Crock Pot/Freezer Meals

A few quick notes about freezing meals for the crockpot:

Many recipes direct the meat to be pre-cooked (chicken, steak, sausage, etc.). Raw meat cooks just fine over the 6-8 hours in the crock pot, and can actually add to the flavor of the surrounding sauce and veggies. Pre-cooking it only adds an extra, unnecessary steps. A few recommendations:

Chicken: Cut chicken breasts into cubes, or at least 4-5 pieces to allow more of the flavor out and in while cooking. You can always shred chicken about 2-3 hours into the cook and add it back to the post. This is especially advised for chicken tacos, and any chicken recipe that will be served over pasta.

Pork: Ground pork is fine in the crock pot, but break it up or shred into small pieces like you would if frying in a pan. If adding bacon to a recipe, best to fry it separately and add it at the end. Pork can also be shredded several hours into the cook if being used for BBQ or tacos.

Beef: Try to use either ground turkey or lean ground beef to avoid too much fat being rendered when cooking. If this is a concern, definitely brown the beef in a pan and drain the extra fat.

Potatoes: They tend not to do very well after being frozen, usually turning a bit mushy. I've started slicing or cubing them fairly large so they hold together over the long cook time.

Liquids: If a recipe is too thick, it's always okay to add a bit of liquid. Stock or cream is best (depending on the recipe) since water will only dilute flavors. If sauce is too thin or soupy, make a quick roux on the stone (equal parts butter and flour, whisked together). A roux added to soupy sauces will thicken it, depending on how much of it is added. DO NOT add flour or cornstarch directly to warm sauces as you will end up with lumps in your sauce - always mix with butter separately in a pan, THEN add to crock pot.

Cheese: It's always best to add cheese when the cook is almost finished. Cream cheese does best cubed and added to the top of the pot before the cook, and being stirred in before eating.