What you need:

1 1/2 lbs lean ground beef
3 slices bacon, diced
1 small onion, chopped
2 tbs flour
1/4 tsp paprika
1 tsp salt
1 can (10 3/4oz) condensed cream of mushroom soup
2 tbs dry red wine
1 cup dairy sour cream
6 to 8 hamburger buns, toasted and buttered

What you do:

In large skillet, brown beef and bacon until red color disappears. Drain.

In crockpot, mix together drained beef, bacon, onion, flour, paprika,
and salt.

Stir in undiluted soup and wine.

Cover pot and cook on low 4 to 5 hours.

Stir in sour cream.

Spoon mixture over toasted buns.

Serves 6 to 8.

You can also serve this over egg noodles instead of buns ~ it’s quite good that way as well.

Slow cooker is another way to say “crock pot.” Most of us are used to hearing the latter, but the terms are interchangeable meaning the same thing. Now, if you are considering using a slow cooker (and I suggest that you do), there are a few things you should know before you start to enhance your chances of creating a successful meal. Yes, even a slow cooker meal can be horrible if some basic tips are not adhered to. No one wants to come home with a hearty appetite and find a pot full of mush. Yuck!

So let’s start with the purchasing of a slow cooker. You can crock pots in various sizes.  From as small as one quart to as large as a 7 quart crock pot, you’re sure to find one that fits your needs. If you come across a larger one, that’s even better. Depending on your family size or the amount of people you’ll be preparing meals for with it, you may find the larger the slow cooker the better it will work.

Slow cookers also come with removable inner pots that allow for easier serving at the dinner table. A removable inner core allows everyone to sit and relax as they spoon their food onto the plate instead of standing at the stove. Some even come equipped with a non-stick inner pot, making clean up less messy.

Temperature settings vary among slow cookers. Many offer a range of temperature settings to meet the needs of the cook. Some have as little at two setting (high and low) and others include five settings that vary from high (two hours) to really slow cooking (ten hours). There may also be a warm setting in case the food has finished cooking but any accompanying side dishes still need to be prepared. This setting is also great for times when everyone isn’t ready to eat their meal just yet.

Be careful with your heat settings, however. As with ovens, temperatures and settings on the dial are a rough estimate. Don’t be like me who, at the expense of my meal, overcooked a roast the first time.  Even though I had it set to the eight hour setting to cook throughout the day, my slow cooker has a high temperature and cooks boneless meats quickly. I could have put it in the cooker when I got home and still had a delicious meal in less than two hours.

Just goes to show, you live and you learn. To avoid such a food crisis, test your slow cooker on the weekend when you are at home. Start a meal in the late morning hours, using the lowest setting and see how long it actually takes for the meal to cook. You may need to make adjustments to cooking times when you are away based on what you discover.

A slow cooker can be an extremely useful tool for busy families and even single people alike. With the suggestions above you’ll get used to preparing meals with your slow cooker while you’re not around in no time.

The heating element. This is the part you that heats up your crock. Depending on the model you choose the size and heat will vary.

The crock. This is the part of your crock pot you put the food in. The crock sits inside the heating element.

The Lid The lid is a crucial element for a crockpot. It’s what keeps the heat and the steam inside the crock allowing the food to cook. Make sure the lid fits tightly.

The heat setting Again depending on the model you choose you will have different number of heat settings. From the basic high and low to 5 or 10 different heat settings. The type of heat setting varies between models as well. It may be a knob you turn or may be electronic.

Those are the basic parts to a crock pot. If you are looking for a great deal on a crock pot you can find a wide variety of crock pots at great prices at Amazon.com

The temperature may vary on different models but that is about what the temperature settings run.

The best way to get a feel for your crockpot is to check the food at the end of the minimum cooking time. See how done it is.

By doing this you will get a feel of the cooking time of your particular model and how to time your crock pot meals to come out perfectly.

Here’s a quick chart so you can see how long things will need to cook in your crock pot.

If the recipe says:

15-30 minutes then cook for 11/2 – 2 hours on HIGH or 4-6 on LOW in your crockpot

25-45 minutes then cook for 3-4 hours on HIGH or 6-10 hours on LOW in your crockpot

50 minutes to 3 hours then cook for 4-6 hours on HIGh or 8-18 hours on LOW in your crockpot.

So for carrots and potatoes, most recipes call for 30-45  minutes to cook those items. Which translates to between 6-10 hours in your crock pot.

I have found this chart to be quite accurate. It is an estimate though, and you will need to be the judge of whether or not the food is done. However, it is a good chart to give you an idea of how long things will need to cook.

Here are some great crockpot cookbooks if you need more ideas.