Take the Stress Out of Thanksgiving with These Slow Cooker Recipes (2024)

FAQs

How do you make Thanksgiving dinner less stressful? ›

If you're overwhelmed, consider throwing a potluck. Not only does this spread the work around but it also allows other people to share in the culinary glory. Best of all, other cooks can introduce you to their specialties, which might then become new traditions in your home. Plan and work ahead.

The difference between "High" and "Low" on slow cookers seems to differ with every brand and model. One thing that is consistent, though, is that food takes seven to eight hours to reach a simmer point (around 210°) on low; versus three to four hours on high.

Yes, it's safe to leave a slow cooker on when you leave the house. The purpose of a slow cooker is to allow you to cook while you aren't home. Slow cookers simmer food slowly, killing bacteria and raising meat to the perfect internal temperature.

Creating an ideal environment can bring about stressful demands that come with the holidays – entertaining, shopping, cooking – can lead to mental anxiety or depression. People may feel overwhelmed by the amount of money they will need to spend.

Get the gang involved in a Thanksgiving game, or test everyone's holiday knowledge with a round of Thanksgiving trivia. If there are preschoolers or tots in the group, keep little hands busy by making a craft together. Or, bundle everyone up and head outside to draw a masterpiece using sidewalk chalk.

However, Crockpots generally have ceramic or porcelain pots, while most slow cookers have a metal pot. As with a lot of cooking appliances, the biggest difference comes from the distribution of heat.

While searing meat before slow cooking can enhance flavors by developing a caramelized crust, it's not strictly necessary. If you skip searing, the meat may lack some depth of flavor, but it will still cook and become tender in the slow cooker.

Can you put meat straight into a slow cooker? Meat can be added directly unseared and not browned. However, browning meat and caramelising the beef is a great way to add depth of flavour and improve the visual appearance of the final dish.

Choose the right cut: Chuck roasts, short ribs, pork shoulders and lamb shanks (think fatty and tougher meats) become meltingly tender with the moist, low heat of a slow cooker. Leaner cuts like pork tenderloin tend to dry out. Likewise, dark meat chicken — thighs, drumsticks, etc.

Do you put hot or cold water in a slow cooker when cooking? ›

Preheat the cooker and add hot liquids, if possible. Preheating the crock before adding ingredients or cooking on the highest setting for the first hour will ensure a rapid heat start and will shorten the time foods are in the temperature danger zone.

The short answer: Yes. slow cookers are made to cook food for extensive periods of time (some can be left up to 24 hours). But, of course, follow safe practices outlined in your instruction manual, and keep the appliance on low or warm, as opposed to high, overnight.

According to the Energy Saving Trust, a slow cooker is one of the most energy efficient kitchen appliances. On average, a slow cooker draws about the same amount of energy as a standard electric light bulb. This means that despite being on for a longer period of time, a slow cooker actually uses very little energy.

The general rule of thumb is that 2-4 hours is the maximum length of time you can leave food in a slow cooker on warm. After this, it needs to be cooled and transferred into the refrigerator.

For the cook who is busy all day but wants a home-cooked meal at night, placing your slow cooker on the stovetop is the safest and cleanest area.

Especially if you are the host, Thanksgiving can feel like one giant checklist. From the shopping and prepping all the way through cooking and cleanup, it's easy to get overwhelmed.

Many people blame the main character of the traditional Thanksgiving meal — turkey — as the culprit behind the post-meal sleepiness. Turkey contains tryptophan, an essential amino acid linked to the production of neurotransmitters serotonin and melatonin, which can induce feelings of relaxation and sleepiness.

“The meal typically contains large amounts of carbs (stuffing, potatoes, pie, desserts, rolls), which can spike your blood sugar initially,” she continues. “But then, your blood sugar levels crash or decrease, which leaves you feeling lethargic.”

“The reason we get so tired after Thanksgiving dinner is because we overeat. It not because of tryptophan,” says Robinson. “Digestion takes a lot of our energy, especially when you are eating two to three plates full of food.”