Crockpot Information Like Temperatures, Etc.

CPK Cooking Temps

Please remember, cooking times may vary depending on the brand of crock pot, size, and the amount of food & liquid prepared.

Low heat is approximately 200°F degrees,
High heat is approximately 300°F degrees,
This also goes back to depending on your make & model of crock pot you might have.
When your cooking on high it’s approximately half of the cooking time as if you were cooking on low. Important! – Don’t remove the lid if you can help it, reason being it’ll take about 20 minutes for the crock pot to get back to it’s original temperature it was before.

Convertion Times:

Stove Top-        High Temp / Low Temp
15-30 minutes      1 1/2 – 2 1/2 hrs      4 – 8 hours
35-45 minutes      3 – 4 hours       6 – 10 hours
45minutes – 3 hours     4 – 6 hours      8 – 16 hours

Browning Meats:

                                                                       

  *Note*- Ground beef recipes have better flavor and texture if you browned it before adding it to the crock pot. Please note one of the best advantages to leaving ground beef at such a steady temperature for a long period of time, it literally draws out the fat to such a degree, that when it draws out the fat it rises to the surface which makes it so much easier to skim the fat off the top. And also another advantage is that you can purchase cheaper grades of meat because the crock pot itself acts as a meat tenderizer. Beacuse it cooks at one temp, for a long period of time.

                                                                        

    Roasts don’t need to be browned, but you can if you so desire. *Note*- Remember to add your dried herbs during the last 1/2 hour of your cooking. Reason being, it’s the same principal because the food itself happens to be at one temp for such a long period of time, it knocks out a lot of the flavor of the herbs.

Cooking Dried Beans in a Crock pot:

                                                                         

   The most convenient way to cook a dried bean recipe is to put all the ingredients in the crock pot for 2 to 3 hours on the high setting, then reduce to the low setting for 8 to 10 hours. In a way this is a little inconvenient, because you have to be present after a couple of hours to reduce the heat setting, or unless you have a programmable crock pot which I highly recommend reason being you have more flexibility when cooking. Also a more traditional way of cooking dried beans is to first put the beans and water in the crock pot, and cook on the high setting 2 hours. Turn your crock pot off, and let beans sit for 8 to 24 hours. Then add the remaining ingredients, and cook on a low setting 8 to 12 hours or until done. You can also use this approach for baked bean recipes, because it allows the flavors to blend and it happens to give it more of an oven-baked taste.

Vegetables:

 

Thick dense vegetables like potatoes, carrots, and other  vegetables should be cut 1″ thick, and put at the bottom of the pot, since they take longer to cook.

Liquids:

                                                                          

  Because I like working with broths, I consistently  have to remind myself, that whatever I happen to be cooking at the time will release it’s natural juices, so I have to adjust the liquid accordingly. I never go more then half the crock pot. Dish’s that contain rice or pasta, if you add one cup of liquid is usually enough.

Pasta and Rice:

 

Pasta: If a recipe calls for cooked pasta, I cook it until just slightly tender before adding to the pot.

Rice: add 1/4 extra liquid per 1/4 cup uncooked rice, and use long grain converted rice.

Herbs and Spices:

                                                                        

    Ground herbs and spices tend to dissipate over a long period of time, so it’s best to add them about a 1/2 hour before you stop cooking. Whole herbs release flavors over time, so which makes them a good choice for this type of cooking. But you should always taste and adjust seasonings, if need be, before serving.

Milk and Cheese:

                                                                        

  Milk, sour cream, and cream, should be added during the last hour. Condensed cream soups are good substitutions for milk and can be cooked for long periods of time. Healthy, or reduced fat cream soups can be used in any recipe as well as a substitute. Cheeses don’t generally hold up over long periods of cooking, so with that said I would add it near the end of cooking, or you can use processed cheeses and spreads.

Soups:

                                                                      

  Only add water to cover ingredients in soup, and add more after cooking if necessary for a thinner soup. For milk based soups, add 1 or 2 cups of water and during the last hour, stir in milk, evaporated milk, or cream if the receipt calls for it.

 I got this information off Crock Pot King site