Crockpot Cookery

The crockpot is an amazing tool for a busy person.  Crockpots require little to no preparation for a home cooked, wholesome meal that will be ready by dinnertime. If your home is anything like mine, dinner hour chaotic even when you don't have dinner to prepare.  Imagine the feeling of satisfaction you'll have all day knowing dinner is being cooked and there will be no long time standing in the kitchen to put dinner on the table.  When I wake in the morning, one of my first thoughts are: what's for dinner?  It is such a relief to put together a meal in the crockpot (most meals are put together in less than 10 minutes) and know all day that dinner is cooking.  I don't' need to worry about when to start preparing dinner, or if I need to run to the store for anything, and I don't need to be home by a certain time in the afternoon to begin preparing dinner. Aside from the ease of use, crockpots also use less energy than your stove or oven, and can be used overnight to prepare a nice breakfast, make yogurt, or special sauces that require a long cook time.

Some tips:

• Leave the crockpot lid on the entire time you're cooking if at all possible.  It takes 15 minutes to build back up to the temperature it was at each time you open the lid!

• Recipes found online that call for canned soups and processed ingredients can be easily converted to a healthier alternative by finding other recipes online to make those canned soups and whatnot.

• One hour on high = 2-2.5 hours on low
• If dish is too soupy, remove cover, set on high and allow liquid to cook away.
• High = 300 degrees.  Low = 200 degrees.

The Chart of Times:

10 hrs cook time =complete by 7am for 5pm dinner

9 hrs = 8am for 5pm dinner

8 hrs = 9am for 5pm dinner

7 hrs = 10am for 5pm dinner

6 hrs = 11am for 5pm dinner

5 hrs = 12pm for 5pm dinner

4 hrs = 1pm for 5pm dinner

3 hrs = 2pm for 5pm dinner

I'll be creating a new page soon with recipes!