Putting My Slow Cooker to Work

homemade chicken stock – via instagram

I’ve been putting my slow cooker to work a lot lately!  I love eating homemade, real food, but with two babies under two, I can’t spend all day in the kitchen.  Here are three new ways I’m using my slow cooker to help me get more done in less time:

straining homemade yogurt to make Greek yogurt via instagram

1-  Making yogurt. I can’t believe I never realized how easy it is to make homemade yogurt using just a Crock Pot (no thermometers, huge coolers, etc.).  I put 1/2 gallon of milk (I used whole, but 2% or 1% also work) into my slow cooker.  I cooked it on low for 2 1/2 hours, then unplugged the slow cooker and let it sit for 3 hours.  After that, I took out 2 cups of the warm milk and combined it with 1 small container of store-bought yogurt (must contain live cultures).  I put everything back in, stirred, and put the lid back on.  Then I wrapped my whole slow cooker in large beach towel and let it sit overnight (8 hours).  After 8 hours – voila! homemade yogurt!  I strained half of the yogurt (using a coffee filter) and made Greek yogurt.  It is unbelievably thick and creamy – so much better than anything store-bought, not to mention it is waaay cheaper!

2- Making chicken stock (pictured at the top of this post).  I normally do this on the stovetop, but at the recommendation of my sister-in-law, I tried it this way.  After cooking a chicken in my slow cooker, I put all of the skin/bones/etc. back in (along with leftover cooking juices) and added about 1/2 gallon of water.  I just let that heat on low for 10 hours!  After 10 hours, I strained the broth and put it in a quart canning jar.  I put all of the bones/etc. back into the Crock Pot and repeated the process… two more times!  This would, of course, work with any other bones like venison, turkey, duck, etc. (I’ve been wanting to use a duck carcass I have had in the freezer for some time.)  This is the best chicken stock I have ever made.  As you can see in the photo, it is dark and flavorful (my previous attempts have been very light and watery tasting).  Because you’re using bones you would have discarded, this stock is free to make, plus it doesn’t have all the additives that commercial stock does.

cooked black beans via instagram

3- Cooking dry beans.  I’ll admit, I have been crazy-scared (slash lazy) about cooking beans.  I always buy them canned, but I have wanted to try cooking them myself.  The slow cooker method seemed like the easiest method, so I tried it last night.  Just rinse and sort (i.e. make sure there aren’t any rocks mixed in) your beans, then cover them with cool water in the slow cooker.  Cook on low for 8 hours, then season, portion into containers, and freeze for later use!  The beans are tender and have less-sodium than canned beans (you control how much salt to add).  I think they are cheaper too, but I haven’t done all the math on that yet.

What are some ways you have been putting your slow cooker to good use lately?

Linking to:
Life As Mom