Mini slow cooker

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lovee2dancex4

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I had a 6-quart slow cooker but gave it away when I moved here because
it was too big. I've been looking at a small, 1-1/2 quart one in
order to make soup, or stews, etc. for one person. Has anyone had
any experience with this size?
 
On Oct 5, 7:14?pm, "Dora" wrote:

I've never used one this small as for cooking I think it would just be
too small. But I have known of people using this size to keep cheese
or sauces hot. Thye're marketed sometimes as 'crock-ettes.'
 
I mostly cook for one, and a mini slow cooker (1 qt. crockette) is quite
useful. It will do 2-3 servings of Swiss steak, for instance, or
smothered pork chops, etc. I use my larger slow cookers for soups and
such, but the 'baby bear' comes in handy a lot. Luckily I have space to
store extra equipment so can indulge. jan
 
In article , Dora wrote:

I have a 1.5 litre no-name that is so basic that it doesn't have an
on/off switch, just plug it in. I make soup and baked beans in it
several times a week. It cost about $12.

--
Al Dykes
News is something someone wants to suppress, everything else is advertising.
- Lord Northcliffe, publisher of the Daily Mail
 
On Tue, 5 Oct 2010 20:14:34 -0400, "Dora" wrote:


Sounds silly to me... shoulda kept your 6 qt, you didn't have to fill
it to capacity and it's very silly to have an appliance run all day
for just a miniscule quantity... you coulda made a 6 quart potful and
froze the left overs in portions... then you'd save time, effort, and
money. Stews/soups freeze wonderfully well.
 
On Tue 05 Oct 2010 05:14:34p, Dora told us...


I have two of these, Dora. David and I often don't what the same dish
prepared the same way, so I use these to prepare two different
versions. They have good heat control, are easy to handle, and the
crocks go right in the dishwasher.



--

~~ If there's a nit to pick, some nitwit will pick it. ~~

~~ A mind is a terrible thing to lose. ~~

**********************************************************

Wayne Boatwright
 
"Dora" wrote in message
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I understand your want of a smaller slow cooker. I've seen in my crock pot
cookbooks that the size should be directly related to the quantity you want
to cook, in other words, you have to fill it to a certain % of the capacity
or else you won't get good results. I have a big slow cooker like you gave
away and I mostly cook for one. I only use it for cooking food that I can
save frozen as leftovers when I'm sick of eating what I cooked in it.

Soooooo, no experience with a small one. Would love to hear your results if
you get it.
 
"Brooklyn1" wrote in message
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Actually, the directions on the larger size slow cookers tell you that you
shouldn't cook small quantities in it. They have an ideal % of the capacity
to cook in it.
 
On 10/5/2010 7:17 PM, itsjoannotjoann wrote:

If it's a "crockette" it doesn't get hot enough to actually cook. It's
more of a warmer. I have one and use it for cheese dips.

--
Janet Wilder
Way-the-heck-south Texas
Spelling doesn't count. Cooking does.
 
On Tue, 5 Oct 2010 20:14:34 -0400, "Dora" wrote:


Yes, but I don't find it particularly useful for cooking. A good
compromise would have been settling on the classic 3 qt, and adding a
1-2 qt bain marie. When you want a smaller crock, just put the bain
marie in the main crock, fill it with the ingredients, and then add
water into the crock to the level of the food in the B/M. Cook as
usual plus a few extra minutes to allow for the delay in heating the
B/M. The Bain Marie goes into the dishwasher, the Crock stays clean.

HTH

Alex
 
On Tue, 5 Oct 2010 22:15:54 -0400, "Cheryl"
wrote:


I have a 6 quart Wearever and it's manual says no such thing, and I've
used it to cook about 1/3 its capacity, works perfectly. I can't
remember ever cooking just one quart of anything, I don't own any
cookware smaller than 2 quart. I once bought a set of cookware, years
passed and finally I tossed the one quart sauce pot and the 6" fry pan
into the garbage. They took up room in my pantry for like 20 years
and I never used them, not even once. Of course common sense dictates
not to heat any cookware dry.
 
Janet Wilder wrote:


Aren't crockettes those long legged gals at radio city who dance
wearing coonskin caps? Janet, Janet Crockette... kilt her a bar when
she was only three! LOL
 
"itsjoannotjoann" wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
On Oct 5, 7:14 pm, "Dora" wrote:

I've never used one this small as for cooking I think it would just be
too small. But I have known of people using this size to keep cheese
or sauces hot. Thye're marketed sometimes as 'crock-ettes.'

I have the Crockette but I think it is smaller still. It only holds a few
cups. I use it for cheese dip.
 
On Tue, 5 Oct 2010 20:14:34 -0400, "Dora" wrote:


Bought one for $10 at Kroger, some time back. No controls, just plug
it in. It got too hot for good slow cooking; stuff on the sides
tended to go past caramelization and into 'burnt'. One of these days
I'll wire up a light dimmer switch to it and get some versatility out
of it.
--
Best -- Terry
 
On Oct 5, 8:14?pm, "Dora" wrote:

Hi Dora,
I have one of these. It's useful; but not extraordinarily so. I bought
mine a few years ago on Black Friday at Walmart for $4, so I have
gotten my money's worth from it. It seemed like a good idea, for all
the reasons you state. Unfortunately, in practice, I just didn't find
it practical to cook one portion of something that takes so long to
cook. I enjoy slow-cooked foods (stews, soups, braises, etc)--why not
make enough for 3-4 meals and either enjoy the leftovers or freeze
them for a day when I want the slow-cooked meal but have no time to
devote to it? I gave away my 6 qt round slow cooker, also. Too big...
I rarely used it and it took a lot of space to store. If I need a
large slow cooker again, they are cheap enough, I'll pick up the large
oval one.

My recommendation is to pick up a 4 qt slow cooker. I have one that is
Crock Pot brand--oval shaped (and red, so I love the color!). This
model goes on sale at Target regularly for about $18. It is normally
$20. The minimum qty to cook in it is 2 qts. I have done 3 stuffed
peppers. 3 or 4 chicken breasts with potatoes, a 2 lb eye of round or
chuck blade roast. It's plenty big for one person with leftovers, and
you will have ample room if you have 2-3 guests for dinner, as well.
It also makes enough chili for 8-10 people if having other appetizers.

I did make a meatloaf in the 1 qt pot once. It took about 3/4 lb of
beef plus all the other ingredients. It was "round" but it was a nice
result. I have also used it to make 1 stuffed pepper for myself. Have
also used it for bean/barley soup. I did use it on a timer, as I
recall, because the quantities were small and the foods I was cooking
would have been overcooked if left on for 10 hours (the amount of time
I was typically out of the house on a work day).

I have also used it to keep cider warm at a party, as well as a
spinach/artichoke dip. But honestly, if I didn't have it, I doubt I
would miss it. (I haven't given it away yet, though b/c it doesn't
take up much space and it's handy for entertaining).
 
On 10/5/2010 10:15 PM, Cheryl wrote:

Yes, its a simple easy to understand physics thing. Last two crockpots
we bought had similar instructions. It is pretty simple. Crockpots have
a fixed heat input designed for an average fill and are not
thermostatically regulated. So if you try to cook a small amount it will
heat much too quickly and overcook.
 
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