Would you mind sharing your approach to cooking beans in the crock pot? Do you soak beforehand? How much water (is there such a thing as too much water when cooking beans in the crock pot)?
3 Kitchen Hacks for Lazy Cheapskates
Photo: Przemko
Things have gotten increasingly busy at our house lately, and they don't seem to be slowing down. Three kitchen hacks in particular have helped me save time and energy costs when it comes to cleaning and food prep.
Double compartment crock pot insert
My extra large crock pot has been doing extra duty lately. We've started experimenting more with ground and whipped up beans and nuts in order to incorporate more plant based recipes into our diet. The slow cookers are great for that, but up until now I'd only been using the extra two-compartment insert crock for parties where I needed hot items standing by. When I wanted to try getting both black beans and chick peas cooked ahead the other evening, it hit me. Why was I using two crock pots when I only had to use one?
That's where the kitchen hack portion of the crock pot use comes in. The one with the double sided extra insert is enormous anyway, with each side holding a fair amount of food when you are slow cooking. So I put the black beans in one side and the chickpeas in the other. Voila! Half the cleanup time. If you want even more convenience, put them in to cook before you go to bed. You'll get up to cooked beans you can either freeze until you're read to use, or drain and put away for later that evening. I have no idea why I hadn't thought of this before, but I'm sharing now. Has anyone else been doing this all along?
A squeegee
When I need to get the sliding glass door streak free and don't have half an hour to spend doing it, this is what I use. I also use one on the glass shower doors. Again, not sure why this didn't come to mind before this year. All I know is it's saving me major stress now. So if you are one of those folks out there feeling irritated with glass door cleaning, give it a whirl.
The toaster oven
For years I resisted these, considering them a total waste of money. What was I thinking? Toasters are a complete pain in the tush and can only be used for one thing. Toast. If you want to upgrade to even a bagel, you need an entirely different machine. Screw. That. This thing rocks and I can cook anything from salmon fillets, to English muffin lunch pizzas and shrimp toast. The toaster oven also takes your basic lunch sandwich to the next level by giving you something freshly toasted instead of soggy and squashed. Chicken pesto with tomato and cheese and horseradish BLT sandwiches are two of our favorites to toast up. Not only can we jazz up a boring work at home lunch with minimal extra effort, the toaster oven uses way less energy than a traditional oven for things that just need a quick broil. They also don't heat the house up obnoxiously during the summer.
Well, that's my news flash folks. I've been waiting until I had the third brainstorm and the double sided crock pot epiphany I had this week put it over the top. Hope this helps. Please feel free to share any of your awesome kitchen hacks below.
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Unless they are a really tough bean to cook thoroughly ( I struggle with pinto beans, to tell you the truth), I don't always take the time to soak them first. Particularly in a situation like the one I mentioned in the article where I am only cooking them to get them cooked, not to have a finished recipe when I'm done. When they were finished, I drained and rinsed. Then I put the black beans into large canning jars to cool off and then freeze. The chickpeas went immediately after rinsing into the food processor for a giant batch of hummus, of which most was also frozen. Now, when I want a finished batch of something when I'm finished, then yes I'll likely take the time to soak for a bit, particularly with larger beans.
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Reynolds makes "crock pot liners", the purpose of which appears to be to make crock pot cleanup easier, but which are also useful for cooking two (or more) types of food at the same time in the same pot without mixing them up.
Really? That's cool news, Tim. I had no idea. I don't tend to shop for those types of things so they are often completely off my radar until someone points them out, as you just did. For those that want to get started quickly on this tip without searching for or having to buy a new crockpot, that sounds like a definite solution. Plus, if it's just beans or whatever they wouldn't be that hard to wash out and use again, right?
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I love love love my toaster oven and I've converted my fiance. When you're cooking for two an entire oven is frequently unnecessary for the amount of food you're making. I've found that the toaster oven not only cooks things faster (not really sure why, since the temperature should be the same) but provides a much better char when my intent is to char things. Now if I could only get him to remember to turn the damn thing off when he's done using it...
Aren't they the best, Amber? I'm so addicted to ours and I just can't remember why I thought it was previously a good idea to avoid buying one. It's hands down right up there with the blender, crockpot, food processor and rice cooker now for me. Agreed, LOVE, LOVE, LOVE the toaster oven.
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I have melted more than my fair share of plastic bags and items that I forgot to take off the top of my toaster oven before using it.
Now it looks like Barbie vomited all over it.
But I love it! It's better than my microwave in so many ways.
To avoid the melting bag problem, try keeping an old wooden cutting board on top of your toaster oven. My machine is a toaster oven/broiler, so it really gets hot on top when turned up to broil. I've had the wooden board on it for over a year with no visible changes to the board, so it seems safe enough. My board is about an inch thick and items in plastic bags on it don't even get warm.
Betty, you crack me up. Barbie vomit. LOVE it! Thanks for stopping by.
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This is what I use : http://www.shopping.com/xPO-Hamilton-Beach-22708-22708
It's awesome, toaster and toaster oven combined - saves counter space.
I used to have a junky old $25 toaster oven, and then one day, my sister bought me this Convection Toaster oven that blazes inferno! I've never seen something cook so quickly and perfectly.
My toaster oven is where most everything goes, from Indian Naan, to muffins, to pumpkin seeds. Better to toast than to wave!
Apparently, I'm late to the game on the toaster oven scene. It's making such a huge difference though, I had to share. And that two sided crock pot trick? My stress level has been immediately reduced by a significant amount. It's really a fantastic little budget and time hack.
Thanks for keeping the conversation flowing, folks.
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Immersion hand blender with attachments.
Replaces egg beater, food processor, mini chop, and blender. It's cheaper (Hamilton Beach makes an awesome one for under $30) and saves lots of space, even with the whisk and mini chop attachments. I think there's even an Oster that has an electric knife attachment. Crazy!
Good point on the immersion hand blender. And Carodel, I'm definitely going to have to try the wooden cutting board trick. I try to use all available space in the kitchen, which means I'm currently moving everything off the top of the toaster oven when I use it. I like your way MUCH better.
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On the topic of toaster ovens, I remember the time when I found out that the lower half of a duplex I was renting wasn't, in fact, a legal apartment. The landlord called me in a panic saying she had to take my stove away NOW, and that she would bring it back as soon as the building or zoning inspectors came through. Weird rules in Calgary.
Anyways, she left me a hot plate and a toaster oven to use temporarily, and I became a master of both. Steaks in the toaster oven, stews and curries, the people upstairs always commented on the cooking smells.
Why did I become a master of the crock pot and the toaster oven? Because two weeks became eight months. When they finally returned the stove, they dumped it unceremoniously outside my door... blocking me in.
Talk about not rewarding you for working with them. You'd think they'd at least reinstall it for you. Oh well, at least you save some electricity bill money on the whole situation. THanks for stopping by to share your story.
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As a very new bride a few years ago, I managed to catch a pot holder on fire that was sitting on top of the toaster oven... It had never occurred to me that the top would get hot. Live and learn I guess. At least my husband and I got a good laugh out of it.
As for the crockpot, I'm much more capable. And like someone mentioned, you can buy liners for them. In fact, Reynolds sent me a couple of them as free samples when they were first released. I'll bet that if you called and requested a sample, they would send you one.
For as long as I can remember, my family has had a toaster oven. When I moved into an apartment during college, it was a great x-mas gift! It's great for heating up lots of things, especially when you don't want to heat up the whole house. Plus, for things like pizza or pizza rolls, it has excellent results compared to the microwave. It's totally a kitchen staple for me!
Where did you find a two compartment crock pot? I have one of the big oval ones with the removable crock but would love to have it a two compartment option.
I did see a three compartment steam table type crock pot contraption at Target. It is a long shallow heating unit that can be used for serving or cooking three things at once. It would be great for those days where everyone eats in between running to various activities.
Our toaster finally died. As we were looking at options buying a good quality toaster oven came up. It seems like it would be worth the extra money since the guys are willing to cook things for themselves in one. Our current one is just too small and has limited features.
We bought ours at a Marden's store in Maine. It's a statewide chain similar to Big Lots. I just ran downstairs from the office to check (since you asked), and it's made by Rival.
It's one of the large oval ones, with a removable crock. The only difference is this one comes with two removable crocks and one of them is separated down the middle.
Girl, it's so slick. I mean, I thought so before too, but now that I've had this overnight legume pre-cooking epiphany . . . I'm seriously tempted to get another one and really go to town. If I wasn't downsizing, that is.
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My toaster oven is 10 years old and TRULY on its last legs. I'm resigning myself to the fact that it's going to need to be replaced soon as it's showing symptoms of being unsafe for continued use. Would love to hear about best buys in the toaster oven field. Anyone have one they love?
Also, thanks for the tip on crock pot liners! I'd never thought of this, and with our family of four, we don't need a WHOLE crock pot of beans, but doing two different types (one for later use) would be a great thing. Also, I really, really hate cleaning the crock.
Our toaster oven was a wedding gift- over twelve years old and still going strong. I got smart one day and bought the under-counter hood to hang it with. I love it. It works great and doesn't take up any counter space. The hood is designed to dissipate heat, so the cabinet that it's mounted to doesn't get hot either.
Black and Decker has discontinued that model (of course!), so I found another one second hand, took both of them completely apart for cleaning, put them back together, rehung my old one, wrapped up the "new" one and stashed it in the garage. Now I have a backup for when the old one wears out. Yes, I love my toaster oven that much.
+1 for the immersion blender love, too.
Love my Euro-pro toaster oven. it was $30 some 6 years or so ago and keeps on plugging. Can put an 8 x 8 pan in to do corn bread.
Living in Hawaii and renting studio apartments, it seems none of them come with stoves! (has to do with building codes) So, it's a hotplate, microwave and toaster oven. Very common here. The last place I rented was mostly furnished and came with a toaster oven and a cookie sheet that was too large for the oven! Then I bought a 9x13 pan but it wouldn't fit in the oven because the handles on the side of the pan made it too long to fit! I am a baker and I do really wish I had the option of using a full-size oven.
Regarding beans, I soak the beans during the day, then cook them overnight (or vice versa), drain, then freeze them in two-cup containers. Two cups is about the amount in a can of beans, which most recipes call for. Be sure, however, if you're going to cook red beans in a crockpot that you boil them for 10 minutes before sticking them in the crockpot. There's a toxin in red beans that's only eliminated by boiling, which the crockpot usually doesn't do.
I bought a toaster oven off Craigslist for $10 when I was remodeling my house and didn't have the use of my oven. I find I use it a lot in the summer when I don't want to heat up the house or when I just want to bake something small. I didn't realize I would use it as much as I have. I bought a microwave at the same time for $15, used it during the remodel, then sold it for $15.
