We have two new family members! Meet Sugar and Oliver (Ollie)--- who were in the house all of 45 minutes before I decided to throw them in a crockpot. [PETA disclosure; it wasn't plugged in, they weren't drugged---all just fun and games!]
While cooking in the slow cooker is pretty easy, sometimes things don't go exactly quite as planned. Since I've used the crockpot eight million and fifty-six times I have a few tricks up my robe sleeve that might be of some help to you.
Cleaning Baked on Gunk.
If you make a casserole in the slow cooker, like a lasagna, sometimes the baked on gunk is hard to get off. Don't use a brillo pad, or harsh abrasive scrubber to scrape it off. Instead, fill the crock with hot water and drop in a fabric softener (dryer) sheet, and let it sit over night. In the morning, rinse out the crock and wash it normally (either by hand or in the dishwasher).
Do You Use the Slow Cooker Liners?
I don't. But that's because I use my pots so much (I have 7 plugged in today!) it wouldn't be cost-effective for me to do so. If I think what I'm making will be difficult to clean, I'll spray a bit of cooking oil on the crock before loading it up. Otherwise, I just clean promptly, or use the above fabric softener sheet trick.
Hard Water Stains or Bean Residue.
The white, filmy stuff left behind on a black stoneware is lime scale, and comes from hard water, soap scum, or bean goop. Once you wash your pot with hot, soapy water, it's fine to use, even with this white discoloration. If it really bothers you, you can use a mixture of water and vinegar to wash away the stains, or make a big pot of tomato-based something or other (chili, stew, marinara sauce) to get rid of the stains.
I live in an area with hard water, and have these stains pretty often. I simply ignore them and keep cooking.
There is Water Trapped in The Handle of the Glass Lid of My CrockPot.
Ew. This happens if you don't have a tight seal on the handle of the glass lid and you run it through the dishwasher. The best thing to do is to unscrew the lid, wipe out the water, and then hand-wash the lid from now on. I'm sure you could hunt down a rubber gasket from a hardware store to make the seal tighter, but usually the glass lids don't get so dirty you can't just hand wash them.
The Handle Fell off the Glass Lid and it's Broken and I Need a New One.
You can order new glass lid handles from the Crock-Pot main website. You'll need to get the model number from the bottom of the heating element before seeing what type of knobs are available.
Or, you can go to a hardware store and get a single screw drawer-pull and use that instead for a new handle.
The Glass Lid is Broken.
You can order replacement glass lids from the Crock-Pot website (again, have your model number ready), or you can use a few layers of foil as a lid. Crimp the edges tightly, and cook your food the same way. Be super careful when removing the foil, the steam will be quite hot!
Which Slow Cooker do you Recommend?
I have all my recommended slow cookers and accessories listed on the Store page of the website.
What Do I Do With the Temperature Probe My Slow Cooker Came With?
Throw it in a junk drawer. I don't use the temperature probe, and none of my recipes call for using one, because I try to keep them pretty simple. If you are cooking a whole chicken or a fancyish piece of meat and would like the meat to turn off when it reaches a desired internal temp, use the probe. The probe is not to be used as an instant-read meat thermometer, but as a tool to turn the pot to a "warm" setting once the desired temp is reached.
I Only Have a 6-quart. How Do I Make Recipes that Call for a 4-quart or 2-quart?
Slow Cookers work the best when they are pretty full---about 2/3 to 3/4 of the way full. You can still use them if they aren't to this capacity, but your food will cook faster.If you are making a smaller recipe in a 6-quart, you can load the ingredients in and shorten the cooking time, or you can insert an oven-safe dish and then load the food into that. I recommend a Pyrex or Corningware-type dish, although a metal loaf pan or baking dish would work fine also. It's okay if the food mounds over the top, or overflows.
This is also what I use to make creme brulee or cheesecake.
I hope this helps! I have other answers listed in this Frequently Asked Year of Slow Cooking questions post and this one, too.
If you have any other questions, please let me know and I'll try my hardest to answer them the best I can. I hope you're enjoying your Crocktober!
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