A Crockpot or a Slow Cooker is a great tool to have in college. It is cheap to purchase, usually fits a college dorm room cooking guideline because the element is enclosed, and it will cook inexpensive cuts of meat and beans. They are also convenient for making foods in the summer because it will keep your dorm room cool.
They are convenient for cooking in the winter because they make stews and soups to warm you up and keep you from having to walk across campus on an icy, windy day.
Size: As a college student, we recommend a 4-quart slow cooker. Any brand in your price range is fine. We have found basic 4-quart crockpots available for around $20. If someone would still like to get you a graduation gift, it would be a great suggestion! This size gives you a few leftovers but not so many that you have to eat the same meal for a month! There is also enough to share with your roommate or if you are a married college student, it will provide more than enough for 2-4 people with leftovers. We also recommend an oval over a round slow cooker and that the ceramic liner is removable for easy cleaning.
Crockpot of Slow Cooker?: Crockpot is a brand of slow cooker that has become a common name. Any brand is fine. Just be sure the elements are encased.
Recipes: There are many recipes available online for slow cookers. Check out Pinterest or just do a Google search. Here are a few of our recommendations:
- Stephanie O'Dea's A Year of Slow Cooking - Stephanie O'Dea used her crockpot every day for a year to cook for her family. She continues to develop recipes. She maintains an entire site of her recipes. They are adaptable for food allergies such as gluten and they do not all have 'cream of something' soup in them. Click on the link or the image above for the Recipe Index. She has recipes for everything from Baked potatoes to recreated take out meals.
- Articles - Many cooking, frugal living, and recipe sites will have occasional articles on crockpot cooking. Savor & Savvy is one of those. Click on the link to read their article Easy Frugal Crockpot Recipes and Crockpot Hacks.
- Videos - YouTube is a great source for videos. If you have never cooked before and do better seeing a video that shows you how to cook rather than giving you a print recipe, this is a great place to search. "Dump & Go" Crockpot recipes are really quick and can be very inexpensive. A video that we liked that is a good place to start is 6 Dump and Go Dinners by Julia Pacheco. All of the recipes in this video consist of three ingredients.
- Crock-Pot Brand website - Brand name equipment and food sites are a great resource for recipes. They spend many dollars each year developing recipes for their product. Crock-Pot Brand is no exception. They are considered to be the "original crock-pot" and their recipe site has a plethora of recipes to try - think Cookies and Cream popcorn to corn on the cob with garlic butter. You can even filter for ingredient, course in a meal, or cuisine type! Enjoy searching for things to make.
Cleanup: There are not a lot of dishes to do when you use a crockpot. However we do have a few extra hints.
- Normal kitchens at a house often have drain catches and garbage disposals. Dorm sinks are not equipped for this. Be sure to scrape the leftovers and the sides of your pot into a trash can. Maintenance will appreciate that!
- Grease your crockpot before you put the food in. You can use vegetable shortening, butter, or non-stick spray. If you do not want to use those, try the crockpot liners. You can cook in them and then lift them out and throw them away when you are done - no cleaning involved. Be sure to tie off the top of the liner before you throw it away to cut down on any messes that could occur. Housekeeping will appreciate that!
- Put the leftover food away as soon as possible. It is healthier for you and it is easier to clean the crockpot when the food has not sat on it for a long period of time.
Good luck with your crockpot cooking! Stay cool this summer!
Photo: "Dot the Crockpot" by Mark Bonica is licensed under CC BY 2.0.
