Crockpot always burning the cholent!!

oneofakind

Tue, Dec 04 2018, 8:56 am

I switched to a sheet of parchment paper because the plastic liners made me uneasy. I put oil on the bottom. I found it was still a real problem when I was putting too little cholent because it was just DH and me. I switched to a smaller crockpot when it's just us and now it's crusty but usually not burnt if there is enough water and not too much ketchup (tomato has a tendency to burn). Stir the concoction before Shabbos so all the elements get mixed well. That might also help. Good luck.

ra_mom

Tue, Dec 04 2018, 10:32 am

oneofakind wrote:

That's actually a great point. If you use a pot that's too big, the food gets dried out.
I use a 4 quart crockpot and fill it 3/4 up.

levlongnprosper

Tue, Dec 04 2018, 10:45 am

ra_mom wrote:

Wow. Is it an insert crock or a metal rectangular pot on a heating base?
And do you line the bottom of your crock with parchment paper to help with cleanup?

I use 5.5 cups water with 1 cup beans and 1/2 cup barley.

Insert thick ceramic crock. I don't line it. The plastic liners work but spook me out, I didn't think parchment would hold up without flavoring the cholent. How do you do it?

I've been working on my recipe (with help from the ladies here), and I do a small handful of arborio rice, oats, and *oatbran (each) and about 1.5 cups cooked beans with around 32-64kz water/broth depending on how much I add to the crockpot. I also do potatoes carrots and parsnips and a small roast rather than cut meat

Last edited by levlongnprosper on Fri, Dec 14 2018, 10:01 am; edited 1 time in total

levlongnprosper

Tue, Dec 04 2018, 10:49 am

NovelConcept wrote:

Something about plastic heated together with food for many long hours makes me feel a bit queasy, wondering how many plastic particles will be consumed together with your beans and barley.

Don't get me wrong: I do use plastic way too often, but this just sounds.... questionable.

I make my cholent in a stainless steel pot, and though there is usually a bit of layer of gunk, I have found that putting a layer of oil on the bottom helps it slip out a bit better.

Yeah I won't do it anymore for the same concerns. I'll have to try oil!! Do you put yours up raw? How does the oil stay to line the bottom?

ra_mom

Tue, Dec 04 2018, 11:34 am

levlongnprosper wrote:

Insert thick ceramic crock. I don't line it. The plastic liners work but spook me out, I didn't think parchment would hold up without flavoring the cholent. How do you do it?

I've been working on my recipe (with help from the ladies here), and I do a small handful of arborio rice, oats, and pat ran (each) and about 1.5 cups cooked beans with around 32-64kz water/broth depending on how much I add to the crockpot. I also do potatoes carrots and parsnips and a small roast rather than cut meat

Just rub a tiny bit of oil on the bottom of the pot and then line with parchment paper - big piece to pull up the sides (oil helps it stay in place). It doesn't change the taste of the cholent.

creditcards

Mon, Dec 10 2018, 12:06 am

csfm wrote:

I had this problem big-time before I tried liners atop 1 cup of water in the crock. Then I found less (but still some) burning and the burnt parts left melted plastic, which caused holes. So I tried using two liners above 1 cup of water. That helped a lot but after months of trying to get everything just right, I was sick of the patchke. Finally, I gave up and started trying to make chulent in the oven, like my mamele always did. Now I'm happier with the taste but I'm back to soaking pots! Arrgghh! I am reading everyone's advice carefully because it would be nice to try a crock pot, again. I have learned through experience that (my) smaller crock pots don't get nearly as hot as my large ones, and that my large Hamilton Beach crock pot gets much hotter than my Crockpot brand pot. Hope that helps.

Put more than one cup of water underneath the liner. Mine used to burn and I started putting about 5 cups of water and then the liner and now it never burns.

Cheiny

Thu, Dec 13 2018, 4:03 pm

thegiver wrote:

has this ever happened to u? Its not an issue of lacking water. It becomes crusty at the bottom regardless.

Do you know what causes it? Spices? Barley? Soaking the pot a week before until someone washes it? Or maybe the metal warming thing fell on the floor and got haywired? Crying

It’s the setting. You must have it up too high.

levlongnprosper

Sun, Dec 16 2018, 9:27 am

Hello again! My cholent didn't burn this week after trying some tips here. I did get crusties in the side of the pot during serving though but they're nowhere near as bad haha!

I rubbed the entire bottom and some of the sides of my crockpot with olive oil. I chopped my potatoes onions carditis and parsnips smaller than I usually do (about the size of a quarter this time!) and I layered them: onions on bottom, potatoes in middle, carrots and parsnip on top. I think I used four medium-small starchy potatoes, four medium-large carrots, one large parsnip, and two medium yellow onions. I made a little well in the center for my 2lb roast and put it in. Then I added in precooked (al dente) Romano beans (about a cup and a half) over the veggies. Then I sprinkled 1/3c each of arborio rice, oat bran, and rolled oats on top of the beans/veggies (we're gluten free), then I added two heaping pinches of smoked salt on top of the meat, covered the vegetables in water plus an extra two centimeters (broth is better but I didn't have any, nor did I have bones), and I put it up raw right before shabbos.

It came out great-- would have been better with broth or a few bones. We don't do paprika or sauces anymore because sometimes I have bad reactions to them. I've always preferred the smokey cholents that usually have bbq sauce in them to the ketchup/tomato based ones, so the smoked salt brings in a lot of that flavor. It was really good this week!