A Crock-Pot Conclusion

I love the crock-pot.

I mean, put stuff in, flip it on, and in several hours: dinner.

I realized a few things that I don't like about the crock-pot, however.

For starters, raw garlic.

There is something very off about finding pieces of garlic that have been simmering away for hours in a liquid. I don't even like the smell of the raw garlic in the crock-pot. So, in the future: I will either brown the garlic first or omit it altogether.

Chicken is another thing that can be just weird tasting if left in for the amount of time most crock-pot recipes suggest.  They say 8 hours, I say 5 tops. I have experimented with boneless, skinless chicken breasts and I will tell you if you cook a chicken breast on low for anything over 6 hours you are about to indulge in trying to chew a piece of fabric. Trust me: five hours and it will be totally cooked and moist and delicious.

Stuffing and rice. I have tried recipes that call for both and no matter what I do they both come out rather overcooked, soggy, and just plain gross.

My favorite things in the crock-pot: soups, stews, pork roasts to shred for pulled-pork sandwiches, chicken for tacos, teriyaki chicken, meatloaf (in fact, it is probably my favorite meatloaf recipe and it cooks perfectly in the crock-pot!) and baked potatoes.

I use my crock-pot all year long. It is great on a busy weekday in spring, it is fabulous on a hot I-Don't-Feel-Like-Cooking summer evening, and it is absolutely delightful on a cold day to have something warm and delicious simmering and cooking away all day long...even more wonderful during the busy holidays like right now when you have fifty other things you need to be doing besides cooking.

What is your favorite thing to cook in the crock-pot?