Speed Up Cooking...When Stuck With The Crock Pot

[Francisco23]

I've had situations already where my regular medium of cooking (the gas stove) is out, and I have to stick with the crock pot for a couple of days. Say that you are cooking a particular food that takes a while to finish cooking and you really want to finish quickly, what do you do? I usually just get a plastic (of the right material) and put it underneath the pot's lid. That's weird? We're all weird! What do you do, if any at all?

 

[MindyT]

And the plastic doesn't melt? Interesting?

 

[BrianWolfe]

I would think that it might be a bit dangerous to put a piece of plastic so close to your food and under high temperatures at that. Heating plastic can cause the release of noxious fumes that may contaminate the food.

 

[MindyT]

I would think that it might be a bit dangerous to put a piece of plastic so close to your food and under high temperatures at that. Heating plastic can cause the release of noxious fumes that may contaminate the food.

They do make the plastic bags for turkeys. They are the oven roasting bags. Would they work or do they emit dangerous chemicals? I would hope not, but you never know these days.

 

[BrianWolfe]

Turkey bags are very commonly used nowadays. They are quite heat-resistant but I read somewhere that they do release small amounts of toxic fumes. I guess they are not immediately dangerous unless you use them every day over a period of several months or years.

This is an interesting article regarding the use of turkey bags:

http://grist.org/food/ask-umbra-is-it-safe-to-roast-turkey-in-a-plastic-bag/

 

[TABL]

I've never tried anything like that. I also would be nervous about the plastic melting. Huh.

 

[nowicki2013]

Sometimes I cook chicken in a crock pot and the power has went out a couple times. I just took the chicken outside to my grill. It actually made it a lot crispier and you could tell it came off the grill by the great taste. If you can't use your oven you can always just cook what you have on the grill or in a frying pan.

 

[JoanMcWench]

There are a few types of plastic that can withstand high heat situations. The bags are a perfect example. It's hard to throw types at making a slow cooker a fast one. The beauty of the slow cooker is the slow cook.