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Pot roast problems, a disappointing cake and less-than-stellar potatoes–those are just some of the issues you discussed with Michael Tyrrell, our slow cooker expert and associate food editor, during yesterday’s Facebook slow cooker chat. Read on for the questions and answers, plus great ideas for what to make this weekend (for the Super Bowl and more!):

Family Circle: Welcome to our weekly slow cooker chat with our associate food editor and slow cooker guru, Michael Tyrrell. He’s here to answer your questions and swap tips and recipes. Let’s start with: What was the last dish you made and how did it turn out?

Malissa: Crock-pot lasagna. 2nd try turned out amazing (the first time I left it on too long and the meat and cheeses became rubbery and it burned). My question is why do you have to brown meat before putting it in the crock-pot but you don’t have to cook chicken beforehand?
Michael: Malissa – I am not sure you have to brown meat first—was this one of our recipes? How long did you have it on for the first time you made it?

Karla: I made a pot roast which I’ve done many times before but since I started it late, I put it on high for 5 hours as opposed to low for 10 hours. It came out like shoe leather! Needless to say, I will not cook a pot roast on high ever again.
Michael: Karla – what cut of beef? If chuck it should have been ok on high for 5 hours. Did you have some broth or water in the crock?
Karla: I did have broth, cream of mushroom soup and I don’t remember the exact cut of meat but I guess I should pay more attention to that.
Michael: Karla – go for chuck the next time. It sounds like the cut you used was just too lean.
Karla: I actually never really thought there were “pot roast” meats but I’m sure this is what happened and now I know I will never have shoe leather again lol. Thanks for the info!

Patty: Love the veggie lasagna recipe! Lacks high protein but I added a layer of spinach and turkey sausage on side!
Michael: Patty – you could also add white beans or soy crumbles.
Family Circle: ‎Patty – Try this veggie-packed lasagna recipe.

Melody: Cooked a pot roast (with Lipton Onion Soup mix) yesterday on high because I was running short on time…GROSS. Won’t do that again!
Michael: Melody – let us link you to some of our pot roast recipes. No dry soup mix in ours
Family Circle: Karla and Melody – Try our delicious pot roast recipes.

Carolann: Pulled BBQ Pork and it was delicious!
Michael: Carolanne – pulled pork is one of the recipes most done in the slow cooker. We did a pork shoulder 5 ways story recently. We’ll give you the link.
Family Circle: ‎Carolann – Here’s the link to 5 recipes for slow cooker pork shoulder.

Jenn: I made chili, and thanks to my dad’s seasoning efforts, it turned out great! Maybe a little too runny, but still good!
Michael: Jenn – we just updated our chili slideshow. We’ll give you the link. Try one of ours.
Family Circle: ‎Jenn – Here’s the link to “Slow Cooker Chili, 10 Delicious Ways.”
Jenn: Thanks!

Deborah: I made scalloped potatoes from scratch but wasn’t pleased with my outcome. I used red skinned potatoes but plan to use Yukon gold next time…the recipe called for a sprinkling of flour between each layer and it made it too glutinous…will have to change it next time
Michael: Deborah – I see what you mean. You could sprinkle a little more liquid over each layer and I would cook on high so the flour really cooks and you don’t have a raw flour taste.

Tracy: I made a 9 bean and sausage soup—turned out pretty good. I basically just threw in some stuff I had here and hoped for the best.
Michael: Tracey – did you use a dried bean mix? Did you soak overnight?

Heather: I tried a Rocky Road Pudding Cake…not very good. Needed to cook longer!
Michael: Heather – tell us more about the rocky road cake recipe. Sounds like it could be fun.
Family Circle: ‎Heather – If you’re looking for more slow cooker dessert ideas, check this out.
Heather: Rocky Road Pudding Cake – Mr. Food Recipe – basic cake ingredients – butter, sugar, flour, (4) eggs (which I thought was a lot), cocoa, etc… Mix it all together and cook on LOW for 1.5 hours. The edges are supposed to be firm, and the inside soft. But it was all gooey after 1.5 hours. Need to cook quite a bit longer or on high temp? What are your thoughts?
Michael: Heather – 1.5 hours really sounds like it’s not enough. Let us link you to some of our slow cooker cakes so you can get a reference point.
Family Circle: ‎Heather – Our recipes for slow cooker cakes are right here.

Carla: Breakfast casserole (eggs, hash browns, cheese, onions) and it was quite tasty.
Michael: Carla – your breakfast casserole sounds good. Could be a good dinner as well. Tell us what you did please.

Acorn Cabin Rentals: Vegetable beef soup! It was a rainy cold day and it came out perfect!
Michael: Acorn Cabin Rentals – we have some great soup recipes on our site. Let us give you the link.
Family Circle: Acorn Cabin Rentals – Try these great soup recipes.

Crystal: I have chicken parmesan cooking in crock-pot right now. This is my first attempt. Wish me luck!!
Michael: Crystal – good luck. Tell us what you did for your chicken parm and let us know how it turned out in next week’s chat.

Andrea: Beef and noodles!!! Wonderfully amazing! But I am so sad to report that when I was washing it my 4 year old tossed a glass in the sink and cracked it. WHAT WILL I DO WITHOUT MY CROCK-POT???!!!! I used it at least twice a week and now have to save $ ‘til I can afford a new one.
Andrea: When I get a new one I will surely try that rocky road cake mmm.
Michael: Andrea – I’ll tell you that I am always amazed at how reasonable basic slow cookers are in Walmart, Target or Loews.

Treva: The last 2 times I’ve done pot roast my potatoes didn’t get fork tender. I’ve done pot roast hundreds of times & my potatoes are always fork tender. I haven’t changed anything (cooking times, meat or veggies)! I can’t figure it out. I’ve never had this trouble before.
Michael: Treva – were the potatoes cut the same size? Hopefully your slow cooker is working ok.

Nelda: Question: my crock-pot has temperatures instead of high/medium/low. What temps would correspond to each typical setting?
Michael: Nelda – I think a general rule would be LOW about 200. High about 300. Anyone else have any input for Nelda?
Heather: Nelda – Check out this NDSU Extension Service publication for more slow cooking info. Very helpful!
Michael: Heather – thanks for the tip—I’ll check it out after the chat too.

Emily: Made BBQ beef chili. It was amazing.
Michael: Emily – check the link we provided earlier and try one of our chilis for a change and let us know in a future chat how you liked it.

Terry: Barbecue chicken thighs, cracked peppercorn and bacon green beans. Monday night was thinly sliced sirloin in a gravy over rice
Family Circle: ‎Terry – We love chicken thighs in the slow cooker! Check out these 5 recipes.
Michael: Terry – how long did you cook the sirloin and on HIGH or LOW. Did you thicken the liquid for your gravy?

Christine: Cubed Chicken breast with (2) cream of chicken soups, cheddar cheese soup and garlic powder. Served over rice.
Michael: Christine – sounds like real easy-to-make comfort food to me.
Christine: My favorite meal: sirloin steak tips, chopped onion, carrots, celery, water and beef bouillon. Yummy with some shredded sharp cheddar to garnish.
Michael: Christine – how long do you cook for? Let us link you to a beef brisket 5 ways story we did in the fall. Beef brisket is another great candidate for slow cooking.
Family Circle: ‎Christine – Here’s the link to our beef brisket recipes.
Christine: I cook on low for 8-9 hours or high for 4-5. And…sometimes, I go high for a couple of hours and switch to low—depending on when I get it in the crock.

Nancy: I only use it for pork roasts or pot roast. Always thought I had to brown any other meat before you put in cooker and I just don’t have time to cook meat 2 times!
Michael: Nancy – I rarely brown meat first. Conventional wisdom is that you add flavor. I am always happy with my results not browning.
Nancy: Michael – do u have a rule of what meats to pre-cook/brown first and which ones don’t need to? I am so afraid of undercooked meat.
Michael: Nancy – I don’t feel you have to pre brown any meat as long as you it reaches a safe temp. Just check it with an instant read thermometer to ease you concerns.

Kay: I made a turkey pot pie yesterday that was phenomenal.
Michael: Kay- did you use a prepared pie crust and when did you add it?
Kay: Michael – no, I just mixed a Bisquick type of mix with milk, dropped it by tablespoons over the top when it was about an hour before dinner. Then I put a (dry) dish towel between the top and the pot. When it is finished, it is a lot like mashed potatoes for a topping. Like my grandmother’s dumplings.
Michael: Kay – we have used a similar technique for chicken and dumplings. Yum, haven’t had lunch yet and my mouth is watering thinking about dumplings.

Tracy: I’d love to find a really good recipe for baked beans in the crock-pot. I have tried a few but they’ve never really turned out tasty.
Michael: Tracy – let us try and find you a link for a recipe we did a while ago.

Annette: Spicy Italian sausage and ground beef lasagna and it was awesome!!! Even used some heart healthy whole grain noodles!!
Saving in Ottawa: I made my sweet & sour meatballs–I’m just in love with how it makes the house smell as I am about to eat it!

Family Circle: Sunday is the Super Bowl! Will you be making any party dishes in your slow cookers–dips, chili, chicken or more? Share your ideas now and ask Michael Tyrrell, our slow cooker expert, your questions!
Michael: Our web editor Heather just posted slow cooker super bowl recipes on our blog. Let us give you the link. Check them out!
Family Circle: Check out these Super Bowl slow cooker recipes.

Brenda: Sorry, won’t be doing a party this year taking the kids on a mini trip
Michael: Brenda – check out these recipes I just posted about for dinner when you get back.
Brenda: Thanks for sharing that Michael. I shared it to my Facebook.

Dawn: Soup
Michael: Dawn – what kind of soup? We can link you to some of our soups and stews which we love!
Family Circle: ‎Dawn – Check out our favorite soup and stew recipes.

Lorrie: I need some pressure cooker ones too.
Michael: Lorrie – we don’t publish many pressure cooker recipes here at Family Circle. There are some good pressure cook books out there though.

Kim: We make chili.
Family Circle: ‎Kim – Chili is great for game days! Try one of our recipes this weekend.
Michael: Kim – chili always works. It makes the best leftovers; I always use my leftovers for enchiladas.

Christine: Buffalo chicken for subs!
Andrea: Pulled pork sandwiches with slaw!

Family Circle: Our slow cooker blogger, Irina, recently posted 6 great slow cooker recipes that are perfect for freezing and reheating. What are yours? Share them in the last 10 minutes of our slow cooker chat and ask Michael Tyrrell your questions!
Family Circle: Check out the recipes here.
Cindy: I’m looking for a recipe for a pork tenderloin that I have for dinner TONIGHT. Any ideas????
Family Circle: ‎Cindy – We’ve got lots of great slow cooker pork recipes here.
Michael: Cindy – Check out the link we provided for pork shoulder 5 ways for ideas as far as flavoring. DON”T cook too long since pork tenderloin is sooo lean.
Family Circle: ‎Cindy – Here’s the link to the slow cooker pork shoulder story.
Cindy: I found a recipe on a website that sounded really great…in reading the reviews, most were 5 stars…a few were 2-3…but some said they cooked it on low for 4 hrs and others said high for 4 hrs…I have a 3 lb whole tenderloin. Thank you.

Jennifer: Easiest bbq pulled pork EVER! Put the tenderloin in the crock-pot, pour in 1 (avg size) bottle of your fave bbq sauce & 1 can of root beer (we always like Dr. Pepper). Cook on low all day or high for 4-5 hrs….VOILA! Shred it & serve it on buns with pickles! Mmmmmmm……
Cory: Carnitas is yummy too!! My fav recipe.

Family Circle: Thanks for chatting with us during this week’s slow cooker chat! Join us again next Wednesday at 1 p.m. ET to swap more recipes, tips, questions and answers with Michael Tyrrell, our crock-pot expert and associate food editor. In the meantime, check out our slow cooker blog for great recipes and ideas. Happy slow cooking!

Join us on our Facebook page next Wednesday at 1 p.m. ET for another slow cooker chat.

Check out these links for more slow cooker recipes:

Healthy Slow Cooker Meals

Slow Cooker Beef Recipes

Vegetarian Slow Cooker Recipes

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