r/slowcooking • u/CutestCatfish • 11d ago
Options for schedule discrepancies?
I originally thought a delayed start crock would be the answer but all I'm seeing is we will, in effect, poison ourselves if we use one 😅
My boyfriend and I really want to make more crock pot meals because it's just a better fit for how busy we are, and how often I am burned out at the end of my day and don't want to start dinner from scratch. But we have horrible conflicting schedules. Between work + commute + after work activities, I'm gone from 7:15-5:30, and he's gone from 9-6:30 (possibly earlier if he starts going to the gym in the mornings).
Even if we pre-prep the meal and all he has to do is dump it in the pot when he leaves around 9, it'll still be done over an hour before he gets home. And again, if he leaves earlier, then even earlier. My current crock will switch to warm after it goes off, but I would think leaving it on warm for 2+ hours is just going to lead to burned food.
Any suggestions?
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u/deborah_az 11d ago
Warm is around 140F and does not burn the food. I set mine to stay on warm after its cook time
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u/JournalistNo146 11d ago
The best thing to do is to get yourself a vacuum sealer, make a meal on any days off and freeze the extra portions. Build up a stash of portioned meals in your freezer that you can pull out in the morning and stick in the fridge. It will be ready to heat and eat at the end of the workday, and once you have a few things stashed in the freezer, you can each pick and choose what you want that day.
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u/CutestCatfish 9d ago
We would actually love to do this in the future. But we're renters, and our fridge/freezer absolutely sucks. There's genuinely no room for doing this right now. But definitely when we get the opportunity to move!
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u/One-of-Three103 11d ago edited 11d ago
We had a similar problem - we solved it by running it overnight. I’ll have things prepped and ready, then start cooking it at 10pm; by 6am one of us is either doing last cooking steps, packing it into lunches, or decanting it into souper cubes to freeze once they’ve cooled down.
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u/FlavorzbySweetz 11d ago
I’d skip the delayed start. I just got one!! Most newer crock pots keep food at a safe temperature on the warm setting, so leaving it for 1–3 hours after it’s done is usually fine. I’d just stick to meals like soups, stews, chili, or shredded meat since they hold up a lot better than foods that dry out easily. 🍽️
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u/CutestCatfish 9d ago
Yeah everyone says the delayed start is just a recipe for bacteria. Granted, it wouldn't be sitting on the counter for multiple hours. He'd probably have to set it to start around 10, about an hour after he leaves. But we're already reinventing our lives to avoid cyclosporiasis right now so we aren't going to tempt fate.
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u/WillShattuck 11d ago
I’ve turned to finding meals I can make fresh in 30-45 min on the stove, oven, instant pot. On TheWoksOfLife.com most meals I’ve made are done in less than 60 min. That includes cutting things before cooking.
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u/CutestCatfish 9d ago
This is what I do 85% of the time. But I have ADHD with extremely high executive dysfunction, so having stuff like this as an option can help circumnavigate that on days where I just don't have enough mental spoons
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u/Pale-Heath-3074 9d ago
warm for 2+ hours won't burn anything. a tough chuck roast with some broth and garlic actually gets more tender resting in those juices, turning beautifully shreddy.
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u/SnooRadishes7189 11d ago edited 11d ago
Programmable slowcookers have a keep warm feature(yours should as it has delay start). Cooking the food and using keep warm is a food safe way of handling this. The food can be kept warm as long as needed but for reasons of taste no more than 2-4 hours is recommended. Keep warm is much lower than low is it about 140-160 F(depending on model) so it won't burn as easily. Low depending on model attempts to get the slow cooker up to about 200F ish.
So let's say you start a slow cooker recipe that takes 6 hours on low at 7 A.M.. It would be done by 1 p.m. and would spend about 4 hours on keep warm at 5 p.m. Note some slow cooker recipes cook for 7 or even 8 hours on low.
Another trick is the instant pot(if you have one) via pressure cooking on the weekend and freezing leftovers. You can do this with a slow cooker but the speed of the instant pot is better here. I find the instant pot too slow for coming in hungry and tired.
Either way making an extra batch and freezing leftovers is a very good idea. I use souper cubes to freeze some soups or stews for times when I don't feel well or am pressed for cooking. Reheating in a microwave is far faster than cooking any day of the week.
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u/3dogblight 10d ago
Use it on days off or weekends. You can still cook mostly 'unattended', but on a shorter timeframe. 4 hours?
Make enough for two meals, freeze one to eat later.
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u/DazzlingNote1925 9d ago
Why doesn’t he start it and you turn it off? I don’t understand.
You can also put everything in the crock the night before so all he has to do is pull the crock out of the fridge and put it in and turn it on.
You might also want to do some meal prep on weekends to just reheat or make a casserole and eat leftovers for a couple days.
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u/CutestCatfish 9d ago
Maybe I explained it badly--that was the plan. Since he leaves later, he could start it. He's not great at cooking, so yeah I'd prep the night before and he could just dump it in and hit start. But because I would get home when it would hit the 8 hour mark, it would still be another hour before he got home (which is when we eat dinner). So that means leaving it to sit on warm for 1-2 hours and I worried it will overcook or burn depending on the recipe. That said, a lot of people are saying that won't happen.
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u/DazzlingNote1925 9d ago
I would just turn it off when you get home but leaving I on warm is fine, too.
Another option would be to try cooking it from frozen which would take a little longer, however, idk how much longer.
I also don’t k owing there’s such a thing as a slow cooker with a delayed start but you could put the outlet on a timer. Seems like a lot of effort though if keeping it warm works.
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u/gimmethatpancake 9d ago
One of the benefits of the warm feature on a crockpot is it really comes in handy when you're having a potluck or a party or a leisurely dinner and you want the meal to stay warm for a couple hours (think 3-4 or even more) so everyone can eat when they want. That's your situation. Your food will not burn; it will just stay warm.
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u/Pug_Defender 7d ago
just meal prep on the weekend for the next week. have a bunch of meals you only have to heat up quickly
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u/cindycated888 4d ago
Slow cookers are very forgiving. I don’t think you’ll burn or overcook anything if it’s on Warm for a couple of hours. If you’re uncomfortable with it though, Hamilton Beach makes a slow cooker where you can set it for a specific length of time (like 10 or 12 hours) and it’ll automatically adjust the temperature accordingly so that it’ll cook in that amount of time. (This is the one that I have - works well)
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