BeckyFL Posted January 19, 2011 Share Posted January 19, 2011 At 7:30 am I started a grassfed chuck roast and added baby carrots (exceptionally skinny ones), celery and sliced onions along with beef stock and cream of mushroom soup. At 5:30 pm the meat was cooked but not falling off the bone as I had expected. I was going to chalk this up to the grassfed beef but my skinny little baby carrots were the same.... cooked but not completely tender either. I cooked it on low. Do you think my slow cooker could be "off"? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jplain Posted January 19, 2011 Share Posted January 19, 2011 Yes. Assuming the carrots were submerged in stock, I'd have expected them to be super soft. If they're not, I'd be worried that my slow cooker is broken. If the slow cooker is still on, you can use a kitchen thermometer to measure the temp of the stock. If it is a newer slow cooker, it should be at least 170 degrees F. (Older ones might cook a bit cooler.) Near or below 140 degrees is completely unacceptable from a food safety standpoint. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
In the Rain Posted January 19, 2011 Share Posted January 19, 2011 Is it an old or new slow cooker? The ones I used growing up, and in college, took all day to cook. If yours is old, your results may be normal. Any that I have owned in the last 10 years or so cook really fast. If a recipe says 8 hours on low, I can bet I'll need to turn it off in about 3 hours on low. ETA- We had a roast once that never did get tender in the slow cooker. We moved it to the pressure cooker the next day to achieve tenderness. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BeckyFL Posted January 19, 2011 Author Share Posted January 19, 2011 It's an older model (at least 10 years old), but I always used to get "fall apart" roasts from it. Maybe I should put some water in it and test the temp. If it doesn't test well, any ideas on a decent one? They look much different than they did when I purchased this one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bettyandbob Posted January 19, 2011 Share Posted January 19, 2011 when I first starting using my slow cooker one of the books I used said vegetables may not cook as fast as meat. I don't recall the reasoning, but maybe someone else will know. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
annandatje Posted January 19, 2011 Share Posted January 19, 2011 I have an old Westbend metal crockpot that sits on a griddle base. It is more than ten years old. I cook my grassfed chuck roasts in stock and gravy mix on high for 2 or 3 hours. Then I add the vegetables and cook another 1 or 2 hours. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nukeswife Posted January 19, 2011 Share Posted January 19, 2011 Just an odd thought, but was the lid always sitting on just right. I know in the past I've had peeping diners that didn't get the top back on right so the condensation seal was broken and then things didn't cook up like they should. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BeckyFL Posted January 19, 2011 Author Share Posted January 19, 2011 Just an odd thought, but was the lid always sitting on just right. I know in the past I've had peeping diners that didn't get the top back on right so the condensation seal was broken and then things didn't cook up like they should. Good idea, but it was on there. It's a glass lid that only fits in the little indentation. I am thinking back to August when I made a stew I wasn't happy with as well. Maybe this was the reason. We just replaced a washer, a blender, a car (big one), the hot water heater that we replaced a year ago is leaking and now the crockpot is really stressing me out. Maybe I'll just cook everything on the stove or in the oven. OR I could try to cram it all in the 1.5 qt crockpot I bought for oatmeal. THAT solution would be the most interesting! lol BLAH! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jplain Posted January 19, 2011 Share Posted January 19, 2011 To test it, fill the cooker 1/2 full with water from the tap. Turn it on low and let it sit 8 hours. Then check it with a thermometer. It should be at or above 170 degrees F. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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