doing smaller meals or cutting recipes in half.

[Liz]

I'm going to buy my first crock pot.  Most of the time, I will use it to cook for 2-4 people.  Some of the time, I will use it to look for 6-10 people. 

If I buy a larger capacity crock pot ...it can still make meals for 2, right?  Or is this a problem getting the right ratio of ingredients ..or a waste of energy.

Any suggestions on brands?

Some claim the can also function as a rice cooker - I'd prefer something that can also do this.

Thanks,

edited to add: never mind about the rice cooking function, I read that if you cook rice in a slow cooker it can take 2+ hrs.  I'll buy a separate rice cooker.

I have not had any success cooking smaller meals in the bigger crockpot.  I think you have to fill the crockpot at least 3/4 full for it to cook properly, which is a LOT of food if you have a really big one. 

[RioG]

We only ever use ours for roasts.   So size doesn't really matter.

[Honey Badger]

I recently bought a new one.  Got it on sale at Kohl's.  It's a Food Network brand.  I've used it twice and it seems fine.
But it's on the bigger side 'cause I like leftovers.

[Ice Cream]

I have not had any success cooking smaller meals in the bigger crockpot.  I think you have to fill the crockpot at least 3/4 full for it to cook properly, which is a LOT of food if you have a really big one. 

That is what the instructions on mine say, too.

[nadra24]

We got a big one for our wedding, but before I got married my sister lent me her smaller one.  She lent it to me because she never used it, even though at the time she lent it to me it was just her and her husband and a 1 year old.  I really only use it for meats, and the oval shape of the bigger one holds a roast much better than the small one ever did. I've never had a problem with burning stuff, but that's probably for a couple of reasons.  First, I usually come home at lunch and start the food cooking, so it's in there for less time and I get home before burning becomes an issue.  Second, my big crock pot has a timer on it and it switches over to "keep warm" after the specified cooking time.

As I said earlier, my main use is for meats.  I'll cook up a roast or chicken breasts and then use them through the week for different recipes:  Meat/starch/veg the first night, then tacos, then bbq sandwiches, and so forth.  It's probably too big for me to use it for soup unless I freeze leftovers, but I'm not a huge fan of soup in the first place and don't tend to ever eat soup I've frozen. 

[Magic Microbe]

There are only two of us and we have a big one and a smaller one. I never use the smaller one anymore because it isnt big enough for most cuts of meat. It was fine for just me but I always only cooked half of a piece of meat and froze the other half.

[radial]

You might consider buying a combo pressure cooker / slow cooker.  I use mine all the time because it is such a versatile appliance.  It does the job of a pressure cooker, a slow cooker, and a rice cooker.  Mine is 6 quarts large and it works fine even though I'm often cooking for just one.  I wouldn't worry about buying a little more capacity than you think you need. 

[radial]

Oh, just saw your note about buying a dedicated rice cooker.  Totally unnecessary if you get the combo appliance I mentioned above.  Mine cooks brown rice to perfection in 20-25 minutes - 15 under pressure, 5-10 more on low.  Best rice I've ever made.  If you go this route, the Cooking Under Pressure cookbook is a great resource. 

[merigayle]

steel cut oatmeal was the primary reason i downgraded to the smaller one

[redkitty]

I just got a cookbook out of the library (just yesterday) that is called "not your mother's slow cooker recipes for two."  In the beginning of the book she has a nice discussion about the different sizes of crock pots and which ones you should use for what. Her recipes are for two people with "some" leftovers (maybe one other meal for one person.)  She used a 1.5 qt crock pot for most of the recipes, but occasionally used a larger 2.5 or 3 quart one.  Apparently you CAN find an oval 1.5 slow cooker (she lists the brands in the front.)  She recommends getting an oval cooker because it holds bigger cuts of meat better.  I have not gotten a small crock pot yet, but looking at them online, they are pretty cheap, around $20 or so.  So you might want to experiment and get more than one. I can say that I more or less never ever use the big sized crock pot I have because it just makes way too much damn food for two people (and my DH will not eat leftovers and I do not want the same thing 5 lunches in a row.) Thus the reason i was looking for a recipes for smaller slow cookers.

[rocketgirl]

Do the smaller slow cookers come with removeable crocks now?  I don't think I'd ever own another crock pot that didn't have the removeable crock.

[merigayle]

Do the smaller slow cookers come with removeable crocks now?  I don't think I'd ever own another crock pot that didn't have the removeable crock.

my $8 deal does

[redkitty]

Do the smaller slow cookers come with removeable crocks now?  I don't think I'd ever own another crock pot that didn't have the removeable crock.

Yes, some of them do.