What's the best thing to cook in a crockpot?

queenbellevue

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I'll be heading into a college dorm next year, and from what I've gathered, getting a slowcooker is one of the best investments I can make. So, what are some dishes I could make?
 
Beans, I love to cook my dry beans in the slow cooker. I throw all my ingredents into the cooker, broth and let it cook. It does not matter which beans you like to cook. I often do not add any type of meat to the cooker just the beans.
 
Beans, I love to cook my dry beans in the slow cooker. I throw all my ingredents into the cooker, broth and let it cook. It does not matter which beans you like to cook. I often do not add any type of meat to the cooker just the beans.

How would that not be bland though? I get that there's some flavor from the broth, but why not add some protein into the dish? Also, how do you keep the beans from overcooking and turning into complete mush??
 
I like cooking the fattiest cheapest meat cuts around. In fact, I just cooked my corned beef this year in the slow cooker for the first time & it came out magically delicious. Oh, I can say that I'm Irish. :drink:
 
a colleague of mine does chilli con carne in his puts on in the morning and has it for his evening meal,serve with rice and sour cream you will be the queen of the halls
 
I love my slow cooker, although I never even thought of having one back when I was in school. I make chili, and slow cooked meats in my crock pot. The longer you cook the meat, the more tender and delicious it is. I love it when the meat falls off the tongs or off the bones when you pick it out of the basin of the crock pot. Pulled pork is another excellent choice for a slow cooker.
 
You may want to double check with your college/university on that - many dorms allow "hot pots" which are not the same as crock pots, they are just electric kettles meant for heating up water. In fact, many dorms don't like students storing food in them, out of concerns of attracting bugs, mice, moldy/rotten food, etc... They may also not be too keen to the idea of students leaving pots of stuff cooking all day in their rooms while they are off to classes.

We weren't even allowed to have microwaves in our dorm rooms when I was in college - I hid mine on my book shelf behind several books. But even then it was tricky not catching the attention of our hall monitor when they could clearly hear popcorn popping in my room along with the smell of butter, lol.

Plus, keep in mind how you are going to clean out a crock pot after cooking with it. Are there even public sinks in your dorm for cleaning dishes and such. We didn't even have that in my dorm, so I had to wash out my cups, utensils and dishes in our bathroom sinks, which was frowned upon by my fellow dorm mates.
 
Pot roast, dried beans. Reheating soups.

My daughter was allowed and provided a microwave and refrigerator but they could not have any appliance that could be left on.
 
Presto Big Kitchen Kettle..jpg


My Presto Big Kitchen Kettle multi cooker can also be used like a crock pot slow cooker, rice cooker, steamer, deep fryer as well as a regular pot for making soups, stews, chili & other things!
It is very versatile & has a large 8-qt capacity! :wink:
 
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