Things I don't understand # 53214567: cooking in a crock pot

[smeddley]

Okay, I lie, there is a way I can understand it, and that's if you don't have access to an oven. Say you live in a college dorm. There it is probably pretty nifty to know how to make a cake in a crock pot (though, honestly, we had a microwave in our dorm room, and the chocolate cake in a coffee mug recipe totally trumps one made in a crock pot, mainly because 3 min >>>>> 6 hours). But for the normal, apartment or house dwelling person, what is the facination with taking forever and a day to cook something?

Oh, but you can toss it in in the morning and it's done when you get home from work, they say.

To which I reply: ARE YOU INSANE? LEAVE IT ON WHEN I'M NOT AT HOME??? (I also refuse to leave the washer, dryer, or dishwasher running). I would probably feel safer leaving my oven on, and I'm not exactly keen on that.

Part two of that is also the fact that there's barely enough time for me to properly dress myself in the morning, nevermind starting dinner. So even if my crockpot phobia wasn't a problem, my time management would be.

And, as far as I can tell, anything you make in a crcok pot I can make faster in the oven. The crock pot cake, for instance, takes 6 hours. Yes, 6 hours. Baking a cake only takes 35 minutes. And I don't know about you, but when I want cake, I want it now (which is why the microwave cake is pretty spiffy, and it tastes pretty good as long as you eat it when it's still warm.

Soups and stews and chilis cook up just as well in a big pot on the stove. Most other things cook better and faster in the oven. I just do not understand the crock pot phenomenon.

(Our crock pot cooking contest was cancelled at work due to lack of interest, that's what brought this up, in case you were curious)

Now, crock pots are awesome for keeping food warm at get-togethers, I will give you that. But I remain unconvinced of their use in actual cooking.

Comments

[alankria.livejournal.com]

the chocolate cake in a coffee mug recipe

Do you still have this?

I must know. For, uh. Science. Yes. >.>

[smeddley.livejournal.com]

Science! Of course!

4 Tbsp flour
4 Tbsp sugar
4 Tbsp cocoa
1 egg
3 Tbsp milk
3 Tbsp oil
3 Tbsp ch. chips (optional - I've never used them)
Splash of vanilla

Mix well in large coffee mug, microwave for 3 minutes on high. Cake will puff out of the top of the mug, but don't panic.

Let us know how your, um, scientific experiment goes... ;)

[alankria.livejournal.com]

I'm not sure when my feast of mug cakes scientific experiment will be conducted, but I shall report back whenever it is! <3

[nyarhotep.livejournal.com]

i crock-pot mostly because our house doesn't have an oven, so unless said cake can fit in our tiny convection oven, the crock it is. granted, don't use it all that often, but it's really good for cooking down stews, soups, and really cheap meat. plus, i go cabining a lot and the crock is a good way to stew with only one outlet

i could also guess it uses less electricity than an oven, but i don't have the data to say one way o'tother

[smeddley.livejournal.com]

Well, see, that makes sense! That falls into the 'dorm room' example exemption. :D

I do wonder if it takes more or less electricity to have a crock pot on a lower setting for 6 hours or an oven on a higher setting for 40-ish minutes...