Okay, so I need cooking advice, re. Slow cooker

She posted last week that she was back home so am guessing she is just healing. No news is good news and I haven't heard from Bryan or her since then.

If it was frozen and a larger size it would be okay for a little while before it turned on but would not delay turning on from frozen if smaller pieces.

Try to keep the parts more likely to get burnt (thing with higher starch, less dense or smaller) away from he spots with heat.

It was over cooked more then anything else. Could he sauce have been added later before serving? Adding more liquid might make the sauce so thin it would burn easier as water resists heat less.

Different crocks have different heats. Go with the smallest for the size food plus some extra liquid. I have used extra potatoes as space fillers and then used them to make something else later.You need to not have potatoes over the heating area. I place them on both sides and have a air gap to let moisture and heat circulate.  

If the warm cycle keeps it out of the danger zone so it will not get food poisoning you might want to set the timer for less cooking time and more sitting keeping warm. It will cook for some of this time but slower.

 

Thanks for the great advice!

There are two primary types of slow cookers.  Both have ceramic type inserts but one insert sits completely surrounded by the outside (usually metal shell) the other type sits more or less on a heating element that has a metal ring like affair that comes up the side but does not cover the whole ceramic insert.  I own both.  The first type is the more common one in stores and produces the most moist foods.  The second type I had been given and find its only good to keep stuff warm for parties or potlucks, it operates at a higher temperature and the few times I have tried to slow cook foods have turned out dry and crappy. Don't know what yours looks like.

 It could just be that recipe too.  Try a couple more and see how they turn out.  A couple of solutions I can think of is add the food a bit more frozen to slow cooking time up front or add more liquid (a splash of chicken broth to a chicken dish won't harm it for example).  I have a slow cooker I have owned for going on thirty years and love the old beast.  Its white ceramic insert looks kinda gross but its produced thousands of meals over the years.  Someday the white (was white when new) will break and I will have to buy a new one.  You may just need time to get in sync with your new cooking method.  All good relationships need time!  

I have the first "typical" one you mentioned, that sits inside the metal shell.  Perhaps you're right and it is just this recipe.  Tracey mentioned that the meat was cut up and that was likely why it was dry.  I tend to agree now that I think about it.  I will have to figure it out somehow.  Maybe I'll take it to work with me and cook it there so I can turn it on late in the day. :D

I use my crock pot a lot (I have 3 different sizes).  Since I'm away for about 9 hours a day, I bought a timer for my crockpot.  ... Actually it's a timer for lights, when you're away on vacation but it works as well.  For large cuts of meat, I don't use it, but if the food is cut small, or the recipe calls for it to cook only 6 hours I do.  

I agree your slow cooker may cook on the hot side.  Also, your 'warm' feature may be too hot.  It is on one of mine.  everything I set to warm gets dry in that one.  I tested the temperature by filling it with water and using a thermometer, and there was barely any difference in low vs warm.

 

 

What a great idea using a regular outlet timer for the crockpot!  Think I will try that too.

So, how long would you feel comfortable leaving it out for before setting it to start?  Is it generally frozen when you sit it out on the timer?

 

It's not usually frozen. But everything I'd really cold, even the broth/sauces I use. The top shelf of my fridge keeps things so cold my milk has ice crystals.

I usually set the timer for about 2 hours after I leave. I've never had food poisoning from any of my meals.