Kitchen

[HonnyBrown]

Okay, user error, I know.

But, with the exception of squash and stock, everything I make looks like pet food!  It tastes fine, but my tastebuds are attached to my nose and eyes.

What am I doing wrong?  I use recipes but chicken and steak pieces shred and fall apart.  I make up recipes, and that's not better.

[justathought]

You maybe cooking things to long and/or using to much water or broth.

[gulf coast girl]

I hate food fixed in a crock pot, I think it's awful. 

[HonnyBrown]

>> 

You maybe cooking things to long and/or using to much water or broth.<<

just, I follow the recipe on the low end of the time range.  The meat shreds.  I use less liquid and it comes out very dry.

I'm throwing away meals because they are inedible.

[HonnyBrown]

You maybe cooking things to long and/or using to much water or broth.<<

just, I follow the recipe on the low end of the time range.  The meat shreds.  I use less liquid and it comes out very dry.

I'm throwing away meals because they are inedible.

[HonnyBrown]

gulf, that's how I feel now!

I convert the Crock Pot recipes to the oven so they will taste fine.

[betteb]

I tend to cook things like chili, stews and such in the crockpot. I do make pot roast in one, but I brown the roast first, I don't use to much liquid and watch it when it gets closer to the end. I also don't add the veggies until later in the cooking process. I don't like chicken in a crockpot, because it turns the bones to mush.

Another thing I do in the crockpot is make Lil' Smokies in bbq sauce.  don't cok it for hours and by the nature of the smokies, they don't turn to mush.

I think a crockpot has it's place in the kitchen, but I don't try to cook every meal in it.

[peachesncream]

I don't think there's anything wrong with you. There could be a few things going on - none of them your fault.

For one thing, some people don't like the texture of foods cooked in the crockpot; they don't find it appealing. My DH is that way. He'd rather eat stew or roast from the oven. 

Also, there's the fact that today's crockpots cook hotter than the original ones. So, food can become overcooked very easily. That causes a lot of frustration for people. (My DD bought an old crockpot on EBay, because the newer crockpots were driving her nuts. She wanted pot roast and other dishes she remembered from her childhood, that were made in a 1970's era crockpot.) 

It could be that crockpot cooking isn't for you. I've found that I use mine less and less over the years. When the kids were little and time was at a premium, it helped with dinner preparation. Now, I'd rather use the oven.

[Harpa]

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@HonnyBrown wrote:

>> 

You maybe cooking things to long and/or using to much water or broth.<<

just, I follow the recipe on the low end of the time range.  The meat shreds.  I use less liquid and it comes out very dry.

I'm throwing away meals because they are inedible.

---

How big are the pieces of meat? I will often do a crock pot with beef chunks (and you know how small those are) and halved potatoes, carrots & onion. The meat stays together, a potatoe may break if I don't carefully remove them, but it breaks in chunks, and nothing else is ever mushed. I usually cook on high for an hour or 2 and then turn down low....If I start at 7, everything is ready, even before noon. (And I do like liquid...about 2 cups--equal beef broth & sherry.)

One other thing: I don't know what your recipes say regarding where to put what, but I always put my meat on the top.

[Harpa]

You maybe cooking things to long and/or using to much water or broth.<<

just, I follow the recipe on the low end of the time range.  The meat shreds.  I use less liquid and it comes out very dry.

I'm throwing away meals because they are inedible.

[ChiliPepper]

My "newer" Crock Pot also cooks things much hotter. I NEVER use high. I normally never have problems if I keep it on low & cut the time back.

I agree with the others that your food just may be overcooking. If the lid is rattling & its "spittin" liquid it's probably boiling.

[chickenbutt]

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@HonnyBrown wrote:

Okay, user error, I know.

But, with the exception of squash and stock, everything I make looks like pet food!  It tastes fine, but my tastebuds are attached to my nose and eyes.

What am I doing wrong?  I use recipes but chicken and steak pieces shred and fall apart.  I make up recipes, and that's not better.

---

I think that's just what happens when you cook something all day.  For some I suppose that's the attraction. 

I like to do a braise, or an oven-simmer, in my LC pots but it's never longer than a few hours in a good, heavy pot.   You don't get that same result cooking something in a crock pot for 6-12 hours for several reasons, IMO.

I guess I really don't get the appeal.  People used to say it was just so that they could put it on in the morning and go to work.  Honestly, I'd be scared to leave something like that on all day while I was gone.

You can do the same thing, only better, for less hours with a quality recipe and quality cookware.