Slow Cookers

Burning Question: Can Recipes Be Altered For Tiny Crockpots?
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Burning Question: Can Recipes Be Altered For Tiny Crockpots?

YumSugar Community member smileyface just bought a slow cooker, and wrote in to ask us a burning question about it.
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YumSugar Community member smileyface just bought a slow cooker, and wrote in to ask us a burning question about it. If it's only designed for four quarts, she wondered, "how should I adjust recipes that call for a six-quart slow cooker?"When selecting a slow cooker, the most important choice is deciding which size to buy. Six quarts or larger are ideal for a crowd, while a four-quart cooker is perfect for a family of four. Crockpot volume is extremely important because, to ensure food isn't either undercooked or burnt, appliances should be at least half but no more than two-thirds full. For this reason, most recipes will specify the size of slow cooker required.

If your slow cooker's smaller than the recipe's guidelines, I'd recommend adapting the recipe to fit your crockpot's size. In smileyface's instance, I suggest dividing the six-quart recipe by two thirds, or 0.66, to yield a recipe that her slow cooker can manageably contain. Likewise, an inverse calculation can be made to adapt a recipe for a larger slow cooker.

Looking for more slow cooker tips, or need clarification on something culinary? Join the Burning Question group in the YumSugar Community, and ask us your biggest questions.

Slow Cooker Moroccan Turkey Stew
recipes

Sunday Slow Cooker: Moroccan Turkey Stew

After a weekend of opulence and seduction, perhaps you're craving a return to the simplicity of Winter basics.
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After a weekend of opulence and seduction, perhaps you're craving a return to the simplicity of Winter basics. For that, turn to a stew that's soothing yet also a refreshing departure from, say, mother's pot roast.

This turkey stew, with its cumin, allspice, and dried fruits, is the ideal dinner for a casual Sunday evening. To make this straightforward slow cooker recipe, read more

Sunday Slow Cooker: Vegetarian Curry
recipes

Sunday Slow Cooker: Vegetarian Curry

Now that we've cleared up any confusion you may have about curry and curry powder, I wanted to share a great recipe for it that you can make in your slow cooker.
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Now that we've cleared up any confusion you may have about curry and curry powder, I wanted to share a great recipe for it that you can make in your slow cooker.

This veggie dish makes a rounded meal whether or not you're a vegetarian; meat lovers will find it's full of robust flavors. To get this easy-prep recipe, read more

Sunday Slow Cooker: Minestrone With Squash & Pork Sausage
recipes

Sunday Slow Cooker: Minestrone With Squash & Pork Sausage

If you're wondering what to do with all the beautiful Fall produce, look no further than this hearty minestrone with kale, squash, and pork sausage.
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If you're wondering what to do with all the beautiful Fall produce, look no further than this hearty minestrone with kale, squash, and pork sausage. If you've got dietary restrictions, simply adapt this recipe to your needs.

For example, you can substitute spinach for kale, kabocha for butternut squash, or chicken sausage for pork sausage. To make this comforting and adaptable recipe, read more

Sunday Slow Cooker: Seafood Gumbo
recipes

Sunday Slow Cooker: Seafood Gumbo

When cooking with a slow cooker, it's easy to overlook the fact that shellfish like shrimp and crab are just as simple to make as any other protein.
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When cooking with a slow cooker, it's easy to overlook the fact that shellfish like shrimp and crab are just as simple to make as any other protein.

Gumbo can be time intensive and require a lot of expensive spices, but this recipe turns the Southern favorite into a realistic meal. To round out the menu, serve it over rice. Get the recipe: read more

Sunday Slow Cooker: Skirt Steak With Cipollini Onions
recipes

Sunday Slow Cooker: Skirt Steak With Cipollini Onions

The beef cut known as skirt steak is known for being inexpensive and flavorful.
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The beef cut known as skirt steak is known for being inexpensive and flavorful. Because it can also be slightly tough, the slow cooker is an excellent choice for cooking it: after being cooked slow and low for seven hours, the meat will be falling-apart tender and juicy. For maximum tenderness, slice the meat against its grain when you're ready to serve it.

This recipe calls for cipollini, small pearl onions. To peel these baby onions easily, just plunge them into boiling water for 15 to 30 seconds, and then shock them afterward in a cold water bath. The skins will slip off when loosened with a knife. Alternatively, if you've got larger onions on hand, slice those thinly into the slow cooker instead. To serve this dish (great alongside simple pasta and veggies!), read more

Sunday Slow Cooker: Vegetable Casserole
fast and easy

Sunday Slow Cooker: Vegetable Casserole

This casserole of polenta and vegetables uses canned beans and store-bought pesto to cut down on preparation time, but the slow cooker does all the hard work.
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This casserole of polenta and vegetables uses canned beans and store-bought pesto to cut down on preparation time, but the slow cooker does all the hard work.

The recipe calls for an Italian cheese blend and specific vegetables, but feel free to mix things up with an American or Mexican cheese blend and different beans and vegetables, if you like.

To learn more about this easy-to-make, one-pot meal, read more

Sunday Slow Cooker: Chicken and Sweet Potato Stew
recipes

Sunday Slow Cooker: Chicken and Sweet Potato Stew

Now that Summer's winding down and Fall is officially here, I'll be featuring a new series called Sunday Slow Cooker, with a set of easy-to-make one-pot recipes.
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Now that Summer's winding down and Fall is officially here, I'll be featuring a new series called Sunday Slow Cooker, with a set of easy-to-make one-pot recipes.

Today's hearty recipe calls for sweet potatoes and slow-cooked chicken thighs that'll be falling-off-the-bone tender by the time you return to the crockpot hours later. Alternatively, you can opt for thighs that have already been de-boned, or even boneless, skinless chicken breast. To get this Fall recipe, read more

Do You Own a Slow Cooker?
Poll

Do You Own a Slow Cooker?

I often forget that I own a slow cooker, but whenever I remember to use it, I'm in love with it.
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I often forget that I own a slow cooker, but whenever I remember to use it, I'm in love with it. All I have to do is dump a bunch of stuff in the pot before I leave for work, turn it on, and I come home to a delicious aroma and a dinner that's ready to be eaten. The only catch for me is that I've got to be home at a certain time, otherwise my meat will get overcooked and tough.

For those of you who own a slow cooker, do you feel the same way?

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Win a Programmable Crock-Pot Slow Cooker!
Slow Cookers

Win a Programmable Crock-Pot Slow Cooker!

When Fall rolls around, a Crock-Pot is great to have, which is why we're giving away TWO Crock-Pot Programmable VersaWare Slow Cookers ($79.99) to two lucky YumSugar readers.
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When Fall rolls around, a Crock-Pot is great to have, which is why we're giving away TWO Crock-Pot Programmable VersaWare Slow Cookers ($79.99) to two lucky YumSugar readers. So, if you haven't already, be sure to enter our Crock-Pot Slow Cooker giveaway!

To enter, all you have to do is log in and take this quiz. (By the way, your eligibility is not based on getting the answers correct, just by taking the quiz once you are logged in.) The contest will end on Monday, Oct. 29, at 1:00 p.m. PDT, and then I'll randomly select two winners from among the quiz-takers. So, log in and take the quiz, and don't forget to e-mail this to all your friends and family so they can have a chance at it too!