26 Things You Can Do With A Crock Pot

Aug

2011

26 Things You Can Do With A Crock Pot

Crockpot, dessert, freeze, Super Mommy Secrets

The Crock Pot Exchange‘s recent Crock Pot Party and now all the Facebook chatter over the Crock Pot Girls, I got to ponderin’ about all the wonderful things one could do with a crock pot.

I heart my crock pots.

I mean what is not to love?

They do all the work, clean up in a snap and have a very versatile range of awesomeness they can create, it doesn’t heat up my kitchen during the summer and it makes warm and toasty food for the soul in the winter.

I have 3 that I use regularly… And my favorites are my programmable Smart Pots… admittedly partially because I just like saying smart pot (NOTE: I know some folks say they have trouble with them cookin’ hot, but both of my smart pots work just fine.)

Anyhoo… with all this crock talk and fall a comin’ on, I decided to take pen to paper (and pin to Pinterest) to come up with a list of all the fantastic things you can do with the wonderful magical crock pot.

26 Things You Can Do With A Crock Pot

Line them. The slow cooker has officially made my wish come true! No dishes!!! I love these dag-gone liners about as much as I love my pots… just sayin’ (Psst… Buy them here if you can’t find them in the store.)

When life gives you apples, make applesauce/apple butter. We recently visited the orchard, so I intend on putting this apple sauce recipe and this apple butter recipe to use soon.

Bake Brownies. Yep, I said brownies. Chocolate in a crock pot? What a heavenly combo! Check out these Slow Cooker Triple Chocolate Brownies.

via Pinterest

Roast a Bird. We just love this “Rotisserie” Chicken- Crock Pot Style.
Comfort Food. Crockin’ does comfort food up right and is perfect for whipping up a batch of the ultimate cheesy GOODeNESS… Mac N’ Cheese. Truth be told, I can’t wait to try this recipe for Macaroni & 4 Cheeses from my Miss Jane’s blog.
Bake your Spuds. Love, Love, LOVE this tip to have your baked potatoes ready and waiting after a long work day. It is as easy as washin’ ‘em up, wrapin’ them in foil and letting your slow cooker do the rest.
Homemade Refried Beans. I am so excited to give these a try to use in our favorite Brown Bag Burritos Freezer Recipe
Make Soap. Believe it or not, you can make soap in a slow cooker… who knew?!

Via Pinterest

Party People! How about whipping up some of these Quick & Easy Meatballs , BBQ Weiners or Queso Dip for your next get-together?
WarmUp Cool Mornings. Waking up to a hot breakfast will almost make mornings bearable… almost. How about oatmeal, bacon & eggs or even this Slow Cooker Breakfast Casserole… yum!

via Pinterest

Make the Perfect Roast. I LOVE this Oh-So-Easy Pot Roast Dinner. You’ll have the family convinced that you slaved away for hours on this one.
Cheesecake Anyone? Who’d a thunk that the perfect food could be made in a slow cooker??? I cannot wait to try this Cheesecake Recipe.
Switch Size on the Fly. Check out this cool 3-in-1 Slow Cooker that lets you switch crocks depending on your need: 2 quart, 4 quart or 6 quart.
Mashed Taters. This recipe has me craving some good Ultimate Slow Cooker Mashed Potatoes. Yum!
Chill Baby. Oh, yeah… This FREEZE-O-RAMA mama is so excited to discover these Freezer Cooking Slow Cooker Recipes on Pinterest!
Let Them Eat Cake. Enough said. Miss Jane is at it again with some Hot Fudge Spoon Cake. Oh. My. Word.
Get Saucy. Despite my major fail the last time, I will one day make this red sauce.
Bread Baby. Check out this Banana Bread Recipe or this Couldn’t Be Easier Slow Cooker Bread.
Dye Your Own Yarn. Love this tutorial on how to use your crock pot to dye yarns with KoolAid.

via Pinterest

Make a Sandwich. Check out these recipes for Crock Pot BBQ Pork, Zippy Shredded Pork or this fun Crock Pot Sandwich Loaf.
Feed a Hungry Crew. This hearty Slow Cooker Lasagna recipe hits the spot after a long day and made a few displaced railroaders very happy last fall.
DIY Yogurt. Check out this tutorial on how to make your own yogurt for pennies on the dollar. Wow!
Make a Snack. Try this Granola Recipe on for size! I know I am going to. Or, make your own hummus!

via Pinterest

Craft Up Some Candles. Yep, you can make your own candles in a crock pot! I love this tutorial because it isn’t messy like one would think. These would be perfect for my upcoming homemade gift series. (More on that later.)
Take a Dip. From fondue options to this yummy Easy Dulce de Leche Dip the slow cooker knows how to take a swim!
Souper Supper. No crock pot list would be complete without soup, chili and stew. Truth be told, I can’t wait to try this Cheesy Potato Soup, this “Wendy’s” Chili and this Mom’s Crockpot Beef Stew

via Pinterest

Not enough things you can do with a crock pot? Check out 17 More Ways to Use a Crock Pot.

What do you like to Crock?

Note: Affiliate links are used in this post.

This post was written by

Cris – who has written 962 posts on GOODEness Gracious.
I am the mama behind GOODEness Gracious and the owner of Cris Goode Solutions. Here at GOODEness Gracious, we like to keep it light and fun as we cook up family meals, share our super mommy secrets and chat it up about the GOODe life:) So come on in and sit a spell.

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jane houin

Thanks for the mentions, Cris! I love my crockpot, too! I love putting it to work 2 days in a row w/a roast on day 1 followed by veggie soup w/the leftovers on day 2.
Kerin

Three cheers for crock pots! I’ve had a least one crock pot for the (almost) 25 years that I’ve been married
Thanks for highlighting so many great ways to use our crock pots !!
Have fun making apple butter too
Your house is gonna smell heavenly….I promise!
- http://www.facebook.com/Justine.Cowell.nee.McCarthy Justine Cowell
  
  Hi, Sorry to be a pain and ask about the liners again, but we can’t get them in the UK, please can you post a link to a website i could but them from… thanks xx
  - crisgoode
    
    Sorry about that… the post has been updated with a link.
    - http://www.facebook.com/Justine.Cowell.nee.McCarthy Justine Cowell
      
      thank you!
http://createdbydiane.blogspot.com Diane

Will have to get the crock pot out and start getting busy with all these ideas
priyanka bhattacharjee

Thanks for the update….its really helpful
http://cafescrapper-scrapsoflife.blogspot.com SusieQTpies

Love the post. You can also make Friendship Bread in the crock pot! Very cool. Here is the link where I found it…tasty recipes over there and I bet that you can use any of them in the crock pot: http://www.friendshipbreadkitchen.com/pantry/crock-pot-afb
- Mommy’s Kitchen
  
  You can also make your own dulce de leche in the crockpot it is eas and so good.
  
  Crockpot dulce de leche
  http://www.mommyskitchen.net/2010/07/homemade-dulce-de-leche-ice-cream.html
Margaret

wow, all I can say is OMG to all the ways I have yet to use my Crock Pot! Thanks for all the wonderful ideas! I have some recipe-reading to do!
Anonymous

Hooray! Love my crockpot and this post. I love making gumbo and apple butter in mine but, I’m definitely going to check out these links.
Loretta

Don’t use mine enough! We normally pull it out for stews, chili’s and things like that. I figure I can bake brownies in the oven while something else cooks away in the crock. Like the ideas, though.
http://www.bigfamilysmalltownlife.blogspot.com The Queen Mama

Love love love my crockpots and can’t live without them! A favorite is making caramel apples in the fall with my children (and my mom’s group)! We melt our caramels in the crockpot, put the apples on a stick and dip them. We line the tables with bowls of yummy toppings to roll them in. I melt white and milk chocolate in my mini crockpots to drizzle on the apples. Yummy!
sheila

We used crock pots at school to have the kids make candles during colonial month! We melted wax in them and they dipped the string in them. they came out great!
Sheila

I love making potato soup in mine! One of my favorite soups ever!! Mine is 6 cups of water, 6 bouillon cubes and basil to start. Add cubed potatoes and let cook for 6 hours. Add cornstarch mixed with half and half (I use fat free) to the pot to thicken than add bacon bits and cheddar. It is sooo good!!
- http://profile.yahoo.com/MHWTBOU7NV3DEY44GOHWXT54ME amy
  
  how much of each ingredient do you use? This sounds great!
http://www.homedesignsbyamanda.blogspot.com Amanda

I have two crock pots…and don’t use them as much as I could…but I’ve been think that I should use them more. These tips and recipes are great, thanks for doing the research for us!
Goldennarri

I loved my Rival Smartpots too…both of them (yes, I bought two) until both developed cracks in the little plastic lid handle. Called Rival and all they could say was buy a whole new lid. All I need is the little plastic handle piece that screws on. Obviously, these pots have a defective handle since both of my pot lids cracked within a few months of each other. booo!
- Kerry1022
  
  My lid’s handle came right off leaving a hole in the middle of the lid. It cooked so much better than the newer ones.
- Sarah Dueck
  
  I had that happen to my crock as well, but a friend of mine was able to find a cabinet knob that had the same size hole as the screw for my handle. Worked beautifully!
- http://www.facebook.com/kim.hurt.54 Kim Hurt
  
  My crock pot handle came off to. I used super glue to put it back on. Only down fall is I have to reglue every few months.
Jen Loomans

One of the most unusual things my crock pot has done: strip the paint off the metal window hardware when we refinished our old sash windows. http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/ny/how-to/how-to-slowcook-paint-off-of-hardware-031767 has detailed directions, but it’s really simple (and I’d recommend a liner for this trick): put in your little pieces of paint-caked metal (we had window locks and lift tabs), cover with water, add 1/4 dish soap, and let them cook on low (we didn’t have a medium on that pot) overnight. In the morning, rinse your parts. They can be buffed up to a nice shine. You might have to take an old toothbrush or a tooth pick to nooks and crannies, but your paint will have released from the metal.
Kristinajhanson

Where do you get the liners? They sound so amazingly useful!
- Anonymous
  
  Walmart – right next to the aluminum foil
- http://profile.yahoo.com/XL72JAZM4T4X4RZBMGNYOAAWGU viking woman
  
  You can order them on line at a crazy cheap price too.
http://www.stephaniebrandtcornais.blogspot.com Mama and Baby Love

What an awesome post, so many great ideas! Thanks for linking to my Slow Cooker Freezer Recipes!
http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=672366440 Aliya Verbrigghe

http://pinterest.com/pin/360902012/ I just made caramel with my crock pot. it could NOT be easier. I think it’s easier than buying caramel in the store (cause you know, you gotta go FIND it…)
carrie

My crockpot is my saving grace…but lining it is GENIUS!!!!
Stopnsmellchocolate

So many great ideas!! Found some new ones to try. Was using mine last week to make a bunch of pear sauce.
Kati

I LOVE LOVE LOVE baked potatoes in the crock pot! come home from work and supper is done! I love anything crock pot!!!
Amalone1234

ok, here’s my top secret lazy large meal preperation trick. First of all I HATE doing dishes, HATE hate hate! So I use my very large crock pot to ‘cook’ multiple vegetables all at once. First, wash quickly and remove labels from cans of veggies that you’ll be “cooking”, then open every can. CANS MUST BE OPENED WHILE EVERYTHING IS COLD. In a cold crock pot I place two OPENED cans of corn, one can of OPENED peas, a can of carrots. I save an old can or two for potatoes and fill with diced, peeled potatoes and cover them with water. Then I fill my crock pot with cold water to 2″ below the level of your shortest can. I place the lid on the crock pot and turn it on to med/high and cook until potatoes are tender. I cook the meat in the oven, usually in the dish I’ll be serving it in, therefore less dishes. Once everything is “cooked” I VERY CAREFULLY, USING OVEN MITTS, pour the veggies out of the cans right into serving dishes and serve while hot! Therefore NO POTS OR PANS to wash, not even the crock pot really.
Mamorris

If you’re looking for #27, a slow cooker is great for cooking beans. Instead of a boiling pot on your stove for two-four hours, throw the rinsed beans in a slow cooker with water (or broth for added flavor) all day. Great for people who enjoy bean salads but wish to stay away from the sodium found in canned beans.
Holt Cathie

WHERE does one buy the bags? Want some!!!!!!
- Anonymous
  
  You can find them next to the baggies and oven bags at the grocery store.
http://profile.yahoo.com/N5Y5EOO7FXZCRF4WYBQ3ZSBFKM Tracy

You can also warm baby bottles in a crock pot instead of buying a “bottle warmer”
http://profile.yahoo.com/JQ4HWDKRL3C5J7TKWJB6U7VUKM tiffany

anything i can. love the liners
Rebecca Macdonald

I use my crockpot at least once a week. It used to drive my nanny crazy because she smelled it’s deliciousness all day while I worked down in my basement office.

Anyway, I like lazy crockpot cooking. Chicken with a jar of salsa or BBQ sauce. The chicken shreads super easy and I can use it for lots of different things.
http://www.facebook.com/shauna.williams.39 Shauna Williams

I have a family of 6 and boy do the dishes add up from just one supper night. I love my crockpot, I have 2, and I cant wait to try some of these awesome ideas out!!
http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1448345574 Cheryl Kupris

I make my own chicken stock in my crock pot – I use a leftover roasted chicken and add the usual onion, carrot, celery – a few bay leaves and some pepper – cover with filtered water & let it go on low for a day or so – I usually get about 3-4 quart containers out of a batch!! Freezes beautifully!!
http://twitter.com/tammigirl Tammi Velez

The liners cost half as much if you buy in bulk:
http://www.amazon.com/Reynolds-Slow-Cooker-Liners-4-Count/dp/B002U0KKK8/ref=pd_sim_k_3
http://twitter.com/earhartcarol Carol Earhart

Hi…I would like to know what the recipe is of that yummy picture that is pinned bringing me to this article…it has me drooling but I don’t know what it is.
Tara Esquivel

If you are really looking for someone who loves Crockpot recipes, http://crockpot365.blogspot.com has so many tried and tested ones. I love her recipes!
allyson.reed

This is great! I have a great recipe too, for Apple Cinnamon Oatmeal made in the crockpot!
http://azcubed.wordpress.com/2012/03/30/apple-cinnamon-oatmeal-in-the-crockpot/
http://www.facebook.com/brenna.d.dube Brenna Danylo Dube

Another idea ….. air freshener. To water in crockpot, add sliced lemons and vanilla …. or chunks of water and cinnamon …. whatever else you can think of …. simmer on low all day.
- http://www.facebook.com/jbertrand1217 Jennifer Bertrand
  
  LOL…chunks of water.
eravsl

I made a 15 bean soup with smoked sausage & shredded chicken. My family thought it was the greatest soup ever! I made a 6 quart pot with the intention of freezing half, but they ate it all in two days! They asked me to cook rice and sweet cornbread with it next time so they can eat it like chili. Its definitely one meal I’ll cook again.
http://www.facebook.com/julie.ferraro06 Julie Ferraro

you missed my favorite one melting chocolate for cake pop dipping. place chocolate wafers in mason jars then into the crock pot with some water in the bottom. the crock keeps the chocolate at jsut the right temp for dipping or drizzling
Smartfoody

Now I’m not trying to be rude at all but the person who posted that plastic liners have cancer producing chemicals was right. Plastic has all kinds of nasties in it that cause cancer and even produce estrogen (clearly not good for men). There are studies. But it’s everyone’s prerogative as to what they use in their own households.
- crisgoode
  
  I appreciate your note (and your approach). Would you mind sharing your links to the specific studies? The Reynolds site says their liners are BPA free and have been approved by the FDA for cooking. http://www.reynoldskitchens.com/reynoldskitchens/en/product_info_page.asp?info_page_id=748&prod_id=3200&cat_id=1337. I find it hard to believe that if it is so cut and dry that the FDA (or Reynolds’ lawyers for that matter) allow them to stay on the market without at least a warning label.
  - Kelley Hallam
    
    Your ideas are all good ones, but they’re right about the liners. It’s not just BPA you need to be concerned either. You can Google “chemicals in plastic” and find a ton of articles and studies. It might be easier, but heating food in plastic is never a good idea. You might also watch the documentary “Bag It”. It’s pretty informative too.
  - http://twitter.com/healingiseasy Healing Is Easy
    
    I agree – it should be hard to believe – but it isn’t. How many times have we heard something was good/ok for us and approved by the FDA to only learn years later…. Houston We Have A Problem… Just sayin.. I’ll just stick to washing my crock pot (which I LOVE)
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