2011-06-09-LIVING_WELL_WITH_DIABETES
Seminars@Hadley
Crockpots: Slow and Easy Cooking
Presented by
Brenda Rice
Moderated by
Dawn Turco
April 22, 2009
Dawn Turco
We welcome you to our seminar. Today, we are talking about slow and easy cooking with crockpots. And the word Crockpot is a name which is actually a trademarked name but is often used as a generic term. Our presenter today will be talking all things Crockpot and she certainly has the experience we’ve needed for this seminar.
Let me tell you a little bit about Brenda and then she’ll be filling in as I introduce her as well. Brenda is a Hadley student and we’re thrilled that she was interested in stepping up and being a presenter today. Actually this is the first time that we’ve had a Hadley student do the key presentation at one of our seminars. Brenda has a BS in Psychology and two Masters Certificates in Neural Linguistic Programming. She was a practicing clinician and then went into animal behavioral work, with pet training and search and rescue and drug dog training; and has been a dog show judge. Brenda has written for publications such a Dog World.
She has conducted many workshops and seminars in the past and is as I said today, our resident expert on Crockpot cooking. I mention that crockpots is something that we use as a generic term. Rival, was the original holder of the trademarked term, and they introduced the original Crockpot in 1971 and how it is so popular again today. And that is the topic of our discussion. I am getting ready to release the microphone to Brenda. And Brenda I’ll ask you to just greet the crowd and say a few words about yourself.
Brenda Rice
Thank you Dawn, I appreciate that, and hello to everyone out there. I heard several people say this is their first webinar or seminar on the internet so to speak; and I’ll have to tell you that this is the first time I have actually done a seminar or workshop on the internet. Before this I have always done them in person and they have been on other topics. So I am looking forward to this, and hopefully you all will get as much out of this as I can offer. And I’m looking forward to your interactions and questions as well.
Dawn Turco
Thank you, Brenda. Let’s get us started, and let me ask you what is the difference between a Crockpot and a slow cooker? We used both in out title this seminar or in our explanation so tell us the difference; if any?
Brenda Rice
Sometimes I feel like I’m the crackpot with the Crockpot because I use them for some many things. But there really is no difference as you said in your intro. Crockpot is a trademark name that Rival introduced towards the end of 1970 but it did not become available to the general population or as a product you could buy until early in ‘71.
A lot of people still use that term, including myself, rather than slow cooker, but they are one in the same products. They are interchangeable, so consequently, most people would recognize if you said Crockpot you are probably talking about any slow cooker not just the trademark Rival product. And I have been cooking with these since they came out from the very, very first and actually I still have a couple crockpots from the ‘70s they seem to be almost indestructible, which I like. There’s not too much that can go wrong with them at least the older ones. I’m not too sure about the new computerized ones.
But when I pulled out my crockpots from the different locations just to see what I still what I had on hand for the last, what is that, the last 35, 36, 37 years; I have six crockpots and, I think that probably most of them still work. It’s just that someone has given me a newer version as a gift and I have sort of upgraded myself about every five years or so.
Dawn Turco
Brenda let me ask you then, for those who are listening in who have not used a Crockpot in some time; or for those how are looking to buy one for the first time how do you go about choosing a slow cooker or a Crockpot?
Brenda Rice
Well I would say the main thing is you are either going to have to read online or call a company and ask them specifically about how the mechanism works. Is it a switch that tells you it’s warm, low, high? Is it a button that you push? Or, is it some sort of complicated computer? The last two crockpots I received were actually last year as gifts that were given to me and both of them still have very simple switches.
I know that Hamilton Beach is coming out, this week possibly last week, but right around this time but with a new slow cooker that has a stainless steel insert that can be put on top of the stove in the slow cooker or in the oven and I called Hamilton Beach to ask them about that. And they informed me that again, it is a simple switch with a warm, low, and high setting.
So, I would suggest that you go to the store if possible put your hands on the machines and see how easy it is to work the dials. Have someone with you perhaps who is sighted who can either read it as far as, whether maybe the computer would make a noise so that you could use a simple computer or whether it is too complicated. I would probably not buy one without doing that or perhaps seeing a similar model that a friend might have that you know you can operate well.
Dawn Turco
I know that on the resource list and the recipe list that we will be posting with a recorded version of this seminar, I have the website for Hamilton Beach listed so not to worry you’ll have easy access to that when you go to that resource list. Tell me, Brenda, and I know in some of the newer crockpots; and one of the things I really love is the carrying handle that kind of keeps a secure lid on it. But, can you tell me a little bit more about safety in the kitchen and when handling the Crockpot and food in the Crockpot? What are your safety tips for use with a slow cooker?
Brenda Rice
One thing I have to say about the Crockpot cooking I have been blind, not quite five years. And I was sighted for a little over 60 so I’m kind of telling my age here. But, when I first started to learn to cook again during that time, I also happened to be bedridden a couple of years with cancer. So I have really only been dealing with going back to cooking and going back to the kitchen in the last couple of years. And one of the advantages of using a Crockpot or a slow cooker is that it is very difficult for you to hurt yourself or ruin he food. You’re a lot less likely to get burned, you’re a lot less likely to obviously to slop it into the burners of the stove or to get it all over countertops, that type of thing. And it’s almost impossible to burn the food, or to ruin it beyond the repair.
As far as safety tips, I think that’s what you asked me before I went down that rabbit trail. Was that I always make sure when I’m taking the lid off that either tilt it away from me or move it horizontally straight away from me so that the steam does not come up in your face. I personally also, set my slow cookers on a glass cutting board that I have on my counter because sometimes that outer casing will get pretty warm. And, I just don’t want it sitting directly on my counter top. Also you want to make sure, like you would with any appliance that you’re dealing with, that you don’t have a frayed cord, that you don’t have a cord that is so long that you could trip over it or snag your arm in it or something of that nature to pull the machine off your counter.
Actually I have a Crockpot that I use a great deal it’s a 6 ½ - quart and I just leave it on top of my counter so that I’m not constantly pulling it in and out from under the cabinet so that it is available to use. Also you want to be careful with the insert with the crockery part of the Crockpot. In that, you don’t go from one extreme temperature to another you can crack that insert. And then of course you no longer have – and then you’d really have cracked Crockpot, you no longer have a Crockpot that’s going to work. So, don’t for instance empty a hot Crockpot out the contents into a saucepan let’s say and set it in the sink and run cold water directly in it. Or, move it if it’s hot later those kinds can cause you little difficulties. So you want to make sure that it’s cooled down enough before you put cold water in it that you’re not going to crack that insert.
Caller
Brenda, are those inserts washable in the dishwasher?
Brenda Rice
Yes, I think that most of them are. You can always check that little booklet or have someone read that to, that comes with your individual machine. But from the last three or four that I have worked with personally have all been dishwasher safe. I prefer a glass lid; you can get glass and plastic, depending on the individual Crockpot. I like the glass lids they’re heavier they fit better and of course those are also dishwasher safe.
In my particular home however; I am the dishwasher. So, I do wash mine by hand and a lot of times I’ll put water in them with soap and let the soak for a little while. And then I just use a sponge to clean them out or a sponge that is useful for Teflon coated utensils, or skillets. I do not use a strong scouring pad or a strong steel or wired type of brush. You can put scratches into that surface which can then cause you problems later on. So I try to be gentle with that.
Dawn Turco
Brenda, I know that you use your Crockpot for everything. From appetizer to desserts and that you’re very organized about your meal planning and leftovers. I just want to hand the microphone over to you and let you carry on a bit before we take some questions. Okay?
Brenda Rice
Okay, that sounds fine with me Dawn. One of the biggest things I find that most people have asked me over the years, and I’ve actually taught some seminars on this and that is. People come home they’re tired they walk in and they have nothing thawed out and they say “I don’t know what to fix for dinner?” It is sort of like the woman who stands in front of a full closet and says “I have nothing to wear.” When the refrigerator or freezer is full of food they just have not thought about how to prepare something or how to go about maybe even using the leftovers. So let me address that just a little bit.
First of all, a lot of times to me, that’s the fun part of cooking. Used to be I’m just now getting back into doing this particular exercise but it used to be I would never fix the same meal twice within a month. We would always have something different. However; a lot of times I would take one cut of meat and see how many different ways I could fix it so that it didn’t look like it did before. And most of the time that works really well.
For instance, let’s say you might have baked chicken one night, and then you take the chicken off the bone and the next night you might take part of that and fix chicken and rice casserole. And the next night you might take a part of that that is still left over and cube that up and maybe fix a chicken hash with fried potatoes, and onions and green peppers, and cubed chicken and have scrambled eggs and you got breakfast. Or you might take another part of the chicken and either slice that or cube that up and make a casserole with a cream sauce or a cheese sauce and vegetables. So that you’re using one main ingredient and you may use it six or seven or eight different ways. My meat never lasts as long as my imagination when it comes to how I can fix that particular cut.
And sometimes I will make double the recipe or it is just my husband and me at this point and time so I usually make enough for four to six people. And I freeze those into individual servings of what’s left over and then I can just pull out and make my own sort of frozen dinners or next meal type dish that I’m going to make from that particular left over but it not be the next night or the same week, it can be a week later. And if you do that frequently with things that you fix, before long you’ve built up a reservoir in your freezer of all different kinds of foods that you can pull out at a moment’s notice. And you can make something without having to think about it very much.
And I love to do those kinds of things. I think they’re fun. I was telling Dawn a couple weeks ago about making a turkey dressing ball; sort of like a meatball. And I make it with ground turkey and bread and chicken broth and celery and onions and sage and poultry seasoning like you would your regular dressing. And I mix all that together and make my meatballs and I just freeze those. And I can take out enough let’s say I want to make a meatball sandwich or I can take out enough to put in a Crockpot on top of a bed of vegetables and cook that for six to eight hours. Or I can take them out and mix it with a gravy and have mashed potatoes and gravy and squash and have a sort of mini Thanksgiving meal. Or I can take those out and even make them into a casserole with say either squash or sweet potatoes.
And that’s another thing I like to do with the Crockpot. I bake potatoes in the Crockpot quite frequently, all you do is wash them, wrap them in foil put your hole in them like you would if you were going to put them in the oven for the steam to escape. And I just layer them in the Crockpot. Put them in the Crockpot turn them on for six to eight hours and they’re really good that way.
Also make sure that when you are using your Crockpot that you don’t fill it more than ¾ of the way full. Because if you lift that crock pot with the food or you fill it too full then your machine won’t work right. So ¾ full, you really don’t want it less than half full, if possible. And you also want to watch your liquid content when you’re cooking with a Crockpot the liquids do not disseminate like they do in an oven dish or on top of the stove. So consequently usually unless, you’re making a stew or a soup usually at most you’ll need a half cup to a full cup of liquid. And that’s about all you’ll need and if your just starting out, if you’ve never used a Crockpot or a slow cooker before you get a little nervous about that thinking, Uh-Oh I’m going to dry this out and it’s going to be terrible.