Breakfast...

[fajrdrako]

I like to put food in the slow cooker before I go to bed, because then I don't have to worry about cooking things in the morning. Frying or scrambling an egg is okay, and so is oatmeal, but one likes a change. I seldom eat cold cereal, and don't like it. So the slow cooker is a wonderful thing

Comments

[crabby_lioness]

I learned how to cook on the crockpot as a child of the 70s (largely because the cookbook that came with the newfangled gadget was the only cookbook my family owned) and I've been doing it ever since. The tasteless problem is an old one. Basically, any small amount of flavorings that go into the pot cook themselves to death over the long hours. There are three alternatives: use a lot stronger flavorings, add some flavorings in the last hour - half hour before you eat, or use a timer to turn it on or off after so long. The second works best

[dewline]

I think were I to start with crockpots, I'd go with the last solution on your list in the first paragraph.

But I need to practice cooking more often to begin with.

[fajrdrako]

Cooking is great. I love cooking. I love eating, too. The only problem with it is, it takes time.

But making a stir-fry doesn't take long.

The crockpot is a good took, but not if you end up with tasteless food.

[dewline]

Time, time, time...

[mmegaera]

I tend to use the crockpot for the initial large cook (which is packaged into individual servings to be reheated in the microwave at later dates). I usually add most of my seasonings when I reheat, rather than in the original cooking. That way I can vary one recipe in a lot of different ways, too.

As for breakfast, do you like muffins? I make muffins ahead of time and freeze them. It takes about 40 seconds in my microwave to heat one up.

[fajrdrako]

Muffins... not a bad idea.

[crabby_lioness]

I cook for five people, and I am NOT a morning person. I usually bake a baking powder fruit bread recipe(usually banana) with extra raisins and dried fruit in muffin pans. Another favorite is a roll recipe, either with grated cheese or with a lump of cheese/sausage in the center. It's ready to grab and go without reheating and will keep about a week -- not that they last that long.

Have you done much steaming? If you've got a steamer pot that fits over a pot of hot water it's fast, easy, moist, and flavorful. You can have your food ready to go in the night before, start your pot and cook it in 5 - 20 minutes. The Chinese prefer it for fast cooking over both stir-frying and microwaving.

[fajrdrako]

Steaming is a good idea. I might try it. I'm trying to avoid wheat again, which limits my options, but that's okay - it forces me to be creative.