27 Vegan Slow Cooker Recipes for Winter (2024)

FAQs

What cannot be cooked in a slow cooker? ›

Here's How. Slow cookers turn cheap meats tender and tasty, but they're also much cheaper to run than a big oven.

Most recipes that require finishing in the oven or any sort of baking make for great slow cooker candidates. That being said, you really can make anything in a slow cooker: yogurt, pulled pork, chicken broth, and chili. Get creative and experiment with your favorite recipes, while following a few simple guidelines.

For many dishes, particularly soups and stews, you really can just throw all the ingredients in. It can be nice to cook the onions beforehand, as the flavour is different to when you put them in raw, but experiment both ways as you may find you prefer one.

However, Crockpots generally have ceramic or porcelain pots, while most slow cookers have a metal pot. As with a lot of cooking appliances, the biggest difference comes from the distribution of heat.

Don't leave it on 'warm' all day

Most appliances will automatically shut off after 20 or so hours on this setting, but you shouldn't leave food in a slow cooker for an extended length of time. The general rule of thumb is that 2-4 hours is the maximum length of time you can leave food in a slow cooker on warm.

Is it safe to leave a slow cooker on for 12 hours? Yes, you can use your slow cooker for longer than eight hours, as long as you keep an eye on it. Many slow cookers do have an automatic shutoff after 24 hours.

Cooking food overnight in a crockpot is a great way to save time, but is it safe to leave a crockpot on overnight while you sleep? Absolutely! If you feel comfortable leaving your crockpot on while you're at work, you should also feel safe using it overnight.

The difference between "High" and "Low" on slow cookers seems to differ with every brand and model. One thing that is consistent, though, is that food takes seven to eight hours to reach a simmer point (around 210°) on low; versus three to four hours on high.

If you overcook meat, it becomes dry and tough. Often people using a slow cooker and don't check when the food is actually done. If a recipe says cook for 8 hours on low, people may not check the food for 8 hours.

Why did my noodles turn to mush in the crockpot? ›

Why did my noodles turn to mush in the crockpot? One of the most common reasons for mushy noodles is overcooking. Pasta, including noodles, has a relatively short cooking time compared to other ingredients typically prepared in a crockpot.

Not enough liquid: Slow cookers rely on moist heat to soften food. If you don't have enough liquid in the pot, the carrots won't cook evenly and may stay tough. Aim for at least a cup or two of liquid, enough to reach about a third of the way up on the ingredients.

Searing meat before slow cooking adds flavor through caramelization, but it's not mandatory. If you skip searing, you might miss some depth of flavor, but the slow cooker will still cook the meat thoroughly.

Until the temperature reaches 140° F, some bacteria can survive. Food safety experts say that a slow-cook crock pot should heat to 125°within three hours and to 140°F within four hours. The temperature must be maintained at 158°F for at least one hour to kill all bacteria.

For lots of dishes you can just throw all of the raw ingredients into the cooker, stir and off you go, but if you have a little extra time you can sear the meat before you add it to the pot and make sure that all ingredients are cut into uniform sizes.

Absolutely, which is why you should always adjust times and amounts as needed. Smaller amounts of slow cooker hamburger only need a few hours before they are done.

Yes, you most certainly can cook raw meat in the slow cooker! You put it in “cold”, with whatever liquid your recipe calls for, turn it on either “low” or “high” depending on your recipe (I usually start it on “high” for a couple hours, then turn it to “low”), and in 6–7–8 hours, it's now COOKED meat!

The danger with a slow cooker is that it's very slow to heat up and very slow to cool down. This means that during startup and shutdown the food will spend a significant amount of time at a temperature when where bacteria can grow rapidly. Turn it on and keep it on and you'll be fine.