are crock pots useless now?

[IMA SOL MAN]

with instant pots being sold?

Ummmm, not if you don't own/buy an instant pot.

Seems to me the purposes of the two are polar opposites. Isn't the purpose of the instant pot to speed up cooking? The purpose of the crock pot is slow cooking. Now, I don't own an instant pot, I've been told to get one, but haven't yet, so pardon me of my ignorance about them. Can you slow cook with them? I mean, there is a conceptual difference between a microwave oven and a conventional oven. I suppose you could cook a thanksgiving meal in a microwave oven, but I don't think it would taste like a conventional oven cooked thanksgiving meal. I don't know, I could be all wrong, but it seems to me some traditions should be upheld. TRADITION! And no, I will not sell you my milk cow.

 

[bykfixer]

Here's a break down of the insta-pot ISM

Sounds nice but I'll stick with my ceramic slow cooker thank ya

 

[Mister Ed]

I don't need another device without getting rid of 2-3.

 

[bshanahan14rulz]

Crock pot is a switch that turns on a couple different resistors. No computer. That may be a benefit or a drawback, depending on who you ask.

 

[letschat7]

What about cooking with a Dutch oven?

 

[IMA SOL MAN]

What about cooking with a Dutch oven?

I don't think that I have ever personally cooked with a Dutch oven, although I own one. Most of my exposure to the use of one was camping with Boy Scouts, and that was using it cooking on a campfire. I've never seen it used inside before, I have seen some videos on youtube of using it with charcoal briquets.

 

[letschat7]

You can place it inside of an oven or thats how my mother did it.

I seen one at Walmart that was Lodge recently. I think it may be American made but my I got my mother some French one that I can't spell the name to. Le something or other.

I imagine some lamb with potatoes and carrots would be a fantastic stew.

 

[IMA SOL MAN]

You can place it inside of an oven or thats how my mother did it.

I seen one at Walmart that was Lodge recently. I think it may be American made but my I got my mother some French one that I can't spell the name to. Le something or other.

I imagine some lamb with potatoes and carrots would be a fantastic stew.

Lamb! I don't believe I have ever had lamb, I don't even know if the local supermarkets stock it. This is primarily beef country where I live, even though there is some raising of sheep, goats, swine and a few exotic species. Some also keep chickens and ducks, maybe a few have geese, even fewer probably keep peafowl. I know one place that has a herd of elk, of all things! Or maybe it's caribou...not sure, one or the other. Oh and there is some domestic bison raised in Kansas, but that meat is expensive. I almost forgot, some people do raise rabbits for market, as well of course the beekeepers who market honey.

 

[pnwoutdoors]

I seen one at Walmart that was Lodge recently. I think it may be American made but my I got my mother some French one that I can't spell the name to. Le something or other.

Le Creuset, I would think. Fairly expensive, but good-quality stuff.

https://www.lecreuset.com/cookware/dutch-ovens

I've got a Lodge, recent manufacture (within past 10yrs). It's rougher, and it's not enameled (is basic cast iron). And it'll be smoothed-out in another 100yrs of use ... maybe. But it's great when doing a pork shoulder or roast, or making a stew, of lamb (my favorite), beef, chicken. Have done soup, but they're not all that big. But any small one-pot type dish can do nicely, with the right recipe. "Low and slow" works, at a modest temp in the oven, and you come back hours later to find the meat is fall-off-the-bone tender, and that all the herbs and spices are throughout the dish. Yum.

 

[letschat7]

Le Creuset, I would think. Fairly expensive, but good-quality stuff.

https://www.lecreuset.com/cookware/dutch-ovens

Yes that is it. I bought it cheap at TJMaxx/TKMaxx and looked for one with a scratch and complained at checkout to get a further discount.

 

[IMA SOL MAN]

I just checked with my local Kroger owned supermarket. Lamb chops are $18.99/lb! Ground lamb is like $9.49/lb! Yeah, beef is a lot cheaper, I won't be buying any lamb anytime soon.

 

[letschat7]

Lamb! I don't believe I have ever had lamb, I don't even know if the local supermarkets stock it. This is primarily beef country where I live, even though there is some raising of sheep, goats, swine and a few exotic species. Some also keep chickens and ducks, maybe a few have geese, even fewer probably keep peafowl. I know one place that has a herd of elk, of all things! Or maybe it's caribou...not sure, one or the other. Oh and there is some domestic bison raised in Kansas, but that meat is expensive. I almost forgot, some people do raise rabbits for market, as well of course the beekeepers who market honey.

Aldi had halal lamb a while back.

 

[pnwoutdoors]

I don't think that I have ever personally cooked with a Dutch oven, although I own one. Most of my exposure to the use of one was camping with Boy Scouts, and that was using it cooking on a campfire. I've never seen it used inside before, I have seen some videos on youtube of using it with charcoal briquets.

If ever we get to a no-power, no-electricity world, we'll likely see lots of that again. Wood-fired pot-belly stoves, big cast-iron pots hanging over the fire, etc. Works well, despite the heft of such pots, the soot with such heat sources.

 

[pnwoutdoors]

Yes that is it. I bought it cheap at TJMaxx/TKMaxx and looked for one with a scratch and complained at checkout to get a further discount.

Yeah, that's the thing about enameled cast-iron. Chip it, and you've got an "owie" for the life of the product. I would think the enamel coating would somehow get severely baked-into the surface of the cast iron and made very thick, but it might well be that engineering-wise it doesn't work as well as a thinner coating. I've no idea. They do cook nicely, though.

 

[letschat7]

I just checked with my local Kroger owned supermarket. Lamb chops are $18.99/lb! Ground lamb is like $9.49/lb! Yeah, beef is a lot cheaper, I won't be buying any lamb anytime soon.

It was no where that expensive. Lambchops were like 6-7$ a pack for the lightest ones and roasts were in $16-$26. My freezer is full now of it. It seems it only comesaround for the holidays and I need to stock up next year when it is back. It is expensive to buy otherwise.

 

[letschat7]

If ever we get to a no-power, no-electricity world, we'll likely see lots of that again. Wood-fired pot-belly stoves, big cast-iron pots hanging over the fire, etc. Works well, despite the heft of such pots, the soot with such heat sources.

The British used to have a dish called scouse that you constantly added new ingrediants too andit may last months constantly over a flame.

 

[M@elstrom]

Never owned a crockpot but I note it's popularity in the Continental US (especially with Youtuber Foresty Forest), we have Menu-Log instead 🤣

 

[pnwoutdoors]

The British used to have a dish called scouse that you constantly added new ingrediants too andit may last months constantly over a flame.

Lamb Scouse recipe @ BBC Good Food:

Lamb scouse recipe | Good Food

This Liverpudlian dish is similar to an Irish stew, with tender lamb and slow cooked veg. It's a real winter warmer and counts as 2 of your 5 a day

www.bbcgoodfood.com

Looks good. Pretty much similar to a traditional "beef stew," here in the U.S., but with lamb and minor differences. I make something similar, but with lamb cut into smaller chunks, more savory herbs, but without the pickled cabbage (which sounds like a great addition).

Pretty much what I do -- Harissa Lamb Shoulder recipe @ GoodTo, but with a bit more savory herbs, one or two additions on the veggies:

Slow roasted harissa lamb shoulder

Our harissa lamb shoulder is a one-pan roast that is packed with flavour. Slow cooking the meat makes it so tender and allows the flavours to develop.

www.goodto.com

 

[pnwoutdoors]

I just checked with my local Kroger owned supermarket. Lamb chops are $18.99/lb! Ground lamb is like $9.49/lb! Yeah, beef is a lot cheaper, I won't be buying any lamb anytime soon.

A good-sized butcher shop near me has occasional sales on their lamb. They'll have a ground lamb loaf (vacuum-packed) that's a couple of pounds, for about $5-6 each. Whenever I see that up for sale, I pick up a couple and freeze them. Chops are more expensive but, again, at their sale times the prices are pretty sweet. They typically have a half-dozen different cuts of lamb, already done up and in the freezer. I don't get to them nearly often enough, but it's fun to stock-up a bit when they have their discount days. Beats the heck out of standard grocery prices (for lamb).

 

[bykfixer]

Lamb cooks down to nothing in a slow cooker crock pot so I cook that on a charcoal grill.

I have an applewood smoked, bacon wrapped pork tenderloin going in the crock pot right now. It cooked on low for 6 hours. Now a cut up russet potato and some baby carrots just got tossed in for the next hour.