I have a couple of recipes that I make in a crock pot, that, yes, I could easily do in the dutch oven in the oven. But the crock pot doesn't heat up the kitchen, and it's nice to do the prep early in the day and forget it for hours. I am retired, but leery of leaving the house with the oven on. But leaving the crock pot on doesn't bother me at all.

I'm the same way. I don't use it daily, but there are a few recipes that I will always cook in the crockpot. I am not retired so the time thing is important to me.

I have almost never eaten something that was cooked in a crock pot that I would call "good"....I use a "cordless crock pot" and put it in the oven....the advantage is I can brown in it on my cook top and I can also use it to make gravy with the drippings....
I never have had any worries about leaving the house with the oven on....I don't worry about leaving with the furnace on, why should I worry about the stove?

It's winter here, and I'm using the crockpot weekly or sometimes more often.

If you think using the crockpot requires cans of soup or packets of soup mix, you're looking at the wrong recipes.

I use mine for simmering stock for hours , even overnight, to make the basis for soups. The beauty of the crockpot is there's very little evaporation so I don't have to check it often in case it boils dry.

It's also good for long, slow cooked stews and braises, and uses less power than the oven. In addition to having little evaporation, it's also less likely to catch on the bottom as it might if I was cooking on the stove top.

This week I did a really good goat curry and also lamb shanks with red wine and Puy lentils. Both of these were from scratch, no cans or packets involved. Last week it was beef stock for beef and vegetable soup, and braised beef cheeks.

None of these recipes was in a "crockpot cookbook", they are normal recipes for stews and braises which I use the crockpot to cook instead of the oven. I don't put the meat/veges in raw, I do all the normal browning and stove top cooking first then place the results into the crockpot for the long slow braise. The results are very good- DH would certainly let me know if they weren't!

You have heard all about the fancy gourmet sous vide cooking.

Crockpot cooking is conceptually similar, basically "Low & Slow". The problem is that a crockpot has very limited temperature control, just low, medium and high.

You can get a DC (universal) motor speed controller ($20.00), set the crockpot at high and plug it into the speed controller. The controller will allow you to set the temperature from 0F to maximum.

All you need is a digital thermometer to keep the temperature at the temperature you want.

Now you can try out all the amazing sous vide recipes. As a matter of fact, you can Google "crockpot sous vide".

dcarch

Colleen, I tend to use mine more in wintertime too. So good for beans!

Indeed! Did beans in mine a couple of weeks ago and getting ready to do some more :-)

I use mine year-round. I love just puttering around on a Saturday and not worrying about dinner. I make chicken, ribs, beef roast, meatballs, pork roast in it. I have 2 sizes, a 5-qt and 6.5 qt. That one is huge, the 5-qt gets the most use.

I still use mine quite often, but like Colleen, probably more in the winter. Beans, stock, bolognese sauce, polenta, etc are wonderful in the crockpot. I also like to cook a large batch of onions for caramelizing. I could cook all of these things other ways but I find the 5 o'clock hour horrible around here. I work at home, but the second part of my shift starts at 6 and sometimes I need some downtime before starting. Then, there are the days when I will be working outside all day and know that I will not have the necessary oomph for making dinner.

Also, if making a large batch of shredded meat (pork, beef, chicken), I think the crockpot uses less energy than the oven and that is also something I try to keep a handle on. What I don't like about the crockpot is smelling the food cooking all day and waiting. That can be a trial.

My crockpot stays in the garage. I did use it for making chicken stock once, but then I found that I can make better stock in my pressure cooker. In fact, the PC does just about everything better than the crockpot, and it is amazingly quick. I do have Rob Roy's crockpot cookbook, but none of the recipes looked interesting to me. I do not make stews and never braise anything, and so perhaps the crockpot is not a good tool for me. Anyway, I much prefer the pressure cooker. I do not particularly cook differently in the winter, as we do not have cold weather here.

Use crockpot quite frequently. Only had one dish turn our badly; so have never made that particular dish again because it would have turned out badly no matter the method of cooking. We love our crockpots in this family and couldn't do without them.

The crock pot was invented by an American gent who wanted an easy way to make cholent, which is a Northern European bean stew that's started on Friday before the Sabbath, and served midday on Saturday. No cooking can commence on the Sabbath. In Europe, people would bring their bean pots to the village bakery, where the fires would be banked after the bread was made for the Sabbath, and put their pots in the still hot oven to cook overnight in the well insulated brick and clay ovens, with the banked fire that would still be smoldering after the Sabbath finished the following night. The people would take their pots home after services the following morning. The crock pot was designed to do the same kind of slow cooking without commencing a cook during the Sabbath, or violating any of the strictures about the number of times one could open an oven.

I hated my crock pot and never made anything in it, even soup, that I liked. I gave it away.

I was given a "multicooker", which slow cooks, pressure cooks in a limited way, but also does sear, sauté, and reduce, as well as a couple of other things. I love it! So far, I've only made bean stews, which are not traditional, but in most ways equivalent to cholent, and caramelized onions. I'm sure I'll figure out other things to do with it as well. Not having to use another pot for browning the meat and veg or reducing down the excess water is a difference from the classic crock pot that makes using the multicooker much more attractive, and unlike the crock pot that I hated, I've liked everything I've made in the multicooker.

I am retired as well and the crock pot was bought to cook food while one worked. I have an oven and the stove top and am home most of the time so I can fix whatever I want using traditional methods, but . . . I do like chili in it -- IMO, it's much better than stove top and I like to do a steak soup in mine as well and I have a recipe for a beef for Italian beef sandwiches that is outstanding in the crock pot. And then there are those days that I'm going to be away and it's nice to come home to a cooked meal. So I do like it and use it.

I cook for groups sometimes, and grits overnight turn out perfect for a breakfast crowd. The crock pot has its uses and isn't a miracle working appliance, anymore than the way the microwave was initially worshipped.

I use my crockpot 2-3 times a month. Maybe once a week in the winter because of soup! I like making bbq chicken, salsa chicken, and of course ribs in it the most.

When I was working, the only thing I could leave in the crock pot all day and have it turn out all right was brisket. (We're talking 11+ hour stints, which included commute time.) Now that I'm retired, I still love brisket in the crock. I also use it for a few other slow-cooked foods (that don't take as long) such as chili, and it is handy for bringing to pot lucks. Don't run, but I also cook beef tongue in it.

Since I now get grass fed beef, I'm likely to save bones for stock. It is much more convenient to make this in the crock - set, and forget... (Chicken stock is quicker, i do this on the range in a stockpot.)

In really hot weather (I have two window A/C units on their last legs), I can use the crock outdoors if I don't feel like grilling.

Amen, Colleen, for mentioning that you don't need to use soups and packets to cook in the crock-pot. Oh, I cringe when I read recipes that call for those, and people rave about them.

I'm making a Jerk chicken recipe using skin-on thighs in mine later this week, once the thighs thaw. Since they're in the slow-cooker, I'm going to throw them under the broiler at the end so they get nice and crisp.

My crockpot is old and small--probably 3.5-4 qt. I don't use it for much but I do like it for making tapioca pudding. Almost no tending involved.

i like to cook bone in chicken breasts in my crock pot i load up the pot and cook on high for 8 hours then debone the chicken and wrap it in press and seal plastic wrap and freeze for use in a million and one dishes i put chicken in.....then i drain off the broth, put some water in the pot with the bones and cook for hours for great stock.....i do all this on the back porch as i've never liked lingering food odors in the house and crock pots "do" lingering odors very well.....

I ran across a recipe for chuck roast that said not to add any liquid to the crockpot. I was intrigued and tried it. I've never made it another way since.

Would you mind posting that recipe, cookebook? Or a link to the recipe, please.

While I do not cook beans in a crock pot, I do like the idea of using it to keep feijoada hot after I make it, especially if I am going to make it for a party. Not sure when I will have a party again - probably not until September, and otherwise, it is not worth it for just the two of us.

That reminds me - I am out of most dried beans; i.e. black beans, pinto, and red beans, that I normally have on hand. I'll have to go to the Middle Eastern market to get them, as they are much cheaper there, and I can buy them in bulk. I'm not out of lentils, and I have a few garbanzos left at the moment, but I will probably use those very soon.

WalnutCreek, I think it was more of a method than a recipe. I just seasoned the roast like I normally would on both sides - salt, pepper and any spices I feel like adding. And garlic. Then put it in the crockpot without browning. Cook on low for 8 hours. Since that worked out so well I've experimented with adding veggies so the whole meal is done. I place them on top of and around the roast. Works perfectly. And there is plenty of broth when done. I once added dried mushrooms instead of fresh and that was particularly good! I rinsed them but didn't reconstitute before adding.

I love my Crockpots and I have several sizes that I've accumulated over the years. The one I use the most is a newer 7Qt. that I purchased because of warnings about the older ones not getting hot enough for food safety. (Mine didn't pass the test) I like it for chuck roast, pulled pork, BBQ beef, swiss steak, stuffing, making beef and chicken broth, & applesauce. I like it when cooking holiday dinners and there aren't enough ovens/burners for everything. I even made banana bread in it years ago just to see if I could. IIRC it was pretty good. It did require a special pan.

Cookebook: I do chuck roast almost like you; I just add 1/2 cup water and I don't even use seasoning. We have wonderful home grown beef and it doesn't even need S & P. I would be interested in knowing what veggies you cook with it and at what time point you add them?

Thank you both so much for the suggestions. I, too, have more than one crockpot. And they are wonderful appliances to have for the holidays.

Cookebook and Lizbeth, I do the same too. One of the Cooking Forum members remarked about doing a pot roast in a crock pot but without adding any liquid. I don't remember who, but I gave it a try, and it worked just fine. The meat itself exudes a lot of liquid during the cooking process. That avoids being left with a whole bunch of weakly flavored broth.

I use my crockpot frequently. And I agree that there are many great crockpot recipes that do not call for a can of soup or a package of dried onion soup :-)) I make all my soups in it, broths, chili, "baked" beans, pulled pork, Mexican chicken and rice, pot roast, Lancashire hot pot, corned beef, steamed puddings, rice pudding, marinara sauce.....the list goes on :-)

I work from home and am in and out but could easily do the same things on the range or in the oven. But it is so easy to be able to just toss all the ingredients in and then ignore for 5 or 6 hours. And some things just come out better when cooked in a crockpot - that 'low and slow' method really brings out the favor and increases the tenderness of a lot of inexpensive cuts of meat.

For rich, tender stews, you can't beat a crock pot. Boeuf Bourguinon is just perfect.

I have a crockpot but don't cook anything in it. I do use it to keep things like sloppy Joes, soups, baked beans, or sausages and peppers warm for picnics or potlucks. For me, it's a warming appliance rather than one for cooking.

Lizbeth, I just use the normal ones anyone would use with pot roast - onions, carrots, potatoes (a few times sweet potatoes instead which is a nice change) and mushrooms. I add them from the beginning so they cook the whole time with the roast. Since they are on top of the roast instead of being under it I did not find them to be overdone.

I used to make chicken broth overnight in a crockpot but the smell would wake me up and so would my whining dogs!

Thanks, Cookbook: that sounds easy enough.

Bublebeez, I think you've hit on the biggest complaint I have about crockpots. The smell of cooking for 6 - 8 hours straight. I could never run a crockpot at night while I'm sleeping because the smells would keep me awake. I have an open-plan kitchen, so when I do use it, I close all my bedroom doors.