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 it most often for bean recipes, but I have made pear/apple butter in mine as well.
I love my crockpot for soups and stews, those great Winter time comfort foods. A couple of batches of Apple butter in the Fall is also a wonderful delight. I actually use a very tiny crock pot when I make my jewelry as well. It holds the pickle to clean my metals or warms the Patina solution.
I am with you on having different crockpots for different things. I host a good many parties for my grand kids and hot dips are a favorite for everyone. But since I am answering this question today I would have to say Crockpot Hot Chocolate is my favorite today!! Happy Holidays
I love it for making soup. We make a big batch of soup and then eat on it for the rest of the week + we have plenty for guests. We live in a college town and college students will usually gladly take even homemade leftovers over cafeteria food.
My favorite slow cooker use is making fruit butters, especially peach butter. But I do love some oatmeal cooked overnight. One of the best things to wake up to in the morning!
My slow cooker’s on the counter at least twice a week, so it’s tough to pick ONE, favorite use. I have to go with chicken fajitas; the meat comes out SO TENDER and delicious.
My favorite is pot roast, as I don’t make it very often and it seems so fancy when it’s done!
The thing I use my slow cooker for the most would have to be a rotation of family dinners – chicken cacciatore, tomato beef stew, or a pork roast. I love when the carrots and potatoes cook in all of the good meat juices. Thanks for the apple butter recipe – I’ve done applesauces and spiced apples, but not the butter yet.
I use mine most frequently to make pulled pork. But after making apple butter for the first time this year im looking forward to trying that next year. Happy Holidays! !
I have an old basic slow cooker with 2 settings and no fancy settings, I have been looking to upgrade! I love making apple sauce and spaghetti sauce in my current model.
I oftentimes use mine for a great artichoke and red pepper dip. I have never used it for jams or butters, but I am loving the idea of that right now.
I love cooking whole chickens on a bed of potatoes and onions and carrots. For my family of 7, it is only enough for one meal, but I’ve always wanted to make soup by just adding water to the leftover, alas there are never leftovers.
Soup! It is so nice to come home to a house that smells like heaven in this weather!
I would use it to make jars of this recipe to give a gifts. And to make making dinner easier.
With six little ones (well, I guess two or three aren’t so little anymore) at least one crockpot is a must.
We love anything made in the crockpot: Orange chicken, Spicy chili, Italian style pot roast, my super easy pot roast (one large roast plus one bottle of Greek Vinaigrette dressing. Works great for chicken breasts too!). I recently made a Bean and Corn Chili for a church potluck. We have a small church and this was an evening service with even fewer people, so I thought I would have leftovers. Not a chance!
A second crockpot would be great! Especially since my kids seem intent to keep growing.
Love mine for shredded chicken for burritos. But because the lid doesn’t hook down I have to put something heavy on top so my meals don’t get dried out.
The best use is keeping mashed potatoes warm. Technically, I don’t make mashed potatoes, since they always turn out wrong. I love my potato ricer and it never fails to make great “mashed” potatoes.
Navy bean soup with ham hocks gets the most rotation with my slow cooker. My cooker is pretty basic. I’d LOVE a new one.
I LOVE using my slow cooker for so many of my gluten-free goodies. Our family favorite dinner is BBQ pork nachos. I cook the pork with rootbeer…yes rootbeer! I add mexican spices, salt and pepper, let it cook all day. Then I drain the liquid, shred the meat and add our favorite gluten-free BBQ sauces. Believe it or not, we put it over cornchips with blackbeans, cheese, avocado and onions. My kids LOVE them! I really wish I had new crockpot, since my current one is over 16 years old and has a cracked handle (hint-hint)!
I love using my crock pot for all kinds of things from stews to meatballs and sauce. But I have to say my most favorite thing lately is potato soup. It is so easy and so yummy!!
Filling the house with the smell of elk stew. I’ll have to try the butters and the oatmeal.
I love to make Chicken and dumplings in mine. My kids love it!
I use my slow cooker for whole chicken, chicken horderves and meatballs.
There is nothing better than my italian chicken breasts… so yummy and simple. Not with sauce, but with a rub of spices and olive oil, set into a small amount of chicken stock. To die for!
Use mine mostly for roasts and stews. But I’m ready to start trying the different fruit butters (should eliminate the consistancy issues with pectin and jams).
Apple butter and pear butter!
I love making chili and applesauce in a slow cooker.
My vintage crock pot doesn’t see much action, maybe a pound of beans or chicken stock once in a while. Would love to do more!
I love to make pot roast in the slow cooker!
I’ve never cooked in a slow cooker. I have several friends that do and they love it. I would love to give it a try some time. I think I could be a convert.
I love making pulled pork!
My favorite thing from the slow-cooker is veggie chili!
My favorite use for the slow cooker is to fix lentils, which I rarely make any other way. With one vegetarian int he family, its wonderful to make something so delicious that makes the whole family happy!
I love enchilada soup in the slow cooker!
I love slow cookers for soups and stew type dinners, but am trying to learn more uses for them. I am intrigued with using them with preserving.
Favorite slow cooker use is ham! My dad cures and smokes it to perfection, and then I cook it in until it literally falls apart, my favorite!
I’ve really yet to use my slow cookers for anything but pulled pork! It’s an older, basic model that doesn’t shut off on its own, so I worry about electrical issues when I’m not home to keep an eye on everything.
When my sons were babies, the slow cooker was used by our sitters to warm breast milk. Now I like to use it to make stock. It is amazing what 24 hours on low does – SO much better than when I make it on the stove.
Is it wrong that my favorite use is dinner? I don’t have a timer on mine to “set and forget” so I cook food all day long. Roast beef and gravy is the family favorite. Then I make beef stew with the leftovers. MmmmMmmmGood.
Slow-cooked collard greens, from stem to leaf, using leftover pickle brine and garlic for seasoning, with pre-sauteed onions added late. Some bits of smoked turkey or summer sausage? Lovely. Blackeyed peas and ham, a close second; stews, for third.
I’ve stepped back from using my slow cooker in its usual role as peach butter enabler, because I needed to perfect my jam canning techniques. Freezing the butter was good for its time, but now I like the way the light glows through jam jars….
I use my slow cooker for veggie chili and other soups/stews that I want to absorb flavor all day.
Throw a hunk of pork butt in the slow cooker with a little onion and water – it makes for perfect pulled pork sandwhiches.
I made pear butter in mine this past autumn and it turned out great. I let it simmer all day and it was so much easier than being at the stove all day long. I’m not real happy with my current crock pot so this Set and Forget model would be a good change.
I used my slow cooker to make applesauce, and it is amazing. I also use it for pumpkin butter. But there’s nothing like steel cut oats that have been simmering all night long. Mmmmm! My current crock pot has cracks in the handle and the knob has long since broken off. Could really use a new one!
I love to make chicken for tacos or burritos in the slow cooker. However, I also love to make caramel dip for apples in the slow cooker too…dinner and dessert!
I have always loved my slow cookers (I have a small one for dips and a large round and large oval). One of my favorite things to make was always a Cuban Black Bean Soup recipe. And then last year I started canning – so NOW my favorite use is to cook down the different fruit butters before canning them!
I tend to make a ton of bean soups or stews in my slow cooker. Chili most recently.
Love my slow cookers for a lot of reasons, but my favorite thing to use them for is roast beef. Followed very closely by chili, and homemade vegetable soup. My mom says that I am the only one who can get it to taste like my gram’s did.
I love a slow cooker for one of our family favorite meals using great Alaskan Wild Caught Salmon – we layer the salmon (fresh if possible but frozen works also) filets with onion slices and canned tomatoes (home is best) with lots of black pepper. Cook until it flakes and serve over hot steamed rice – sometimes we add corn off the cob at meal time too.
Thank you for the giveaway opportunity!
I was gifted a large slow cooker several years ago and love to make meals with it on my telecommute days. I’ll sneak in time to do the prep work during a break or while I’m listening to a conference call, and am happy to have a freshly prepared, hot meal at the end of the day. My slow cooker doesn’t have an automatic keep warm feature like this one, so I’ve never made fruit butters or cooked a meal while away at the office. I’d love to gain that feature!