Nancy Young > wrote in
:
> "Dennis G." wrote:
>>
>> (sara hurt) wrote:
>>
>> >I bought my first crock pot this weekend. The instruction manual
>> >claims that "it's virtually impossible to overcook anything" in the
>> >crock pot. I'm a little dubious. I'd like to try a recipe while at
>> >work tomorrow (for pork chops) and it calls for cooking on low 6-8
>> >hours. However, with my hours, I'll be gone more like 10 1/2 to 11
>> >hours. Will it overcook, or is the 6-8 hours the minimum time it
>> >takes to be fully cooked and it's fine if you cook it longer?
>> >Thanks!
>>
>> You could put a timer between the crock pot cord and the electrical
>> outlet to start the cooking later by 3 hours.
>>
>> Dennis
>
> Not to be a little safety freak, but would you really want pork chops
> sitting around at room temp all that time? I wouldn't. I guess maybe
> if the liquid was replaced by ice cubes, but ... really.
>
> nancy
>
Atually, I use a timer all the time with a delay of about 3 hours. What
I do is fully prepare the contents of the crock the night before, then
refrigerate covered until just a moment before I leave for work. The
residual cold from the thick crockery and food keeps it cool enough prior
to the cooking cycle. I never include "high risk" ingredients like eggs,
mayo, etc.
Another alternative might be to leave the meat frozen when put into the
crock. Veggies won't spoil regardless. If including potatoes, they
should be coated or covered in liquid to prevent darkening.
Wayne