# Crockpot timing ?



## Chixarecute (Nov 19, 2004)

What do you do about timing your crockpot? 

I started a recipe this am that needs 6-8 hours on low - but I leave for work at 8 and don't get home until 5, so 9 hours. I usually get home for lunch, but that isn't long enough. Sometimes it works, but sometimes not. 

Today I unplugged it at noon and covered it with heavy blankets. Not the ideal food safety issue, although neither is using a timer to start it a few hours later. What do you do?


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## oregon woodsmok (Dec 19, 2010)

I don't. Food goes in, cooks all day, gets served at night. That's the entire point of using a crockpot. Stop worrying about it. Time is not precise, nor is it very important with a crockpot.


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## Marcia in MT (May 11, 2002)

Although I pretty much agree with Oregon Woodsmok, I find that my new crockpot is running much hotter than my old one, even on Low. So I really do need to time it. I find it's best to put it on a timer, like the kind for lights. I set it to come on right away, and to turn off after the amount of time needed.

It's safer to let cooked, hot food sit in a *closed* crockpot until you open it than it is to let it sit before cooking. The steam created water seal around the lid will prevent any microbes from entering, and of course since it's cooked, it's safe to eat.


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## Chixarecute (Nov 19, 2004)

Good point. That's the reason I asked - the crock pots seem to run at a higher temp (food safety), "low" is nearly boiling after 9 hours. I think the flavor is not at it's best, many times. At least with the oven, I can turn on at noon, and it will be ready at 5 or 6, but the tradeoff is the energy use.


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## Evons hubby (Oct 3, 2005)

Chixarecute said:


> What do you do about timing your crockpot?
> 
> I started a recipe this am that needs 6-8 hours on low - but I leave for work at 8 and don't get home until 5, so 9 hours. I usually get home for lunch, but that isn't long enough. Sometimes it works, but sometimes not.
> 
> Today I unplugged it at noon and covered it with heavy blankets. Not the ideal food safety issue, although neither is using a timer to start it a few hours later. What do you do?


I like to make my preps early in the morn, start the crockpot and when it gets to be suppertime we dig in. I have never really thought about "timing" the thing.


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## lonelyfarmgirl (Feb 6, 2005)

I have never timed a crock pot dish. I just dump the stuff in and forget about it.
the only problem I have ever encountered, is sometimes beans might be a little squishier than I wanted if they cook a bit too long, but its not that big of a deal to me, anyway.


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## Aimee (Nov 8, 2010)

I never time my crock pot dishes either. If cooking too long makes the meat so tender that it is falling apart, that's even better in my book.


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## TJN66 (Aug 29, 2004)

I got rid of my new digital crockpot. I cooked way too high even on low. I went back to my old..as in over 10 years...crockpot. I think it cooks better. I never time anything it since it cooks very slowly. I dread the day it finally dies. I dont think I will be able to find another like it!


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## ann in tn (Nov 25, 2007)

I have one of the new digital ones but after whatever time it is set for is done it goes to warm - which seems to be like my old crockpot low.


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## suitcase_sally (Mar 20, 2006)

TJN66, what crock pot are you referring to? I may have it. I have about 8 of all kinds - 1 Dazey, 2 West Bend 6 qt., 1 West Bend 4 qt., 5 different size Rivals from 1 qt. to 6 qt., not to mention the crock liners I have.


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## oregon woodsmok (Dec 19, 2010)

One thing to be aware of.

My son has a nice big crock pot, where the settings are mislabeled. The dial says "high" when the pot cooks slower, and if you set the dial at "low" the food boils. It also has a setting that says "keep werm" whatever that means. I haven't tried it. Since the other settings are backwards, maybe "werm" is really the high setting.


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## AmberLBowers (Nov 28, 2008)

I totaly agree with the above posters. Crockpots are really forgiving. I just throw in in the morning, it's ready when we get home!


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## Vickie44 (Jul 27, 2010)

Good for me to see this thread here today as I am nervous about leaving the crockpot on while I am work today. I am gone for 11 hours and I set up a ham bone with shaillots, small red beans ( soaked overnight ) water and a qt jar of canned tomatoes. I set it on low for 7 hrs at which point it switches to warm and probably put in too much water but I am afraid of it going dry! Wish me luck


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## Peggy (Feb 14, 2010)

I put a frozen roast in around 5 in the morning and set the cockpot to come on around 10am. food is perfect at around 5pm when we sit down to dinner.


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## campfiregirl (Mar 1, 2011)

Our crockpot is about 3 years old, and it isn't digital, but it does cook "hotter" than my mom's from years ago. We cook a large thawed roast on WARM for 15 hours; slow and low! Falling apart tender every time! I'm thinking if your roast was frozen, put it in before you go to bed and it should be done when you get home!
We've also used the lamp timer.


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## lonelyfarmgirl (Feb 6, 2005)

I always put stuff in frozen in the morning, and by dinner, its finished. I start on high and mid afternoon I check it. Sometimes I switch to low, sometimes I don't. I never bother with thawing anything.


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## Chixarecute (Nov 19, 2004)

I think there is a real difference between the old & new crockpots - IIRC, it was a food safety/liability issue.

Sometimes the food cooks so hot, it gets that very slightly burnt flavor. Then, too, I've recently had roasts that end up boiled and never get tender - and my preferred roast is a chuck arm roast - usually they're never fail, and have good flavor. I seem to have better luck starting the roast frozen, although not always.


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