What should I do when the recipes in my crock pot becomes too watery?

Any ideas?

Looking forward with my "crock pot".

 

Depends on what you are cooking. I had a cream potato soup that was too watery so I added corn starch. I could have added flour also. Now if you have a watery tomato dish, I would plan on taking some of the excess juice, jazz it up and put it on pasta.

 

@XaxaFifth

Crockpot cooking has its own techniques for cooking successfully. Because much of the moisture is retained within the pot, and not reduced by steam escaping, there will be more retained liquid than other methods of cooking. a thicker gravy can be achieved by rolling meat in plain flour prior to browning: that will tend to thicken the mixture. Also, use recipes that are specifically adapted to crockpot / slow cooker style cooking.

What's the Difference Between Slow Cooking on Low vs. High? - Crock-Pot®

7 Tricks for Better Slow-Cooking in Your Crock Pot - EatingWell

Avoid These 5 Common Mistakes When Using Your Slow Cooker — Tips from The Kitchn

Ingredient Hints & Tips FAQ at Crock-Pot.com.

How to Use a Crockpot: Tips and Tricks - Bon Appétit

Oh by the way......welcome to survival monkeys....you may wish to introduce yourself in the New Member Introductions forum....tell us a little about yourself, your interests (particularly in prepping) etc (without compromising your OPSEC). Don't be shy in sharing your experience and knowledge, or in asking questions or seeking advice.

 

I also add in rice, depending on what's in there.

 

I use a coffee cup to dip off the extra water?

 

Not trying to hijack the thread, but what is the experience of those who have tried crock pot vs cooking in a thermos or box that retains heat, old hay box etc. Chelloveck seems to have done his homework on crock pots, so what does he think? Not having to have a fire for several hours might come in handy if moving or after TSHTF.

 

I have a crock pot, which I use regularly, mainly for cooking stews, casseroles and soups. (a crockpot makes a nice fall-off-the- bone lamb shank casserole)

thermos and hay-box cooking have some similarities as crock pot cooking, however, thermos and hay-box cooking does require some stove top cooking before finishing off in a thermos or hay-box is essential. Preheating the thermos / hay-box receptacle prior to transferring the part hot part cooked ingredients into the relevant slow cooking receptacle.

Wonderbag, thermal cooker- powerless cooking | Page 2 | Survival Monkey Forums

It is best to use recipes that have been tried and tested using the specific thermos / hay-box method being used.

Rediscover Haybox Cooking - Do It Yourself - MOTHER EARTH NEWS

Hay box cooking

Slow Cooking with a DIY Hay Box or Wonderbag

hay box | The Thermal Cook's Recipes

Note: beans, pulses and some grains will need pre soaking, before heating sufficiently to insert into the hay-box / thermos.

Discover Thermos Cooking as a Preparedness Tool | PreparednessMama

7 Lunches You Pack in a Thermos: Recipes Warming Up Your Work Week

Cooking in a Thermos or vacuum flask. Leek and potato soup recipe | The Cottage Smallholder

Thermal Cookware - portable non-electric slow cookers that allow you to cook with minimal energy for maximum results and will also keep your food hotter (or colder) than anything else! - Thermal Cookware, Shuttle Chef, Shuttle, Chef, Thermal, Thermo, Recipes, Cooking, Thermal Cooking, Retained Heat, Vacuum Insulation, Pot, Eco, Thermos, www.ThermalCookware.com, www.ThermalCookware.com.au, Cookers, Slow Cookers, Slow Cooking, Thermos Thermal Cookers, Cookware, Rice Cooker

 

Thank you very much. Sounds like a good thing to know and I will read the suggested resources.

 

Add more meat.

 

mashed potato, mashed sweet potato, or mashed pumpkin will also thicken a watery stew/casserole....

 

Many good ideas here. What I usually do is to cock the lid off to the side and let the liquid boil off, or leave the lid off completely. Depending on what you are cooking, I may use a starch of some kind ( potatos) to thicken it up or milk. I also add Barley or oats if it's a Clear liquid base like a Stew!

 

I use cornstarch dissolved in warm water.

 

Add BACON!
I use corn starch, potato flakes or flour or remove the lid and let it boil off. If it's a soup, add pasta or dumplings.

 

Excellent idea. Adding squash would accent things with a different flavor.

 

I use amaranth flour, arrowroot, or gelatin. Depends on recipe.

The hay box or thermos cooking is about conserving fuel as you brown, and cook some things prior to putting them in the thermos or hay box. I keep posting recipes on this because I think it's a useful skill in a grid down situation. A small rocket stove and a hay box or thermal pot would be easy eats.

Crock pots are all about easy cooking. Put the ingredients in come back later to a meal. Things that take along time on the stove are ideal for ceockpots.

For bone broth crockpot is fabulous!

For making tomato sauce or marinara for canning, a crock pot is essential so that you don't have to stand and stirrrrrrr for hours. You do have to cocktail the lid to the side to let steam off for a thicker sauce

You can also use pressure cooking for lower fuel consumption. ..
This one is multifunction and is popular. ... I have not used it myself
Amazon.com: Instant Pot IP-DUO60 7-in-1 Multi-Functional Pressure Cooker, 6Qt/1000W: Kitchen & Dining

 

Just a couple of further pointers in using an electric crockpot.

It's important to raise the temperature of raw ingredients quickly to simmering, with the lid on(to prevent bacterial food poisoning from salmonella or listeria). I either heat the ingredients until they are simmering on a stove top / microwave before placing in the crockpot, or start cooking, on the high setting. Once the ingredients are simmering, the lid may be taken off, or left ajar so that the liquor reduces. Leaving the lid off will usually keep the food simmering, unless the ambient temperature of the house is damnably low.

Crockpot recipe cooking times are shown depending on whether the high or low setting is being used. Low setting is about 50% of high setting, so you can vary the overall recommended cooking times with some recipes by varying the settings. For example, if a recipe recommends "2 hours on high or 4 hours on low"..... if you want to have the cooking completed for a particular meal time...you could set a completion time of 3 hours by cooking on high for 1 hour followed by 2 hours on low. Using a kitchen timer or setting a smart 'phone alarm for the change in cooking settings will help get the meal / settings timed just right.

As with canning, altitude will affect cooking times accordingly, so at higher altitudes, cooking durations will have to be adjusted accordingly.

other things that a crockpot can be used for.....puddings, various kinds of porridge, Slow-Cooker Bacon Jam....haven't tried this recipe, but breakfast in a jar (coffee and bacon) sounds like an "interesting" concept. I'll leave it for the bacon aficionados to proof test that concept.

oh...and crafts....(your family will thank you for using a separate crock pot for your craft use, than that which is used for cooking with). You may perhaps just getting away with using pudding dish inserts for craft use.

5 Unusual Uses For A Slow Cooker

26 Things You Can Do With A Crock Pot

12 Alternative Uses for a Crock Pot (Non-Food and Food)

 

"that the liquor reduces."

Dang @chelloveck what are you really cooking

 

Some recipes may also include alcohol....17 Boozy Crock Pot Cocktails