What are you Cooking the Week of February 19, 2023?

[Mike Nolan]

Does your new slow cooker have a temperature setting you can dial down? The early crock pots just had 'on' and 'off', some later ones had one or two intermediate settings, some had a dial.

It may be that dials or lower settings were dropped by the makers or banned by the government because they could lead to food not being cooked to a high enough temperature to be safe. The sous vide community has expressed some concerns over this.

[BakerAunt]

Thanks, Mike and CWCdesign for the recommendation. I have ordered a ChefAlarm in yellow!

[Mike Nolan]

I'm planning to make spaghetti for supper tonight

[Joan Simpson]

We had chargrilled chicken, scalloped potatoes and green beans, I made a coconut custard pie for dessert.

Last night we went to a local seafood restaurant had fried shrimp and baked potato and coleslaw.

[Italiancook]

Mike, my newer slow cooker has a low and high setting. Even the low setting causes angst. I've learned to cut an hour off the time for any meat. Even then, the Thermapen usually says it's overcooked. Call me old fashioned, but I think meats must cook for a certain amount of time to be safe to eat.

I looked at ChefAlarm. Does the cable become longer? As it appears in the picture, the cord wouldn't be long enough to go inside the crockpot and onto the counter. Is the bulbous thingy on it to release extra cable? Duh! I read reviews and Q&A and still couldn't figure out this.

[Mike Nolan]

Try this picture, it shows the cord better. I measured it at 4 feet.

https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0520/3928/6956/products/ChefAlarm_Red-01_1024x1024@2x.jpg?v=1629303753

[Mike Nolan]

As I understand it, meat needs to reach a designated internal temperature to be safe, either a sufficiently high peak temperature or a lower temperature for some period of time. With something like a steak, it is usually assumed that any bacteria will be on the surface, which gets much hotter than the innermost part of the steak, which is why a rare steak is generally considered safe, though restaurants may warn about undercooked food to keep the lawyer happy.

Sous vide cooking works by keeping it at a lower temperature for a longer time. A similar process is used for pasteurized eggs, they get to some specific temperature (around 123 degrees) and have to be held there for something like an hour.

I have a mini crock pot that I use for hot fudge, which needs to be kept at about 110 degrees, or it will separate or scorch.

I found a Lutron plug-in lamp dimmer that allows me to set the crock pot to that temperature. I haven't seen any signs of it damaging the crock pot, but I assume it wouldn't work with one that uses electronics.

[BakerAunt]

As a break from our Lima Beans, Ham, and Rice, for dinner on Thursday, I made Salmon and Couscous and Greek Seasoning, which we had with a salad and Buttermilk Ranch Dressing made from the Penzey's seasoning.

[Italiancook]

Mike, the picture you provided is perfect! Thank you! I ordered a ChefAlarm in yellow.

[cwcdesign]

Italiancook - here's what I do even if the directions say not too - I'm usually cooking boneless chicken breasts.

I put the probe in the fattest breast, after I've put however many in the slow cooker, add the rest of the ingredients. Then I put the lid on and clamp down the traveling handles that mine has - otherwise the wire from the Chef Alarm won't let the lid stay tight. I set the alarm for 163 because I figure it will get to 165 on its own, set the machine to manual and low - the chicken is usually done in 2 ½ - 3 hours.

I hate that my slow cooker cooks so high - I can only use it when I'm home for the day.

[Italiancook]

cwcdesign, thanks for explaining how you use the ChefAlarm with your crockpot. Unfortunately, my slow cooker doesn't have the carrying clasps. So the Alarm probably won't work with it. Nevertheless, I'll put it to good use in the oven. I'll probably buy the smaller probe so I can use it to measure the temp of homemade sausage. I've always wanted to make sausage patties so I can control the pepper, but I'm so worried about the pork being underdone that I cook them until they're too crispy outside and dry inside.

I understand what you mean about using your slow cooker only when you're home. The newer ones cook so fast that they're no longer a set-it-and-leave product.

[cwcdesign]

Italiancook- I wonder if you found one of those heatproof elastic bands that you could wrap around the middle or a large Velcro strap - just some thoughts

[Mike Nolan]

Could you put something heavy on the lid to hold it down better?

We're having creamed tuna on biscuits tonight.

[BakerAunt]

I still have two spaghetti squashes from the fall. For lunch on Friday, and for the next few days, I roasted one to make Spaghetti Squash Turkey Lasagna/Casserole, in which the pasta is replaced by spaghetti squash. I made a half recipe, since my husband cannot eat the tomato-based sauce, and it would be just for me. I used ground chicken rather than turkey, and I improvised a sauce with onion, celery, sliced mushrooms, garlic, a can of no-salt chopped tomatoes, parsley, a bit of fresh spinach, some tomato paste, Penzey's Tuscan seasoning, and pepper. I also add some flax meal to it. It was too little for a 9-inch square deep dish, and my next deep dish was about 7-inch square. I ended up with a bit of overflow in the oven, which I had to clean up, but the faux-lasagna turned out well. I will have to keep my eye out for an 8x8, 3-inch deep, ceramic baker--one not made in China.

We had more Lima Beans, Ham, and Rice for dinner.

[Joan Simpson]

Spaghetti and meat sauce ,garlic toast and a salad.

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