General crockpot question

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Viewing 15 posts - 1 through 15 (of 15 total)
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  • July 14, 2011 at 4:50 am
    amama5
    Participant

    I just finished scrubbing food off my crockpot and realized I could ask for experienced advice here about crockpots:)  I have a small and a large crockpot, and enjoy using them to plan ahead, to keep the kitchen cool in summer, etc.  However, I really don’t like washing them.  I would much rather wash a non-stick skillet, or casserole pan.  I would use the crockpots much more often if it weren’t for the scrubbing with my nails to get the food off.  Is there a trick to not having food stuck, or am I doing something wrong?  I’m pretty sure I can’t spray it with non-stick spray, but maybe I can?  I don’t want to buy the liners I’ve seen, that’s a luxury we can’t do right now.  Do you ladies just bear with the pots and scrub away, or am I missing anything?  Thanks so much!  Adrienne

    July 14, 2011 at 5:10 am
    suzukimom
    Participant

    I have used non-stick spray

    July 14, 2011 at 5:48 am
    cedargirl
    Participant

    yes, it’s a magical trick called being lazy and soaking it over night. (blush) If it’s the only thing left in the sink it’s really not so bad and the gunk (technical term) practically pours off it.

    July 14, 2011 at 5:53 am
    Linabean
    Participant

    I soak too! If it looks really stuck hard and fast I will also pour in some vinegar and baking soda with the hot water as well. The next morning it washes off with little fuss. ; )

    July 14, 2011 at 7:26 am
    dmccall3
    Participant

    Yeah I soak too and never have a problem cleaning it. I hope this helps! 🙂

    July 14, 2011 at 10:13 am
    AussieMummy
    Participant

    Non stick spray OR an oven bag to line it with. In fact, I think you can buy crockpot liners 😀

    July 14, 2011 at 11:56 am
    Ladyofthehouse
    Member

    I non stick spray mine and soak if need be, my motto is: never scrub that which can be soaked :o)

    July 14, 2011 at 12:04 pm
    Rene
    Participant

    I’ll soak mine if it’s really bad.  For most cleaning, I mix a little Borax with my dish soap and this works really well to get the gunkies off.

    My biggest problem with the crockpot is that I can’t ever think of what to cook in it.

    July 14, 2011 at 12:21 pm
    Rachel White
    Participant

    I soak, too. It’s not lazy…it’s efficient. The only time I’ve greased the inside is for a Lasagna recipe.

    Rene…

    Fix It and Forget It cookbook. 

    I do several soups from Sue Gregg’s Soups and Muffins in the crockpot. 

    about.com has recipes just for the crockpot.http://southernfood.about.com/library/crock/blcpidx.htm

    I have a crockpot manwich recipe that’s a big hit.

    Rachel

    July 14, 2011 at 3:34 pm
    sheraz
    Participant

    I second the Fix It and Forget It cookbook – it’s great and has a huge variety of things.  We really enjoy one of the meatloaf recipes. =)   Spraying and soaking is the way to go…

    July 14, 2011 at 4:05 pm
    amama5
    Participant

    Thanks ladies!  I guess it just bothers me to do dishes in the morning, I like the large things washed and put away so I hadn’t thought of soaking it.  We eat every week together at church(and I use it most weeks) and it’s late when everyone leaves so I could probably talk myself into soaking it that night for sure:)

    I like the Fix it and Forget it book as well.  Rene, I like cooking whole chickens in it, then you can shred it for barbeque, or make chicken noodle soop in there, or just have plain chicken. 

    Thanks again

    July 14, 2011 at 4:43 pm
    Rene
    Participant

    Thanks for the ideas.  I do have two Fix It books – gifts from my MIL when she learned I got a crock-pot.  But so many of the recipes seem similar, and the couple that I did try did not turn out, that now I kinda shy away from them.  One of the recipes I tried was for sweet and sour meatballs – I followed the directions and the sauce was terrible!!!  So I tried again, changing what I thougth was the problem and it was still awful.  I think I spent 2 hours just making a mess in the kitchen.

    July 14, 2011 at 5:32 pm
    amama5
    Participant

    Rene, my meatballs use spaghetti sauce and jelly if I feel like it, or spaghetti and fresh pineapple juice with pineapple chunks.  I serve them with brown rice and it always goes very fast at church.  I also really like http://www.allrecipes.com.  Just type in crockpot, then you can find several, and see the reviews(which help a lot!).  The other day I tweaked a recipe and put sweet potatoes, and browned sausage in with a small amount of chicken broth and seasoning salt.  It was really good(better in fall though). 

    July 15, 2011 at 11:19 pm
    ebcsmom
    Participant

    I love the product “Bar Keepers Friend” you can find it at walmart, and it is a great cleaner I haven’t found anything it can’t scrub off. I have waterless cookware and I can’t use anything harsh on them, so it works great for those and I have noticed on my crockpots too.

    Also for hard things I have sprinkled in plain baking soda, pour on some vinegar and on top of that boiling water.

    I LOVE using my crockpot too! Hope that helps!Smile

    May 24, 2016 at 6:04 am
    bethanna
    Participant

    To remove stuck-on food from my crock pot, broiler pan, or stock pots, I liberally cover the area with baking soda then add hot water. After soaking for an hour or so, the food usually wipes right out.

    I found this thread from the tags of the other summer cooking thread. 🙂

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