Help me with my Crock Pot . . .

2-Step

I leave the house at 8am and don't get home until 6:30ish. Most of the crock pot recipes have 5-8 hours cook time and everything is getting overcooked. I even tried setting the time for an hour less since it would be on warm for so long and I tried using frozen meat thinking it would cook slower.

Any tips/tricks for making this work? I love having dinner ready when I walk in the door, but I'd like it to not be burnt or dried out.

Starr26

I usually leave my meat frozen and if it's still getting over done you can use one of those timers that are usually used to turn on Christmas lights at a certain time to turn the crock pot on at the time you would like.

brideofaussie

light timer.  Just set it to turn on 5-8 hours before you want to eat and plug the crock-pot into it.  Voila. 

Mrs.T22308

brideofaussie:

light timer.  Just set it to turn on 5-8 hours before you want to eat and plug the crock-pot into it.  Voila. 

OMG, that's an amazing idea!! I was struggling with the same thing! 

BalancingJane

brideofaussie:

light timer.  Just set it to turn on 5-8 hours before you want to eat and plug the crock-pot into it.  Voila. 

 This is a brilliant idea! This may be a dumb question, but are there any foods that are risky to cook this way if they have to sit out for 3 hours or so before it starts cooking?

2-Step

BalancingJane:

brideofaussie:

light timer.  Just set it to turn on 5-8 hours before you want to eat and plug the crock-pot into it.  Voila. 

 This is a brilliant idea! This may be a dumb question, but are there any foods that are risky to cook this way if they have to sit out for 3 hours or so before it starts cooking?

This IS a great idea! I think most food is considered fine for 2 hours. Anything in the "danger zone" (not hot or cold enough) for 4 hours is considered hazardous. I think if it were frozen then 3 hours would maybe be ok. 

brideofaussie

2-Step:

BalancingJane:

brideofaussie:

light timer.  Just set it to turn on 5-8 hours before you want to eat and plug the crock-pot into it.  Voila. 

 This is a brilliant idea! This may be a dumb question, but are there any foods that are risky to cook this way if they have to sit out for 3 hours or so before it starts cooking?

This IS a great idea! I think most food is considered fine for 2 hours. Anything in the "danger zone" (not hot or cold enough) for 4 hours is considered hazardous. I think if it were frozen then 3 hours would maybe be ok. 

Yeah, I would go frozen if it's going to sit out for three hours.

shouldbworkin

Sometimes I make stuff the night before or on the weekends and just reheat the next day. I like making it the night before b/c i prep while I'm prepping dinner for that night, so I"m cooking anyway.  I would prep it then anyway b/c I don't have time in the AM.  So, it's just as easy to cook that night as it is the next day. I usually just have MH put it in the fridge before he goes to bed b/c he goes to bed later.

northhillsbride

I know people who rave about cooking in their crock pot over night. I don't think it would be as tasty, since you need to re-heat, but it's another option too.