As we continue our discussion on Tips for Successful Slow Cooker Breakfast and Dessert Recipes, make sure you have read Part 1 where we talk about not letting our girls (crock pots) pull an all nighter without a little guidance first (and my disastrous breakfast that lead to this nugget of wisdom 😉 ).
Warm is Still Hot
I LOVE the timer and warm setting feature on slow cookers these days. But here is the deal, if the dessert or breakfast recipe only really takes 4 hours to cook and then it bumps over to the “warm” setting for another 4 hours you are going to have a mess on your hands when you wake up or get home. You might consider instead getting a Power Strip with a Timer
instead. But keep in mind that hot crock will still keep things cooking a bit even after your power strip turns off. That, and from a food safety standpoint you won’t want your food sitting out for longer than two hours at room temperature.
Bowl to Prevent Burning
A lot of older crock pot recipes call for a coffee can for baking in the slow cooker. I don’t know about you, but I don’t have a 4 lb coffee can lying around. Instead, I use the largest bowl from this set found on Amazon in lieu of a coffee can for breads and cakes. (Psst… I also use the medium bowl from the set quite a bit as well for smaller recipes.)
I also use this bowl as a double boiler (don’t let that scare you) for many of my delicate recipes that I don’t want to burn. It is so very simple.
You just place your ingredients in the (oven-safe) glass bowl and then place it down in your slow cooker. You then pour the water into your crock pot outside of your ingredient bowl halfway up the outside of the bowl. DO NOT add more water than halfway up… or you will have a soggy dish because the water will boil into your food.
And then you will say, “Dag-gone it, Cris told me not to do that!” 😉 Not speaking for experience or anything ;).
This technique allows you to cook longer and more evenly in a pot that tends to run a little hot and has allowed me to find an oatmeal that I can cook for 8 hours with no problem at all.
Paper Towels Save The Cake
When baking with your crock pot, keep in mind that your pot will likely create condensation on the lid. Place 5-6 paper towels under the lid when baking to catch all that liquid and protect your bread or cake.
Cris
Her site Recipes That Crock is dedicated to helping everyone find delicious recipes to serve their families every month.
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[…] I share in my Tips for Avoiding Crock Pot Disasters (Part 1 & Part 2), all slow cookers are not created equal and you really need to know from experience how evenly […]