What does a crockpot do that a roasting pan and an oven can’t? It’s smaller, so maybe it uses less energy, but I don’t understand why people buy crockpots instead of just using the oven. Is it considered bad/dangerous to have an oven on for 9-10 hours? Or do people like crockpots for the portability? I don’t usually take my food elsewhere but if I need to I can put it in a tupperware.
Crockpots usually don’t have temperature controls beyond “low/high” and sometimes on the deluxe models, “medium”. I have cooked roasts on “low” for long periods of time, and the meat came out tender but it seemed like it got dried out, or the crockpot leeched the flavor out of it. I started cooking roasts in the oven at 225 degrees and they seem to come out a lot better. They’re still very juicy and flavorful, and I think it’s the perfect temperature for slow cooking. My theory is that the crockpot cooks higher than 225, maybe 250 or 275.
So what’s the point of crock pots? What do they do that ovens don’t?
I don’t roast in my slow cooker – at least not until last week, when I made BBQ country-style pork ribs. Though the pork was good, I think roasts go into the oven.
I have very good cookware that can go into the oven. Cast iron, heavy tri-ply, and even heavy non-stick. Personally, I just don’t want to have to think about hot handles. (I do have a habit of grabbing hot things, and occasionally it’s a mistake.) But the real reason I use a slow-cooker is that it seems better-suited to things like soups than the oven or stovetop. Everything is contained, and there’s no wasted space. I believe it also uses less energy than the oven, and I can use the oven to cook something else to go with the stuff in the slow-cooker. FWIW, I think corned beef and cabbage tastes better from the slow cooker than from a pot on the stove.
Crock pots don’t heat up your kitchen.
Crock pots also cook certain dishes much better than an oven can (chili, stews to name 2). They are also very easy to work with and clean up.
Meats used in the crock pot are best if they have fat in them. Rather than chicken breast, you want chicken thigh. Rather than low-fat cuts of beef, you want fattier cuts.
If the meat doesn’t have a lot of fat, it can be improved using lardoons.
Crockpots are awesome. In fact, we rarely use the oven any more. Pretty much only for baking. Between the crock and the grill we’re covered.
As noted, meats in the crock need to be fattier. But anything that benefits from low and slow and doesn’t need smoke is perfect for the crock. Chili, stews, soups, ragouts, etc. are perfect crock fare.
I’ve been cooking perfect chuck roasts at 225 in the oven. I think this coming week I am going to get a chuck roast and cook it in the crock pot on low and see if there is a difference. I think there will be since, as I said, I think the crockpot cooks higher than 225.
One thing we’ve been talking about is getting an Oster “roasting oven”, which are $29 at Wally World. It’s a slow cooker but about twice as big as most crock pots. The box shows a temperature control that goes from 150 to 450 degrees, and claims that it’s big enough to hold a 24lb turkey. $29 is suspiciously cheap though, and I’m worried it’s a shoddy product.
Things that won’t fit in a crock pot go in the oven.
Pizzas don’t do well in crock pots. Neither do many baked goods, roasted items, and suchlike, although my baby successfully made some awesome monkey bread in a crockpot, and I duplicated an apple cobbler I saw on Facebook in a crock pot.
Not really true as especially a gas oven needs ventilation. So great in the winter, but a crock pot in the summer can help out on the A/C usage, as well as the simultaneous heating costs.
Part of the crockpot’s popularity is from the legendary tails of crockpots from our distant past. Once upon a time crockpots produced foods that were beyond belief in their taste, flavor and texture. Then came along the dragons of liability and lawsuits, and the crockpots of the past were hunted down and replaced with new higher temperature crockpots which turned everything into a tasteless mush.
The lore is strong and has produced a popular view of crockpots abilities to this very day that do not match the modern abomination then they have become. But some people remember the crockpots of old, and they can still be found hiding out in garage and yard sales for those who have a eye to seak them out.
Yes I enhanced the story, but the basics are correct, at one time they cooked slower which resulted in tastier dishes, now they simple boil everything to oblivion in the name of making sure every last germ who has ever looked at that food is long dead.
Also, only two settings on my crockpot: Lo and Hi. Difficult to mess up (Lo for all day, Hi for 1-3 hours) vs. being off 50 degrees in the oven and worrying if your oven runs a bit hotter or cooler.
And simpler recipes: Cut these things up, put them in the crockpot, set to Lo, come back at dinner time.
And less crockery: Don’t need 3-5 pieces of crockery in my cabinets or figure out which one to use. The crockpot is the crockery.
I often put my crock pot outside. That does make a measurable difference in the amount of heat that stays indoors. My oven is definitely not that portable.
My crock pot also gets a lot of use at parties to keep things warm for a couple of hours while people graze on the food. In that sense, it’s doubling as a chafing dish.
I am curious about the differences, though. Does anyone have numbers on power consumption and efficiency for an oven vs a crockpot? Plenty of things I cook could easily go either way - I even have an oven that can be set to start and stop on a timer, which is a feature my crock pot doesn’t have.
Yes a whole 60 watts saved, like leaving a single incandescent light bulb on, not to mention it cycling on and off, so perhaps 30 watts. Approaching 2 LED bulbs there.
(bolding mine) I would really like an answer to this question too. From the time I leave work to the time I arrive home is usually close to 10 hours, and I often put a chuck roast in before I leave for work and take it out when I get home. We have an older electric stove so I’m not sure a comparison would reflect that. But I’d still like to know in general what the power consumption difference is.