I started using my crock pot again after finding some good recipes on the internet but

[lost-in-nj]

my problem seems to be everything burns and sticks to the pot. I made some yummy goulash the other day but had to soak my pan and use a knife to scrape the sides. I am also having a hard time timing food. I made bbq chicken that was supposed to go 6 hours on low but it was dried out and the burnt mess in the pot was horrible. I was wondering if I could use Pam on the pot ? My sister said she heard about bags for the crock pot also . Has anyone used them and do they keep the food moist?
sorry so many questions ......
would it have been better to cook the chicken for 8 hours or 4 hours?

thanks in advance

lost

[NEOhiodemocrat]

1. My friend swears by the crock pot liner bags

She uses them most of the time now. I have not been utilizing my crock pot much lately, so don't have personal experience with them, but they sound like they should be worth a try at least. Personally I would probably try greasing the pot first as it would be cheaper, but sure would hate the burned on mess! My spagetti sauce used to do that occasionally.

[wildeyed]

2. Maybe your pot is broken?

Sounds like the heat is way too high. I get some food sticking on the inside of the pot, but even on high I have never burnt anything. Overcooked crockpot chicken is rubbery, but other than that, pretty much anything can sit indefinitely without burning.

[Lugnut]

18. Yep.

That sounds like a malfunctioning crock pot. I've never burnt anything either and I use my crock pot a lot.

[HopeHoops]

3. Liner bags. They work great, especially if the crock isn't removable.

They're also good for putting away leftovers. When it is cool, lift out the whole bag, put a twistie around it, and park it in a storage container with or without a lid. We've used them for years.

[woodsprite]

4. The bags are WONDERFUL!!!

I would vote for them over Pam, just because you don't have a mess to clean out of the pot. But Pam should work just fine. Did you have your pot on low? It does sound like it's running too hot. I got up this morning and put on a crock pot full of veggie curry. I used the Pam this time because we're serving it from the crock at a dinner party tonight.

[Lucinda]

5. I agree with wildeyed - sounds like a faulty pot unless

you are cooking on high instead of low. I have never had anything burn in a crockpot.

[Phentex]

6. I use Pam with good results. I don't want to use the bags...

They may be harmless but I avoid cooking with plastic.

Also, I find that removing the food and letting the crock soak with water makes the clean up easy. If the spray doesn't help, I think you may need a new pot!

[woodsprite]

10. For clean-up, have you tried the new Dawn power clean?

It's either clear or lavender colored. It really does a nice job of loosening up gunk if you let it sit the 5-10 min. It always seems to be sold out of our local stores so I've stockpiled a few bottles just to have on hand for those really challenging pots/pans, etc. I doubted that it would work better than regular dawn, but it does seem to work as advertised.

[Phentex]

11. I haven't tried it...

I swear by the regular stuff. I'll definitely look for the new! I can't say I have a problem with pots and pans. My problem is WHO does the clean-up! I tend to clean right away so that things don't get nasty. Certain other people in my house don't always do this, hee hee.

[woodsprite]

13. I understand! Mine is usually used as a result of

my daughter's adventures in cooking.

Don't know what I'm going home to today though. I told her it was OK to have a party with her friends from middle and high school. They've all (10 girls) gone off to different colleges now (freshman year) and they're all home. She's been baking cookies and brownies. On the other hand, I called home just a bit ago and she said she was running the vacuum

I made the curry for her, so other than her baking stuff, everything in the kitchen should have been clean already.

[flamin lib]

7. I think you've got a broken thermostat. It shouldn't get that hot--not much above 250 degrees.

Check out your local Good Will store, they usually have a pretty good selection for $5-10. Bread machines too.

[Warpy]

8. A good spritz of cooking spray inside the pot can prevent dry food from sticking

but quite honestly, it sounds like there's a problem with your crock pot, that it's not holding a low temperature at all, that it's too hot. In addition, crock pots are meant to be a moist cooking arrangement, that any meat and veg need to be drowned in stock, wine, water, whatever.

Nothing has ever stuck to my 1970s avocado green $2.00 thrift shop crockpot and timing hasn't been an issue, 8 hours instead of 6 isn't a problem if I space it. "High" means there's a steady slow boil. "Low" means things are held barely at a simmer.

[lost-in-nj]

9. Thanks everyone

looks like I'll be shopping for a new crock pot!


lost

[csziggy]

12. I recommend the Hamilton Beach 3-in-One Slow Cooker

While the base is pretty cheaply made, the lovely, heavy ceramic crocks are great. You get 2, 4, and 6 quart crocks so depending on the size of the recipe you can size the crock. It has High, Medium and Warm settings so you can control how fast something cooks. High is a moderate boil, Medium is barely a simmer, and Warm is just about serving temperature.

The only failure I have had with it was just this week when I forgot black eyed peas for 24 hours cooking on high and that is not the fault of the cooker. Although they were dry and black around the edges, nothing was really burned and once the crock soaks for a little while, it should clean up just fine. Most of the stuff slid right out when I dumped it.

This set was not that expensive - I think I found it for around $50-60.

[Lucinda]

14. That IS a good price for such a versatile piece of cookware!

[csziggy]

15. Yes, I have been very pleased with my investment in it

Especially since I hadn't owned a slow cooker for about 30 years.

I'm almost tempted to buy a second one. The base power unit of mine has a cheap feel and does not match my kitchen. The newer ones are stainless steel and even if they are as cheaply made, having one in reserve would insure that if the base breaks, I wouldn't have to replace the whole setup.

The ceramic crocks should be oven safe so having extras would let me have more alternatives for cooking ahead and reheating if I have a crowd to dinner. And the ones that come with the stainless steel base are black rather than white - which would also match my kitchen better.

But then I would have to store another device.

[Lucinda]

16. I've been reading reviews at Amazon and several are talking about food with burnt bottoms

since the heating element is all below the crock. You haven't had any other problems other than the forgotten peas? I always check Amazon reviews, but I do know some companies will have people post bogus reviews to try and kill business, so i thought I'd ask about it...

[csziggy]

17. No - I think it is because the crocks are so heavy

They are very thick ceramic stoneware type stuff so they heat and distribute that heat evenly. the biggest problem I have is that they STAY hot for a very long time after you turn off the base. If something is fully cooked, you really have to transfer it into a different container or it will continue to cook for an hour or more after the heat is removed, even when you take the crock off the base.

Usually I will start stuff on High, then after an hour turn it down to Medium to finish cooking. I do have an advantage - I am retired so I am home to monitor the cooker during the day. If I were going to leave a pot unattended all day, I would simply start it on Medium and leave it there, maybe turn it down to Warm once I got home. or simply turn it off since it stays hot so long.

I've cooked whole chickens and pork butt roasts without a problem. The chickens I did with no added liquid, just some onion, carrot and celery with herbs. I did put the carrots on the bottom at least a couple of times, but not every time. A few recipes I've seen suggest putting some wadded up foil in the bottom so the chicken does not stew but roasts, but I did not want the aluminum in the veggies.

The butt roasts I put beer in with onion and seasonings - the first time I used a whole bottle, but that ended up with way too much liquid. It's a great way to make pulled pork!

I really love it for stews and never had any scorching or burning.

I'm lazy - I'm not there stirring the pot all that often. Mostly, I check to see how fast it is simmering and turn it down if it is too much.

[Ruby Reason]

19. I like the bags. I have an older crock pot and can't take the pot itself out. Although...

maybe it is just that my pot is older, but the bags do seem to leave a sort of residue in the crock pot. My pot is ceramic if that makes any difference. The residue isn't really noticeable and I just wipe it out with a damp paper towel. But I wouldn't want to leave the stuff there for the next time I use it.