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 find that using a slow cooker on days when the evenings promise to be busy makes life much less complicated. I enjoy one pot meals, soups, and cooking meats in crock pots.
My favorite use for it is of course pot roast- but one winter’s day I made a lasagna in it. It was neat!
I use mine primarily for pulled pork, but it is best put to use during the holidays to keep foods hot at a party. I also like to make mulled cider in mine.
My biggest hit from the slow cooker is minestrone soup. There is never any leftovers, but mine has no timer, so it limits me. I would love to have one.
My favorite uses for my slowcooker is to make applesauce. It was originally an apple confit recipe & the slowcooker went crazy & what I found when it was done was that the apples were all mush & easily made applesauce. The other recipe that I use my slowcooker for is weekly I make spaghetti sauce.
I use my crock pot mainly for soups, but also chili, pot roasts and I even had a recipe for homemade bread in a crockpot! Thank you for hosting this neat giveaway!! Merry Christmas!
I love to put a roast and veggies in before work so it’s ready when we get home!! Also applesauce!!! This cooker sounds great!!!
I have got to get me one of these. I can a lot of dried beans in the fall and bake them in a molasses sauce for pot lucks. This would be perfect!
I love to use my crock pot for soups and also to slow cook cheaper cuts of meat. When I get home from work those pieces of meat just fall apart!!
I use my slow cooker most often to make sweet potato curry or vegetarian chili. Even vegetarians can get good use from slow cookers! LOL. I also like it for apple butter, apple sauce, marinara sauce, taco filling, etc.
Favorite use is definitely for pulled pork but will try the apple butter… been wanting to make some for a long time!
Favorite use is making spaghetti sauce.
My slow cookers get a lot of use…chili, pot roasts, crock-pot lasagna, et, but it makes the best applesauce ever!
Soups and stews! I love coming home to the house smelling wonderful and dinner hot and ready to eat!
I have never made pear butter but would love to. can you make it from canned pears. Now the apple butter is another mateter. It is one of my family’s favorite and really appreciate the recipe.
I like making meatballs
I use my slowcooker for everything from soup to nuts. Literally! My favorite use is for whole chickens or roasts where I can later throw in a lot of vegetables. I am borderline vegetarian and don’t like meat much but my family does. With my slowcooker, I can make a huge gourmet meal for my family even if I am busy. That makes everyone happy. I currently use a Hamilton Beach slowcooker, which works perfectly fine. It is very nice but not nearly as nice as this one. Mine is just old and outdated. I would buy this myself except my coffeemaker just broke so I need to replace that. We are coffee fanatics!
One more thing regarding your post. I love all things kitchen so I get your reasoning on having so many wooden spoons and everything else. If a new gadget comes out, I have to have it. A few weeks ago my daughter’s friend called me a horder. I laughed and then told her “I am a collector”.
Ooooh! My slow cooker is over 30 years old and really showing its age! My favorite slow cooker recipe is called Pepper Pot Beef! Thanks!
I use my vintage crock pot for pineapple butter and my new newer one for blueberry butter, spiced pear butter and apple butter. I also use it a lot to make spiced apple cider and mulled wine.
I love mine for pulled pork and butters.
SQUEAL!!! This has been on my wish list! Our favorite use for our crockpot has been batches of homemade chicken noodle soup, or crockpot lasagna (YUM)! Recently saw the article on making homemade granola, yep, have to give it a try… but our fall-backs are always the soup & lasagna in large batches so we can share with family, neighbors, or freeze a bit for another dinner… please enter me into your drawing
Merry Christmas!
Stacy
So many delicious things come out of our slow cooker, but I’d have to say a good beany or lentil soup is my favorite!
definitely our famous hamburger stew. Never the same way twice but always good. This cooker looks marvelous. I also have back ups…how about 3 of the large turkey roasters. 2 rectangular and 1 oval. extras going on in the garage with meats while the rest of the dinner gets the stove and oven treatment. BTW Pioneer woman and cook’s illustrated have a great mashed potato ahead recipes. cream cheese, etc then bake or reheat up to 2 days later and they are good! I remember an experience just like yours with gummy yucky mashed potatoes never again!
Happy Holidays love your blog
Chili! Or a good soup! Merry Christmas to all!
My favorite thing to do in my slow cooker is beans. They come out perfect every time.
I use mine most often to make yogurt. But also frequently for long cooking Indian dishes.
I’ve made some excellent stews from a book called The Gourmet Slow Cooker.
I love to use my crockpot for apple butter but sadly my latest batch burned and I’m having a hard time cleaning the pot. This new Hamilton Beach one would be a perfect replacement!!
I too have 5 of the very old fashioned type slow cookers. I love the lower temps & don’t worry about letting them cook all night. BUT I would love to have the new Set It And Forget It cooker! It sounds awesome…
I like making Caramel Apple Butter in my slow cooker. The recipe is in the Ball Blue Book. It’s my favorite apple butter recipe.
My favorite use is to feed a crowd – chili, spaghetti sauce or stew – especially for a party centered around watching something like a goal game or award show
That should say football game
Using it for apple butter sounds so much easier than stove-top, so that would probably be my new favorite!
I LOVE to make poultry stock in my slow cooker. It makes a super gelatinous stock by breaking down the bones until you can crumble them with your fingers and all of the carlilage, even the keel bones dissolve . It never get that nasty overcooked flavor no matter how long I cook it.
I love making roast in the slow cooker…the way it makes the whole house smell amazing. I would love trying to make some butter in one!!
I have used my plain jane slow cooker for all sorts of butters; peach, apricot, blueberry. I am not so successful at other things and it may be because my slow cooker gets too or, on some occasions, not hot at all! So maybe it’s time for a new one. The Hamilton Beech sounds great!
Apple butter is my favorite thing to make in my slow cooker! I’ve only made one batch this year though – I need to get on that!
I make and take a lot of food to church and to my son’s high school band. My crockpot makes light work of it let me tell you! I love to cook and share it with friends and family!
Pot Roast!
I use it all the time to cook dried beans – black beans, pinto, kidney, garbanzo. Makes soup-making easy!
I’ve been cautious about getting one of those “new fangled” slow cookers, although they’d (well, one) be helpful given my long work days. My favorite thing to make in my slow cooker? It’s supposed to be fajitas, but honestly it’s probably closer to ropas viejas. Healthy, tasty and easy!
My favorite use for a slow cooker is spaghetti sauce. I can cook it all day on low and the flavors mix together and it is so tasty. I have to force myself to keep the spoon out!
I haven’t used a slow cooker since they stopped calling them crock pots, but I used to love mine in college, since it was one of the few ways to cook in the dorm room without breaking fire safety rules. I always thought of it mostly as a stew maker, and I’ve only ever made fruit butters in a low oven, so this is the first thing I’d like to try. Apple butter, pear butter, pumpkin butter – all of it!
I would love a larger more modern slow cooker. On Christmas Eve we prepare tortilla soup for a horde then attend church before dinner. I’m always rounding up crock pots from friends and neighbors to keep everything warm. Also we now make a vegetarian version so two slow cookers are a must.
I love the convenience of a slow cooker. I tried making my Thanksgiving mashed potatoes in the morning and kept them in the slow cooker on warm until dinner, and it worked out very well.
Split pea soup is my favorite crock pot recipe!
Pot roast…that’s all I’ve ever used it for!
That crockpot looks so pretty.Thanks for the chance to win..
I love making homemade apple sauce and my mushroom/onion pot roast
I have only ever used to to cook meals/dinners. One time I made blueberry butter (from your site I believe). My 13 yr old son’s new favorite crock pot meal is chicken and dumplings
I recently made chocolate peanut candy in the slow cooker – turned out great!