Since I was very young, I’ve been something of a collector. I figured that if having one of something was good, then having three or four was even better. As a kid, this meant that I had more pens and pencils in my school bag than necessary and felt most comfortable when I had a back-up security blanket.
In my adulthood, this propensity towards duplication has most actively manifested itself in the kitchen. I have at least two dozen wooden spoons and spatulas (when just a handful would really do), three vintage waffle irons (because you never know when one might break) and five slow cookers.
There’s no really good defense for the wooden implements or the waffle irons, but I do have a rationale for the slow cookers. My slow cooker needs often vary and so having different shapes, sizes and eras to choose from give me options.
Dips go in the mini-cooker. When I make overnight oatmeal, the 2 1/2 quart pot is best. If I’m doing a batch of blueberry butter and want really low, slow heat, nothing works better than my vintage, 4 quart, avocado green cooker. I also have kept a basic 6 quart cooker in the rotation for a while for stocks and soups, though I must confess, it has never been my favorite.
Then there’s slow cooker number five. It joined the line-up recently and rocketed to the top of my slow cooker hit parade. It’s the Hamilton Beach Set ‘n Forget model, with a lid that can be locked into a place and a thermometer probe that you can use to test internal temperatures without lifting the lid and releasing the heat. It allows you to set the cook time and temperature (when the time is up, it shifts to a keep warm setting).
This time of year, my slow cookers are in regular rotation for the production of apple and pear butters. I typically go with my vintage cooker, because I know that I can trust it not to burn (older slow cookers have lower set temperatures than the newer models). However, because of its capacity, it ends up yielding just a couple of pints. As you know, most of the time I like a small batch just a little more than the next girl. During the holiday season that changes and I appreciate the option of larger yields for gift giving.
I realize now that I’ve avoided the newer cookers and their higher temperatures because I’ve never worked with one that had an auto shut-off before. I tend to let my fruit butters cook overnight. That was too much time for my brute force, either-on-or-off cooker. But having the option to set it to cook for 5 or 6 hours and then shift to warm has changed everything. I know this technology has been around for a while (my mom had a slow cooker when I was little that did something along these lines), but I’d never before experienced it. I am in love.
My fruit butter yields are higher because the new Hamilton Beach machine has a larger capacity and I’m not running the risk of burning the butter because it shuts off when I ask. I am a happy canner.
Before we get to the apple butter recipe I’ve made three times in the last month in machine, I have to tell you one more reason why I really like it. It’s that “Stay or Go” feature. This slow cooker has a lid fitted with a silicone seal that can be locked into place. That makes it an able traveler, which is terrific for a regular potluck-attender like me.
I used it to transport and serve mashed potatoes on Thanksgiving (sadly, they were the worst mashed potatoes I’ve ever made; both lumpy and gummy at the same time. But the quality of the potatoes wasn’t the cooker’s fault) and it will be pressed into travel service again soon.
The formal recipe I’ve been using for this slow cooker apple butter is after the jump, but here’s the narrative version. You begin by filling your slow cooker to the top with sliced apples (I got about eight pounds into my cooker, but there’s some natural variation here). You add a little water (maybe 1/2 a cup) to help things along and then you let the cooker for for four to six hours on low, until you can mash the apples into sauce.
Then you puree the heck out of the applesauce, until the skins disappear. It works best in my Vitamix, but I’ve also achieved this same effect with an immersion blender and persistence. Then you return the puree to the slow cooker (it will only fill it 2/3 of the way up at this point) and cook on low for another six or so hours with the lid slightly askew for venting purposes, until the sauce has reduced into butter. Stir in sugar, spices, and lemon zest/juice for balance. That’s it! Easy and makes such good holiday presents!
Finally, the giveaway. Hamilton Beach has generously given me eight (yes, that’s eight) of these Set ‘n Forget Slow Cookers to give away to my readers. Here’s how to enter.
- Leave a comment on this post and share your favorite slow cooker use.
- Comments will close at 11:59 pm on Saturday, December 22, 2012. Winners will be chosen at random and will be posted to the blog on Sunday.
- Giveaway open US residents only.
- One comment per person, please. Entries must be left via the comment form on the blog at the bottom of this post.
Disclosure: Hamilton Beach gave me one Set ‘n Forget Slow Cooker for review and photography purposes and they’re providing eight additional units for this giveaway. They did not pay for inclusion on the blog and my opinions remain entirely my own.
Ingredients
- 7-8 pounds apples (any varieties you like)
- 1/2 to 1 cup dark brown sugar
- 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 3/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
- zest and juice of one lemon
Instructions
- Slice apples and heap them into a six quart slow cooker.
- Add 1/2 cup water and set to low.
- Cook until apples are tender and can be easily pressed into sauce. On low, this will take 4-6 hours. On high, it should only take 2-3 hours.
- Puree softened apples into a smooth puree (it shouldn't be necessary to peel).
- Return to puree to slow cooker and cook on low for 6 hours with the lid set slightly ajar so that it can vent.
- Add 1/2 cup sugar, spices and lemon zest/juice. Taste and add more spices and sugar, if necessary.
- Funnel hot apple butter into prepared jars.
- Apply lids and rings and process in a boiling water bath canner for 15 minutes.
- When time is up, remove jars from canner and let cool on a folded kitchen towel.
Notes
My batch yielded just over 3 pints, but with all things that depend on reduction, yields will vary. I can see this batch ranging from 2 to 4 pints, depending on the water content of the apples and the length that you cook them.
This recipe can be canned in pints, half pints, quarter pints or any other small jar designed for boiling water bath canning. All jars pints or smaller are processed for 15 minutes. Should you want to can it in quarts, increase processing time to 20 minutes.
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I use my slow cooker to make spaghetti sauce and taco soup. I’d love to have one with a timer, it seems like my other TNT recipes get dried out or overcooked in my current cooker.
My favorite use is exactly or what its designed to do- start dinner in the morning and come home to an already prepared meal.
Love my silly little $4.00 four-quart generic white crockpot, bought at Black Friday sale four years ago! (Lots of “fours” in that sentence!)
Pot roast with carrots and potatoes is the favorite crock pot meal in our house. There’s nothing better than walking into the house after a long hard day and the aroma of the meal greets you at the door. It’s hot and ready to eat after a quick thickening to the gravy. Yum!
Just started playing with Mexican recipes…I love slow cooker fajitas.
Wow, what a generous giveaway! That locking feature is brilliant. My favorite use of my crockpot is a stew/soup of veges, chicken and broth or V8 juice–just turn it on in the morning and dinner’s ready in the evening.
I like making apple sauce in mine. Might have to try the apple butter recipe.
I enjoy making chicken and dumplings.
My favorite use for the slow cooker is caramelized onions! I can make a big batch and use some and freeze some. Beats standing at the stove stirring them, and I can set the SC outside if I don’t want the onion smell in the house.
I use it weekly to make a big batch of pinto beans/refried beans–but I have the same problem you describe here: for many of my veggie-only recipes, all day–even on “low”–is too high. I need one that can go to “warm” more quickly. I’ll have to look for this model!
my grandmother’s brisket…always comes out perfect and is so easy in a slow cooker.
We use it for everything from warm winter soups to chilli to main dish meals. A working woman’s lifesaver!
Ooo. It has been 34 years since I owned a slow cooker. I think I wore my old harvest gold number right straight out. What a marvel, for a working mom! Stews. Pot roasts. Moroccan Chicken. Applesauce. Every now and then, I find myself poking around, looking for the slow cooker. But, it’s gone. I know it’s gone. No time like the present, though…
Quick chili and for smelling up the house!
Definitely chili. Our current favorite is a posole style with pork. Would love to try the stay and go!
I use mine for fruit butter, thanks to you, and chili. I’ve successfully used my mini-cooker for tapioca pudding.
I like to make overnight cinnamon and spice oatmeal in mine!
Gumbo, chili, pulled pork!
I just made a lovely balsamic roast beef in the slow cooker tonight. It was delish!
Pulled pork is my favorite use of the crockpot for savory dishes. Tender and delicious for sandwiches, tacos or over rice. The (semi-)sweet favorite use is apple butter.
Wow! This is so exciting! The slow cooker of my xmas list dreams!
I also really like to use it for apple butter….that is definitely my favorite, so I love this post! I would like to be able to branch out and try some new things like meats and stews!
I make a shredded beef dish with eye of round roasts that cook for at least 10 hours on slow in an incredibly tasty sauce. My nephew-in-law gave me the recipe and I’ve made it MANY times since! Win or not, thank you for the opportunity to win this cooker! My big slow-cooker died a not-so-slow death many months ago and it’s exciting to have a chance to win one here!
I have a tiny 2-quart cooker, which I don’t put to good enough use. I use it to keep mulled wine warm, and I once made a delicious pork shoulder slow-cooked in nectarine-lemon verbena jam. If I had a larger slow cooker, I would use it all the time, since I work all day and have a long commute and would love for dinner to be ready to go when I get home.
When I moved in with my (now) husband, he asked me why I needed four crockpots. I looked at him like he was simply crazy. There’s the lil dipper for … dips…
Then there’s the 6 quart for making big things (like the last two Thanksgiving turkey breasts or chicken broth) and then there’s the two 4.5 quarts because you might as well make two crockpot side dishes while you’re making a big meal or having a potluck or… do you really need a reason?? Now we’ve been together for 3 years and he finally gets it. But I could not pass on your giveaway. I can always use another one. 
My recent favorite thing to make in the crockpot is mashed potatoes. I thought they would get gummy but they turned out perfect.
I use my little 4 qt slow cooker most often for chicken tortilla soup. I use my slow cooker at least 3 times a month. Couldn’t live without one!
I use it for mundane things like pot roast, but fruit butters are really my favorite use. I love that they don’t burn.
My slow cooker has seen a lot of chili in its day. Unfortunately, its bowl is cracking, so I haven’t gotten a ton of use out of it this year.
One of my favorite things to make in my crockpot is polenta, of all things! Cooking it low and slow makes it soooo creamy (cream and butter added at the end also help – ha!), and you don’t have to babysit it. Just perfect for this SAHM, because who has time to stir polenta when you’re chasing after two little boys?!
I use my slow cooker for making delicious winter warming soups.
My favorite use used to be soup and chili for cold winter days. In more recent years, I have particularly liked using it for large batches of fresh, homemade yogurt.
Anything in a slow cooker for dinner is my favorite! One of my favorites lately though is slow cooker lasagna.. yum!
My favorite slow cooker use is for Korean-spiced pork ribs. They taste great, are easy to make and are fall off the bone tender. But I must admit, your apple butter recipe sure looks good!
Chili, Bear Roast, Beef Roast…..you name it, we put it in the slow cooker!!!
My favorite use of the slow cooker is to make a batch of caramelized onions. Long and slow wins the race.
I love my slow cookery for making carnitas pork with green enchillada sauce and Spanish rice.
The smell of beef stew in the slow cooker!
I use my big slow cooker to “hold” things during church meetings which include carry-ins following. I use my littler one for overnight cereal, like Bob’s Red Mill “Mighty Tasty Cereal” or steel cut oats in a pint jar. It’ s so nice to wake up to hot cereal.
Well, let’s just call it my new, current, favorite way to use my slow cooker………
……….I’ve just discovered that my old 8qt slow cooker is just the right size to keep five pt mason jars hot after sterilization while I’m canning. No more messing with the oven door and burning myself while I’m trying to pull one out quickly. I just put the wite rack in the bottom of the slow cooker and place the jars in upside down. They are so easy to snag one at a time with the jar lifter.
Just had BBQ Short Ribs last night from slow cooker. Love stews and soups also. We use ours at least twice a week.
Pot roast in the big one with lots of veg and liptons onion soup mix. Beer is also nice in this one. My old smaller one is best for stews and stewps as there is just two here. Finally the mini is for cheddar cheese with a bit of Worcester sauce or Tabasco chipolte hot sauce. I will have to try the apple butter. Maybe that would be good with Quince added since I have some on hand.
I have been thinking about buying a slow cooker and am grateful for your post. It cleared up the questions that I had. I use my oven for pulled pork and pot roast and would love to be able to do this in a slow cooker that I can transport. Can’t wait to try the apple butter recipe.
I make a ham for our Christmas get-together for my husband’s mother’s side of the family. It comes out wonderfully using the crockpot! I’d love to win one of these, thanks for the chance! (I’m getting your book for Christmas – yippee!) Merry Christmas!
xoxo
Joy
Pork roast — for pulled pork sandwiches. So easy and SO good.
I just told my husband that I need a new slow cooker!
I love making my Thanksgiving corn pudding in my large one. Apple sauce for Hannukah is great too.
I love a slow cooker for good old fashion chicken soup, pot roast and corned beef and cabbage. Great for comfort food on a cold snowy day.
Steel-cut oats! Such a lovely scent to awaken to in the morning…
pot roast
I use mine to make anything that takes forever to cook on the stove.
Well, I used to use it for a wonderful beef roast recipe. My cooker is so old the temp gauge has fallen off. Im hoping I will get a new one soon. My new fav recipe might just be your apple butter recipe. It looks great.
My friend Debbie calls her slow cooker her “wife” which cracks me up but also is true…
I love my slow cooker for so many things; stock, lard, yogurt, roasts, stews, the usual real foods kitchen sort of things. I’ve been satisfied with the one I had and haven’t checked out any new and improved models, but now that thermometer option has my full attention.
This looks like an excellent tool to help people cook their grass-fed meats better… and I love the sealing lid…