Comments on: What a Crock!

By: Roxanne

Roxanne — Sun, 13 Jan 2008 19:08:30 +0000

O.K. So I know it’s about 3 years later for this post, but I was just browsing around the archives and came across it (do you feel all warm inside when someone tells you they regularly browse your archives? *lol*).

I love crock pots! Hubby and I have a Rival 6qt. oval pot that we use all the time, from pot roast, to braised short ribs, to chili, to ham & bean soup. I don’t use crock pot recipes, and I don’t even own any of those nasty crock pot recipe books. Instead, I use my know-how from culinary school to create braises, stews, and soups that are perfect for the crock pot.

I consider the crock pot a necessary piece of equipment in my kitchen.

I’m hoping I’ll see some more writings here on the virtues of the crock pot, either here in the archives, or in the future.

By: Barbara

Barbara — Wed, 18 Jul 2007 20:04:07 +0000

Grace–be patient with the kitchen renovation. It is hard, but the results are well worth the trouble and the wait. Believe me. I started out with the ugliest, worst designed kitchen imaginable, with crap appliances, and ended up with a gorgeous, well-appointed, sensibly designed workspace that satisfies my aesthetic sense while being a perfect tool for creating delicious food and happy people.

As for the buffet pan–I love those. I think I need to get another one–it is one of the workhorses of my kitchen. I also have their braising pan and between the two, these are the pans I go to when I make pasta sauces, curries, pan-fried meats and pan sauces. They can even go into the oven as casseroles. I love them.

You cannot go wrong with your new purchase. I hope you have lots of joyful cooking in your future soon with your new kitchen and new pan.

By: Grace Dykstra

Grace Dykstra — Tue, 17 Jul 2007 04:25:18 +0000

Hi Barbara: I know this post is old but I just had to tell you … I just bought one of those Le Creuset buffet pans (I didn’t know it was called that) and I LOVE IT. It was a gift to myself because my kitchen is being renovated and I am being very patient (it has been about 6 weeks so far and no end in sight).

By: etherbish

etherbish — Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000

Yummy. That's so not the pot roast I make or ever would've thought to make.

I trim and brown my chunk-o-meat, then place it on top of celery ribs in the crock pot. Sometimes I cut slits into the roast and insert slices of garlic too. About this point, I also sometimes need to throw a cat off the counter. I surround the roast with chunks of potato and onion and lots of baby carrots, maybe some additional chunks of celery, with everything seasoned well with freshly-ground black pepper (and skip salt if I use non-low-sodium canned tomatoes later). I also throw in a few crushed cloves of garlic and a bit of beef broth. Then I take a can of crushed tomatoes (seasoned or not, whatever I have on hand) and dump it on top of the roast to make a little crust. Cook on low all day, then enjoy one-bowl meal.

Very American, very classic crock pot roast. No Lipton soup packets or Italian dressing. I could even be less lazy and use homemade beef stock, chop up my own fresh tomatoes, and add fresh herbs.

By: wwjudith

wwjudith — Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000

I use my crockpot for making soup from poultry carcasses, so the browning is already there.
I just made pot roast last weekend in the cast-iron chicken fryer I inherited from my ex-mil’s great-aunt (with garlic mashed potatos as well!) and, in response to reading your blog, put waaaaay more spices than I usually do in the broth (I brown it in the pan first and then turn the heat down) and made better pot roast than ever before. Thanks and honor to you.

I have a friend who has a standing order with all of her friends that garage sale (I don’t get up that early) to buy crock pots for her to melt candle wax in, so there’s another use