I just bought myself a little present -- a Rival Smart Pot model
SCVPE503 with Little Dipper. Costco had a coupon for $10 off, so I
paid $30 for it. It looks to retail for about $80, but I can't find
one site that contains any reviews of it (epinions, shopping.com,
etc., etc., etc.). Don't know if it's too new, or too old, or what,
but some of the other crock pots get awful reviews and some get great
reviews. I hope this one is a winner. Anybody know anything about it
or have any recipes to share? The Little Dipper holds about a cup and
a half and is perfect for melted butter, cheese, chocolate (!!), dips,
etc. Can't wait to try them.

I actually have gone through several crockery-type crock pots and finally
found one made by Corning, instead, which I've used for years. The only
downside is that the pottery tend to crack over time (esp. if you throw
them in the D/W) and even the Corningware needs the occasional bleaching.
I'm not sure why they get a bad rap because they're brilliant--I make soup,
chili, spaghetti sauce, etc. and the flavor is not only better when it's
allowed to steep slowly, but it really is fairly effortless. My only
problem is that I still cook like I'm feeding a family of 10 (I swear, my
kids must have tapeworms. . .), but that just means I make the full batch
and freeze the leftovers in more normal servings. A batch of spaghetti
sauce is apt to reappear several times in a week, perhaps first as
spaghetti, then lasagne, pizza sauce, etc. With chili (which in my
household is beans, period), it appears first as chili, then maybe tamale
pie (a cornmeal crust with leftover chili, corn, bell peppers, whatever you
like, and cheese on top), and finally, burritos. One of my mom's favorite
crock pot thingies was always to throw in boneless chicken or roast, a
bottle of barbeque sauce or grape jam (no, really), and just let it go
until it falls apart, for sandwiches. For your little pot, you can throw in
your favorite salsa and some cheese and call it nachos (I also include a
ton of refritos, which makes it a respectable meal).

You can actually cook just about anything you'd do on the stovetop or in
the oven, and the 'net is full of recipes. I'll plug Lizzie's favorite,
http://recipething.com/community/all_recipes , which is a really nice site
you can search and add your own recipes to, if you're into organization.

Hate to lure you, but I also get almost as much mileage out of my pressure
cooker, for those times I forgot to throw something together in the
morning (or night before) and want almost the same effect in a bloody
hurry. You want a chef's quality one with a super-thick bottom. Both
methods mean you can cook with minimal fat. With very few exceptions, you
can cook the same foods as in a crock pot (valve-clogging things like
split peas are a no-no in a pressure cooker, but man--you can cook a batch
of pinto beans from dried to ready-to-eat in about 20 minutes!)

jeanne



Margie wrote:
I just bought myself a little present -- a Rival Smart Pot model
SCVPE503 with Little Dipper. Costco had a coupon for $10 off, so I
paid $30 for it. It looks to retail for about $80, but I can't find
one site that contains any reviews of it (epinions, shopping.com,
etc., etc., etc.). Don't know if it's too new, or too old, or what,
but some of the other crock pots get awful reviews and some get great
reviews. I hope this one is a winner. Anybody know anything about it
or have any recipes to share? The Little Dipper holds about a cup and
a half and is perfect for melted butter, cheese, chocolate (!!), dips,
etc. Can't wait to try them.

I actually have gone through several crockery-type crock pots and
finally found one made by Corning, instead, which I've used for years.
The only downside is that the pottery tend to crack over time (esp. if
you throw them in the D/W) and even the Corningware needs the occasional
bleaching. I'm not sure why they get a bad rap because they're
brilliant--I make soup, chili, spaghetti sauce, etc. and the flavor is
not only better when it's allowed to steep slowly, but it really is
fairly effortless. My only problem is that I still cook like I'm feeding
a family of 10 (I swear, my kids must have tapeworms. . .), but that
just means I make the full batch and freeze the leftovers in more normal
servings. A batch of spaghetti sauce is apt to reappear several times in
a week, perhaps first as spaghetti, then lasagne, pizza sauce, etc. With
chili (which in my household is beans, period), it appears first as
chili, then maybe tamale pie (a cornmeal crust with leftover chili,
corn, bell peppers, whatever you like, and cheese on top), and finally,
burritos. One of my mom's favorite crock pot thingies was always to
throw in boneless chicken or roast, a bottle of barbeque sauce or grape
jam (no, really), and just let it go until it falls apart, for
sandwiches. For your little pot, you can throw in your favorite salsa
and some cheese and call it nachos (I also include a ton of refritos,
which makes it a respectable meal).

You can actually cook just about anything you'd do on the stovetop or in
the oven, and the 'net is full of recipes. I'll plug Lizzie's favorite,
http://recipething.com/community/all_recipes , which is a really nice
site you can search and add your own recipes to, if you're into
organization.

Hate to lure you, but I also get almost as much mileage out of my
pressure cooker, for those times I forgot to throw something together in
the morning (or night before) and want almost the same effect in a
bloody hurry. You want a chef's quality one with a super-thick bottom.
Both methods mean you can cook with minimal fat. With very few
exceptions, you can cook the same foods as in a crock pot
(valve-clogging things like split peas are a no-no in a pressure cooker,
but man--you can cook a batch of pinto beans from dried to ready-to-eat
in about 20 minutes!)

jeanne

I love my slow cooker too. It's a good size for a small family, about 2
quarts. My favorite thing to cook in it is pork roast with garlic,
rosemary, and a bit of dill. The flavors are rich and the meat just melts
in your mouth. I always try to make extra, and use it for pulled pork
sandwiches (recipe below). The only problem is my slow cooker seems a
little too hot and actually cooks things too quickly.

Pulled Pork Sandwiches (By Robin Miller of the Food Network)

12 oz. leftover cooked pork, shredded
1 cup reduced-sodium chicken broth
2 T balsamic vinegar
2 T light brown sugar
1 T chili powder
1 t paprika
1 t cumin
1/2 t salt
1/2 t ground black pepper

In medium saucepan combine all ingredients. Heat over medium heat and bring
to a simmer. Cook 15 minutes, until liquid reduces and sauce thickens.
Serve on kaiser rolls.

Bambi C.

Oh, they are sure pooters, though.

Is that a good thing?


Blupencl wrote:
Oh, they are sure pooters, though.

Hate to lure you, but I also get almost as much mileage out of my
pressure cooker, for those times I forgot to throw something together
in
the morning (or night before)


I loved my pressure cooker when I had a big family at home, working,
etc.. Not chef quality but a plain ole Presto. Had the most gawd awful
disaster one time. Entirely my fault as I didn't check the little "blow
out" plug in the top. The rubber grommet had gotten old and hard I
guess. I was doing a big pot of beef stew when the thing blew. The
entire contents of the pressure cooker erupted out of that little hole
(about 3/8 inch in diameter) in a stream clear to the ceiling. I had
stew dripping from the ceiling, running down the wall behind the stove,
ALL OVER... what a mess! LOL, the dog loved it. Took me days to get the
mess cleaned up. Ordered in pizza that night! Never again did I neglect
regularly replacing the lid sealing ring or the pressure plug.


--
RMJCMT

Is that a good thing?


Blupencl wrote:
Oh, they are sure pooters, though.


It depends on your situation in life...