13 Crockpot Tips And Uses

You may be surprised to learn about these 13 Crockpot tips and uses you can benefit from with your own Slow Cooker. They are a great appliance to incorporate into your kitchen and you can use them for more than just dinner prep. Get more recipes here for Crockpot Meals and most are under 5 ingredients.

Crockpot Tips and Uses That Might Surprise You.

1. Cleaning the Crock Insert

The best way to clean your crock is by making a small paste of baking soda, vinegar, and water. Sometimes you will see a ring of residue build-up around the crock.

There might also be odors that you will notice after several uses. Clean the ring area and all around the top and under the lip of the crock. Then wash with soap and water. A great Crockpot Tip to give you a fresh smelling crock insert.

2. Cleaning the base of your Crockpot for leaks and stains.

This is a two part process. Start with a small glass bowl in the base of your crockpot without the crock in it. Add a small amount of ammonia in the glass bowl. Place the lid on the crockpot and leave overnight.

The next day make a paste of hydrogen peroxide and baking soda and clean up any spills or stains. It will wipe right off. Good as new.

3. Can a Crockpot Be Used as a Double Boiler?

Yes, there are lots of other crockpot uses besides making dinner. You can make wonderful desserts in your crockpot by using it as a water bath or double boiler. You can make cheesecakes like these, and also melt chocolate in jars by placing them into several inches of water on high or low.

4. Surprise! You can Make Snack Mix in the Crockpot.

I bet you didn’t know Crockpots aren’t just for dinner. You can also make this fun snack mix in your slow cooker. Just a 5-minute prep and 3 hours in the Crockpot and you have a fun and tasty family snack. Get the Crockpot recipe here.

5. Make a Room Freshener with a Mini Crockpot

Do you wonder what else you can make with a mini Crockpot in addition to a fun dip? Take your small Crockpot and fill it with water 1/3 – 1/2 of the way. Then add some lemon and orange slices. Turn it on Warm and soon you will have a fresh smelling room filled with your favorite citrus scents. You can also add some essential oils to the mix.

6. How to Make Homemade Apple Butter in the Crockpot

Wash, peel and core 6 lbs of apples and place in the Crockpot. Mix in 1/2 cup each of brown and white sugar, 2 tsp cinnamon, a pinch of cloves, salt and few drops of vanilla. Cook on low for 10 hours, stirring every few hours. Refrigerate up to two weeks. You can add your apple butter to the Ninja to blend until smooth.

7. How to Elevate Your Food in the Crockpot to Prevent Burning.

When you need to cook a whole chicken, or something you cook for a long time and don’t want to burn, or come out uncooked in the middle, use this raised trick with a small square glass pan in the bottom inverted. Anything that takes over 10 hours will do great this way.

8. How to Make Clean Up Easier

Using Crockpot liners makes clean up a breeze. Make sure when purchasing, you buy the right size for your Crockpot.

9. What are the Best Meats for a Crockpot

• According to an article on the Huffington Post, the 7 best types of meat are:
• Pork Shoulder
• Chuck Roast
• Beef Brisket
• Lamb Shanks
• Chicken Thighs
• Chicken Drumsticks
• Short Ribs

10. Should You use Low or High Setting on Slow Cooker?

Your food doesn’t need to be boiling to stay in the safe zone. The simmer point is the time it takes to bring all the contents of your slow cooker just below the boiling point. It’s right around 209 degrees. On the low setting, the time it takes to reach the simmer point is around seven to eight hours. For the high setting, it takes around three to four hours.

Crockpot.com

11. Can I Use My Crock Insert in the Oven?

Crockpot Brand Inserts can safely be used in the oven or microwave without the lid up to 400 degrees. Please check other brands manufacturers’ warranty.

12. Can I Use My Slow Cooker to Keep Foods Warm on Holidays?

You can use your slow cooker to keep your side dishes warm, such as Mashed Potatoes or Green Beans on the Warming Cycle to free up space on your oven. Stir ingredients every 30 minutes to prevent burning or sticking.

13. What Can I do if My Crockpot doesn’t have a timer? It’s old school!

If your Crockpot does not have a timer built in, because it’s an older model, you can use a Light timer that you might use for security lights and plug the Crockpot into the light timer.

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More Crockpot Tips and Uses Tools

• Slow Cooker Liners Make Clean up a Breeze
• Crockpot Travel Carrier Take your favorite crockpot with you and keep it safe from spills.
• Digital Thermometer Perfect for checking the temperature of your meats in the crockpot.
• Shredding Claws Makes pulled pork and pulled chicken easier to shred without burning your hands.
• Bowls for Storage Make leftovers and clean-up easier.
• Baggy Rack  Bag openers to hold bags open as you pour in ingredients.
• Crockpot Trio 3 1.5 crocks for side dishes and dips.
• Pioneer Woman 7 Quart Programmable Crockpot
• 13 Crockpot tips and uses

Order these additional 31 recipes as an Instant Download recipe book: 31 Slow Cooker Recipes for Breakfast, Dinner, Desserts and Side Dishes. 

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