25 Vegan Crockpot Recipes (2024)

FAQs

How do you cook small amounts in a large slow cooker? ›

Size Matters: Choose an oven-safe bowl that fits inside your slow cooker. This bowl should be big enough to hold your meal but small enough to allow space around it. Filling Right: Aim to fill the oven-safe bowl two-thirds to three-quarters full to ensure even cooking.

Depending on the size of your meals and the size of your slow cooker, you may be able to make adjustments to the cooking time by adding or subtracting time. Decreased cooking time for slow cookers bigger than recommended and increased time for slow cookers smaller than recommended.

Just plug in your slow cooker, add your chosen recipe's ingredients, set the cooker to low or high, depending on the recipe's instructions, add the lid and let it cook. Once your dish is done cooking, you can either switch the slow cooker off to turn off the heating element, or warm if you're not ready to enjoy it yet.

Overfilling the Slow Cooker

Don't crowd the ingredients if you want even cooking and a mess-free kitchen. "When slow cooking many recipes with vegetables and meat, [they] will produce more liquid than you are starting with.

What is the smallest slow cooker I can buy? Most mini slow cookers have a 1- to 3-quart capacity. However, there are some slow cookers and food warmers with a capacity less than 1 quart at just . 65 quarts.

You want to use tinfoil that can hold its shape and stand on its own. Once you create a tinfoil wall that can snugly fit in the center of your slow cooker, take the wall out and line your device with a slow cooker liner. You can then re-insert your tinfoil wall and begin to add your desired ingredients.

In general, we like 6-quart models. That said, we tested our recipes in slow cookers of different sizes. Each recipe includes the size range that will work for that particular recipe, though the majority of the recipes work with 4- to 7-quart slow cookers.

Soak up the condensation

Taste user Jenny says she puts a tea towel under her crockpot lid to catch water and stop it thinning too much. This technique is also a favourite with taste's food editor Miranda.

The difference between "High" and "Low" on slow cookers seems to differ with every brand and model. One thing that is consistent, though, is that food takes seven to eight hours to reach a simmer point (around 210°) on low; versus three to four hours on high.

On some occasions, you'll want to leave food in the slow cooker to keep warm, during Thanksgiving or Christmas Dinner, for example, or any other event or holiday. While it's perfectly ok to use your crock pot in this way, try to avoid leaving food on the warming setting for more than four hours.

Can you put raw meat in a slow cooker? ›

Yes, you can add raw steak to a slow cooker to cook it to your desired doneness level. Slow cooking steak is a convenient way to cook steak over several hours, tenderizing it and adding exceptional flavor along the way.

Carrots may remain firm in a slow cooker if they're not cooked long enough or if the temperature is too low. Ensure sufficient cooking time and consider cutting carrots into smaller pieces for even cooking.

Overfilling the Slow Cooker

As a result, some parts of the dish may overcook, while others remain undercooked. "This can also increase the risk of foodborne illness, because the food might not reach a safe temperature throughout," she says.

Prepare food the night before and store in the fridge to save time. Don't place the cooker insert in the fridge, or it won't heat up quickly enough to stop bacteria growing. Fill your slow cooker between half and three-quarters full so the food cooks evenly.

Aim for between half and two-thirds full. If the cooker is too full, the food may not cook evenly and could end up being undercooked. On the other hand, if the cooker is not full enough, the food may overcook.

5. Reduce liquid when using a slow cooker. Because your slow cooker will have a tightly sealed lid, the liquid won't evaporate so if you're adapting a standard recipe, it's best to reduce the liquid by roughly a third. It should just cover the meat and vegetables.

A 3.5-litre slow cooker will usually feed a family of 4, depending on your portion sizes. You can learn more about slow cookers, their sizes, and their benefits, using this simple slow cooker guide.