Help needed with cholent!!

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pinktichel

Sun, Jul 09 2006, 11:24 am

I'm beginning to give up. I cannot figure out how to make a good cholent. Before I got married, I was working somewhere out of town and used to make the cholent for shul. It was always great!

When I got married, nearly 5 months ago, I bough a Westbend crockpot and haven't made a good cholent even once! I tried making it my usual way: fry onions and meat, add beans and potatoes, marinate it in bbq sauce and ketchup, cover with water and cook. The beans are always crunchy!!

Please help, it's getting embarrasing and I'm beginning to wonder if I should give up completely. Crying

Then again, atleast I give my guests (and my dh) something to laugh about!!

luv2beamother

Sun, Jul 09 2006, 12:51 pm

I also have the westbend. is yours heated all around, or just on the bottom? (there are two kinds).

pinktichel

Sun, Jul 09 2006, 12:52 pm

just the bottom. it's like a hot plate.

supermommy

Sun, Jul 09 2006, 1:03 pm

try soaking the beans in water from the night before and make sure the cholent is mostly cooked before you put in on the hotplate.

shoy18

Sun, Jul 09 2006, 2:15 pm

what temp are you setting it at? and maybe less water

MovinMom

Sun, Jul 09 2006, 2:31 pm

My husband makes the cholent in our house. He makes it in a pot and doesnt use any extra ingredients, just the basic meat potatoes beans and spices and onion, and it comes out heaveeeeeeeeeen! It's honestly delicious. Everybody goes crazy over it and there are never leftovers.

Mishie

Sun, Jul 09 2006, 2:39 pm

By us it's also usually Hubby's job to make the chulent...
But, this Shabbos I gave it a try...
And, guess what?
It actually came out Amazing!!!

Here's what I did:

Saute'd Onions
Added chunks of Meat and browned on all sides.
Then added the beans (which I soaked in boiling water first)
Barley
Potatoes (cubed)

Filled with water
Spices
Ketchup
BBQ sauce

Cooked on stove all Friday, and then put the pot on the hot plate right before Shabbos.

It came out Perfect!!!!

(I hope DH still thinks his is the best .... Or I just got myself into making it every week..... LOL)

shopaholic

Sun, Jul 09 2006, 8:16 pm

Ok Pink - here's mine. my brother says it's the only cholent he eats & it is pretty good:

Boil the beans overnight
at 1pm or so, in the crockpot (set to the highest):

1. meat (not fried - raw)
2. beans
3. some barley
4. potatoes (whole so they don't crumble)

Then make a juice of honey, ketchup, onion soup mix, generous amount of salt & pepper. Make sure it covers the potatoes.

After a few hours, turn it down a few numbers. Check if it needs more juice by stirring it a bit. You can add more hot water if necessary. Before Shabbos, put it on 2.5 & check the juice level again.

chocolate moose

Mon, Jul 10 2006, 10:53 am

you can use canned beans too.

frummom

Thu, Jul 13 2006, 3:11 pm

I had the exact same problem with the same crockpot! I bought it chanukah time, and since then the cholent hasn't been good - the beans just didn't cook right. my husband, the cholent maven, had tons of advice - soak the beans, change the timer, add more water, cook it longer, take the tin foil blech off, close the window - you name it. a few weeks ago he gave up and bought a new crockpot - exactly like the other one, mind you - and the cholent has been great.

for all we know, the old one will work fine now too - but who wants to take the chance?

luv2beamother

Thu, Jul 13 2006, 8:30 pm

pinktichel, I had the exact same problem as you. I had that crockpot, and had over tons of guests. my mother suggested I put in on low right before shabbos, and by afternoon it would be fine. (she thought I had a regular all round heated crockpot. well, it was raw! very embarassing.
so anyways, I tried to make cholent again during the week, on high! and what I realized was that the crockpot is really just a warmer and it doesnt cook the cholent. I had it on for a long time - and nothing cooked.
so I threw it out and got the westbend that heats all around. and now it's good. I put in on low - and it's perfect. (just put a lot of water )

I hope my experience helps you

DevorahF

Sun, Jul 16 2006, 5:17 am

I had the same problem. I now put my cholent up on thursday night on low and leave it like that.

frenchfries

Thu, Aug 03 2006, 4:17 pm

Ask your husband to make it. They love it and probably Tongue Out

know how to make it better!

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