FYI, chicken-onion-curry-chutney-apple concoction, a.k.a. Madras chicken, was excellent, with a striking—and favorable—similarity to Calypso Cafe's curried chicken. Thanks, Mom.

have not ever done the crock pot thing. highly unlikely - yet somewhat intriguing. i've heard things tend to turn to mush and that is not appealing to me...

but there are blogs for everything:

http://www.a-crock-cook.com
http://crockpotadventures.blogspot.com

Wow! Once again we are the same. I got one for my birthday but have yet to use it. I do have an extensive crock-pot cookbook which I will be happy to share with you.

It all depends on what you're cooking how it turns out, like anything. Believe me, as a single, working mother with two very active kids who does not do fast food or take out but believes strongly in the family dinner table--every night---the scent of a finished, healthy dinner greeting us as we race in the door after school/practice/rehearsal/meetings/what have you, with 30 minutes to change and dine before we race out again to baseball/soccer/volleyball/whatever is indeed heavenly. Good move on the gift front Sandy Claus! Carrington, I just ordered a new crock pot 'healthy eating' cookbook on Amazon and will let you know....do try to avoid the cream of mushroom soup recipes.

I'm a new convert to the "slowcooker" thing myself. It's fairly easy to convert recipes. However, I would like to state I will not be found making pound cake a la Sandra Lee of foodnetwork fame in mine! Patricia Wells' Bistro Cooking has plenty of recipes that translate well into the "beast", as I call my crock pot.

I have only ever cooked pinto beans (with Liquid Smoke as a seasoning) and mulled cider in my pot. So, yeeeeah, I got nothing. But my mom used to cook roasts in hers. And vegetable stew.

Try a big crock pot creme brulee! Or bread pudding!

I inherited 1 in college (read: When I moved in, someone had abandoned it, still sealed)

Anyways, the instruction booklet was laffably sexist, with an intro about how the "modern, working mom could prep a roast in the morning, and by the time she came back home she could serve a delicious meal for her family".

Delicious indeed, if you're Art-Linketter and somehow misplaced your dentures.

Some peeps swear is "great for Chili", but I find chili silly. And a good dutch over works better, its more useful,and it's not silkscreened with ducks and country-themed clip-art.

Finally, I think the only good thing I can say about them is that at a potluck, a crock pot proudly announces "Don't eat me".

And don't get me started on Mario Battali Crocks.

and how long ago was college? Such elitist disgust over an inanimate object that has proven useful to legions of working women makes me wonder if there is some childhood trauma behind this. I wonder also about decrying sexist language while ignoring the fact that the a tremendous percentage of housework/cooking/laundry/childcare whatever in the majority of American homes, is still done by women, working outside of the house or not. I think that particular crock pot pamphlet writer was gearing his/her copy to the real world, not the fantasy one of equally shared household and child rearing duties. Would all the modern working married men who cook dinner on a consistent and regular basis for their families--which means spouse and children--please raise their hands? Okay, hand. God bless you if you do. Far more annoying to me is the commercial now on television that shows the wife and kids wildly applauding the dad for making dinner that night---he calls the pizza place! I am a proud crock pot defender. Do I use it every night? No, nor every other. But it is one of many kitchen aids----including a Dutch oven minus ducks, an electric steamer, a George Foreman Grill, a gorgeous roasting pan, 3 well-seasoned black cast iron skillets, a large cast-iron black pot that I make my chili in along with bean soup and beef stew, quiche pans, a waffle iron, an omelet pan, three beloved crueset casserole dishes and several sizes of All-Clad among others---in the big tool chest that gets dinner on the table every night for my kids. Quit picking on the crock pot! Direct your anger to where it belongs---pizza delivery companies, fast food and chain restaurants, which were compared in an article I just read that found that the large table-service chain restaurant meals are generally more nutritionally and calorically hazardous to one's health than fast food joints.
I am in agreement on Mario's orange crocs. Ick.

So I wasn't the only one who found Zorro's post elitist. Then again, I find just about everything elitist. =/

My only issue with Z's comment is the Crocs. I love Crocs. Even though my feet are skinny and the Crocs are not and I resemble Minnie Mouse a bit in mine. They are quite comfy. But I don't wear them out in public much. Just to yoga class. And mine are pink, not orange. Regardless, Mario's somewhat tacit endorsement of Crocs is far less offensive than that awful Paula Deen and her love affair with the more awful Smithfield Farms.

Incidentally, I always avoid the Crock Pots at potlucks, too. There's no telling what's in there, but the majority of the time, it used to have a face.

for the record, I avoid crock pots at pot lucks as well, not because of the face, but because I have no idea what's in there unless I've made it myself. And I've never bought a crock pot to a pot luck.

I have brought my first crock pot---the one I got as a shower gift nearly 23 years ago (harvest gold) with me when I pull concession stand duty at Little League baseball, volleyball and basketball games, which I have spent an inordinate amount of time manning (womanning?) during my kids 12 years and counting sports careers. The People want nachos, and the only way to do that with only an electrical outlet at your disposal is to heat the pre-made nacho cheese stuff that comes in the big cans at Costco in a crock pot. If any of you had ever spent any time working in a concession stand, you would be grateful for the crockpot, with or
without ducks.
And by the way, maybe the new shearling lined crocs would make your feet look less Mousish?

batali's orange crocs match his hair!
don't be messing with my batali, i love that guy!
great great cook - huge personality.
he can wear anything he wants! he's brilliant! babbo is even worth the annoying reservation policy or the 5:30 or 10:30 dining time.

hey Z, can i borrow your crock-pot if you still have it? i wanta try it! seriously! would be fun. after all this talk - i think the time has come. and mary just bought the mother of all cp's - the fancy shmancy beast from william sonoma. all stainless steel and good lookin.

then kay, carrington, mary and lesley can all come over with their crock pots for a crock pot luck.

Z, you just bring the wine. kay has pummeled your latin ego probably more than you can stand and you could most likely use a drink. of course if she ever meets you - you'll charm her in an instant. gnomey baby, i just wanna make you dinner... i always feel like you're in need a decent meal.

pink can judge the food...

K:

Didn't mean it as a slam on working moms, but I still feel that thinking that only women cook is sexist. Same as assuming that sports cars are only the providence of testosterone-fueled dreamers. Speaking of sexist, "clumsy dad" has replaced "obsessive house-cleaning mom" as the stupidest stereotype. And I do feel that if men don't help around the house, they're bums.

College (back when I had frosted-blond hair and wore fingerless gloves) was very hard financially on me + my sister. We bought into the whole idea of the crock pot, but everything had the same overtly-beefy-mushy-lukewarm flavor.

Finally, I come from the school of thinking that you shouldn't give women appliances as gifts, because you're implicitly saying "go cook and clean for me". The closer a gift gets to a woman's body + soul, the better.

For one of the next Conversation Bites with a guest chef, we will ask for some non-mushy-beefy recipes for Crock Pot-cooking. I want to know what induction-cooking maven Andrew Chadwick would do with a CP. Or maybe my long-lost friend Sean Brock, who would probably use a Crock Pot to store his liquid nitrogen. (Yes, I know that would not technically work, I'm just saying....) In the meantime, can anyone hook me up with a black-eye-pea chili recipe?

Raises hand for Kay. Nice diatribe. FWIW, I really like to use my crockpot (one of the oblong versions) to caramelize a large batch of onions overnight for use in a variety of dishes...

sigh. I would like to say I hate to do this to Z but actually, if it helps raise the consciousness just a teensy bit of one new age sensitive Latin-American male, I'll take one for the team.

Let me establish my frame of reference for Latin egos. My first ex-husband was from Uruguay, where he was a member of the Tupamaro urban guerrila organization. He spent several very very bad months as a political prisoner in Uruguay before fleeing for the US. He was as sexist as they come, though he was also as sexy as they come, which goes a long way to explaining our brief and quite volatile marriage.....anyhoo, I actually have some residual affection for Latin male egos, but American men who pat themselves on the back for "helping" the little woman around the house (does that mean you pick up your own socks and put the seat down?) drive me as batty as fathers who claim points in the parenting game by "babysitting" their own children so the wife can go out to the grocery store without an infant and two-year-old in tow. In an equal partnership---say two platonic roommates residing together in a home---you SHARE duties, you don't "help" around the house. And while biology certainly demands a more physical connection between mother and child during the nursing years, Dad does not "babysit", he parents.
Because I highly regard Claudia's opinions on many subjects, I'm taking her word that in person, El Z would charm me in an instant. I can't fault his efforts in trying to do the right thing. But I also don't buy the appliance argument. Personally I was thrilled to come home from a business trip a few years ago and find that my boyfriend at the time had replaced my horrid worn out stove with a brand-new model, complete with convection oven, while I was gone (It's electric, and I would have preferred gas but hey, it was the thought that counted and it's a beauty.) He was well-rewarded for his thougtfulness, and I'm not talking Bundt cakes. Why not try wrapping a cool espresso maker in a sexy piece of lingerie and see if that helps the body/soul connection?
And Claudia, while Mario's orange crocs/high-tops/hair and skin remind me a bit of a giant Howdy-Doody, I am equally a fan of the man. I was fortunate enough to follow him around the kitchen when he came down here several years ago to cook for the Best Sellers/Best Cellars event. I also got to meet Dave Pasternak, who co-owns Esca with him, the amazing seafood restaurant in the theater district in NY where I ate some months later. Every single time I've eaten at Babbo, it's been a 10:30 reservation!!! Who gets the 9 pm reservation is what I want to know????
Crock Pot Luck definitely has the potential for a culinary throw down. I have two crock pots--the Harvest Gold and a new stainless steel--but no crocs. With all due respect to Lesley, I would sooner put my crock pots on my feet than those things----unless there is a version with a 3" heel .

Claudia, I'm there. Have Beast will travel.It made a knock down drag out Boeuf Bourgignon over Christmas.

Pogo...brilliant idea about caramelizing onions.
Absolutely brilliant.

Kay...I had a pair of crocs. Thought they would be useful in the garden. My dog buried them there. Along with a can of her dog food.

re: "The 1st Annual Nashville Scene Bites Crock Pot L(F?)uck Off" aka "The Crock Pot Throwdown"

i'll supply the venue - i've got a kitchen with space to move and a ton of outlets with deep lengthy counter tops

just say when and i'll borrow a crock pot and rookie that i am, will kick all your asses.

any takers?

I'm up for a Crock-Off, I think. Somewhere in my dozens of vegetarian cookbooks, there has to be a kick-ass recipe for something crock-pot-able.

Kay--I've been very tempted by the shearling version, though I'd still be extra clumsy in them; I'm not used to walking in shoes that essentially double the width of my feet. And you might be interested to know that there is a high-heel wedge Croc: http://shop.crocs.com/pc-112-4-sassari.aspx?reqid=112&reqProdTypeId=41p&subsectionname=footwear§ion=products

Sounds like lots of fun, and I just got a new crock pot cookbook....but sadly, I will be indisposed the month of January....it would be good to do before Ask Wednesday though because I give up booze for Lent and I can't imagine a Crock Pot Throwdown without alcohol....

I think the sheraling version would embrace, rather than expand the feet? And I will check out the wedge, but if memory serves me, I recall the wedge----the first time I wore it eons ag--as a very precarious shoe.

I'm still laughing about the dog burying the crocs and canned dog food.

As a working mom, I second Kay's comments about the struggle to give my family good, fresh, healthy dinners every day. The few crockpot recipes that don't have Cream of Mushroom soup in them are excellent. In fact, the January issue of "Real Simple" has several crock-pot recipes that sound pretty excellent and there's not a drop of COMS in sight.
http://www.realsimple.com/realsimple/content/meal/0,21770,1693334,00.html

Claudia, Kay, Lesley et all:

First, I wanted to say that all-you grrls (and of course, Mr. Pink) have made 2007 my year-of-the coming out as a blog contributor. Here's to an even more bloggy ought-eight.

That being said, my Latino Alfa Male ego is kryptonite, lead and Kevlar clad. I am a very comfortable in my hairy-chested, tango dancing ways, but I do appreciate Kay's trying to soften her comments. So thanks for your kindness.

My crusade, (if you can call a crusade telling every guy that asks for advice) is to remind men that we are much more than beer-drinkin-football-watching-ballet-hating-girl-oggling-hooter-loving bums. That inside every one of us lies a poet, an amuser of children, a righter of wrongs, a tamer of wild horses.... in short, a man.

And because so little is expected of us, we have grown accustomed to thinking that rewards must we given if we pick up our dirty socks, or if we send flowers on Valentine's day, or if we pick up a lame-ass Hallmark card on our anniversaries. Ergo the appliance comment, which in its essence, is "You Must Try Harder". The most precious thing we will ever deserve to have is a woman's love. The only thing worth giving to them is our hearts.

Therefore a salad shooter, or an electric wok shall never be presented as gifts.

I'm gonna give my woman the privilege of cooking, washing my socks, and handling the kids while I catch up on World's Deadliest Police Chases. If she's real good, I might let her rub my back when I get home. But generally I just save that for Valentine's Day.

I agree: no appliances as presents. Those things cost money. Nothing says "I love you" like a new dishtowel and maybe some lube.

well if we're gonna throw-down, i'm around until 2/11 and then i'm out of town for 3 weeks.

in the meantime i must confess. while in costco today with 3 kids in tow - i bought one. $40 and it included the "Little Dipper" which i can't imagine using much - perhaps to melt some good chocolate for dipping. anyway it's a stainless steel 6 qt. RIVAL. but after flipping through the recipe book that came with it i gotta say, i'm a bit unsure...

so with you or without you i am going down a new culinary path. if nothing else it should be very interesting.

i guess if i hate it, costco will take it back. i mean, they'll take back a dead cat...

and hey Z - i hear you. and it's'all good. but i just gotta say that in my 46 yrs of various marriages and multi-live in scenarios - i've never been with that guy you described. like ever. i suppose i don't attract the type. my last ex bought me appliances on occasion and i totally loved them. but being in the kitchen is not a chore for me - it is a favored hobby - a way of living the good life. and since i wear neither perfume or jewelry, buy all my own books and clothes and am too picky to have anyone choose my art - the occasional cool appliance is indeed a joy. but really - if my man feels the need to have me open a box of some description, just put a rock in it to throw me off and then toss in some cash. i promise to sincerely reward that most kind gesture and i promise not to feel that it cheapens me in any way.

Claudia..i need to get the recipe book that came with the Beast in your hands. It starts with Boeuf Bourgignonne, moves on to Braised Short Ribs..whose first ingredient is a bottle of your favorite zinfandel,then onto a Chili, a Beef Brisket for sandwiches and ends with Chicken with Lemon and Picholine Onions. Put down that cookbook that came with your crock and pick up one of your favorites and work with it. You can do it.
And I'm with you. I LOVE appliances of any kind. And if Groom wants to give me one, hey, I'm cool with that. I hoping for an immersion blender for Valentines!

Such rampant elitist narrowmindedness. Sheesh.

For all you crock pot haters, read Steingarten's story on coq au vin. And while liquid nitro would indeed destroy Sean Brock's pot (didn't know you two were buds, Carrington), many amateur sous vide enthusiasts find they're the closest thing to Julabo circulators for maintaining temperatures for ultra slow cooking.

larripin' - i think you've got it wrong. we might be elitest and narrowminded, but overall i'd say we the above are pretty cool with the crock-pot idea. (with the exception of Z's traumatized childhood experiences.)

After watching Ratatouille, I'm convinced Anton Ego must be modeled on Steingarten in his Iron Chef judge's toque. With maybe a soupçon of John Simon. The dude is just hilariously sour.

pardon my 'merican, but isn't the whole point of blogs to "electronically discuss different viewpoints"?

I'd be the first to call myself an elitist, since I think taste is a form of cultural cutrrency... but narrowminded just because I dislike an appliance? BTW, I love red peppers, but HATE green peppers. Does that make me a racist?

I love the results I get when I apply intense heat first. I have a plumber's torch in my kitchen for brulee, 2 grills (gas and charcoal), and 2 ovens (one convection). Even before I braise lamb shanks, I caramelize 'em in a hot pan.

Z - many crock pot recipes call for caramelizing first for that exact reason. now that i'm all an expert and shit(still have yet to touch the thing)...

see, now if we had ever been an item, i'd have bought you the blow torch fully expecting a few variations on that whole intense heat thing... i mean like just as a thank you.

ps - we are together on the green bell pepper thing. i'll eat em if they show up in something but overall, ick.

Allow me to jump in here, guys. The "Beast" is an All-Clad slowcooker that is stovetop safe. So I can brown meats and chicken and then put remaining ingredients into same 7 quart insert and set on low to finish the cooking process without having to stand over it. And this is why I bought this. Strictly for this feature.
I paid dearly for the feature and happily.

see, now if we had ever been an item, i'd have bought you the blow torch fully expecting a few variations on that whole intense heat thing... i mean like just as a thank you.

I'm guessing that would be reciprocal.

Social commentary aside, I use my crockpot to slow cook chicken or beef, and then I shred it for enchildas or tacos.

Take some chicken, cover it with salsa and some seasonings (cumin, chile powder, garlic salt, what have you) or a packet of low-sodium taco seasoning, and cook on high for 4 hours, or low for longer. Then, remove the chicken to shred it. At that point you can also mix sour cream with the salsa/juices left in the pot for a kind of sauce (trust me, it's crazy good), or just use the shredded chicken as enchilada/burrito/taco stuffing.

I share the intense dislike of green bell peppers. I can't even eat a pizza that they've been picked from--the juice is enough to make me gag. I feel the same about celery, cooked spinach, and way too many other green things (that I'll not name because it makes me seem like a bad vegetarian).

LLY:

You'd be proud of moi, I spend new year's eve at a meditation retreat eating nothin' but vegan.