Crockpot Macaroni And Cheese

Crockpot macaroni and cheese is easy and quick to make and everyone enjoys it. ( Well, I haven't come across anyone who doesn't yet. )

The recipe is a little different from oven cooked macaroni and cheese. An egg is needed to bind the ingredients together and this makes for a firmer texture.

Serves:

Four

Preparation time:

Ten minutes

Ingredients for Crockpot Macaroni And Cheese

Half a pound, (250 gms.) Elbow Macaroni
Half a pound, (250 gms.) Grated Cheddar Cheese
One can (16 oz.) Unsweetened Condensed (evaporated) Milk
A cup of ordinary Milk
An Egg
One teaspoon of Mustard Powder (not pre-mixed)
A Knob of Butter

Cooking Method for Crockpot Macaroni And Cheese

Boil the macaroni for about eight minutes and drain. This gets rid of the starch.

While the macaroni is cooking, beat the egg in a large mixing bowl, add the condensed and normal milk. Stir in the grated cheese and add the mustard with salt and pepper to your own preference.

Put the macaroni in the crockpot and stir in the knob of butter. (This will prevent sticking.) Stir in the mixture in the bowl and cook for three hours on low.

Tips for Crockpot Macaroni And Cheese

Never use pre-mixed mustard when cooking slow cooker macaroni and cheese. The vinegar in it will make the milk curdle.

Slow Cooker Vegetable Tips

Cereal and Grains

Untreated long grain rice will not absorb water properly in a slow cooker. Go for treated rice which may be called easy-cook, or par-boiled.

Heat the cooking liquid before adding rice.

Rye should be soaked overnight before cooking.

Fry grains for three or four minutes first to speed up cooking time.

Rinse grains in cold water before cooking.

Beans and Peas

Lentils and split peas don't have to be soaked before cooking.

Most dried beans need soaking overnight before cooking in twice their volume of water. Don't soak for more than 24 hours or they will start to ferment.

Beans should be fast boiled for ten minutes before adding to vegetarian crockpot recipes to remove toxins. Specially kidney beans.

Salt and acid juices such as lemon or tomato will toughen bean skins and stop them cooking. Add these when beans are cooked.

Onions

Pre-frying inions decreases cooking time.

Spanish onions (Bermuda onions) have a mild flavour.

Red onions are mild and sweet.

White onions (most common) are strongest.

Garlic gets milder with long cooking times. You might like to add more.

Spring onions have a very subtle flavour.

Mushrooms

There is no need to peel mushrooms just rinse them.

Trim dry stem ends, tough Shiitake stems and Portabella roots. All other mushroom stems can be cooked with the caps.

Slow cooking mushrooms for a long time darkens the dish. If you want mushrooms to retain their shape, put them in for the last two hours.

Portabella mushroom have a firm texture and can be used as a meat substitute in vegetarian crockpot recipes.

Dried mushrooms absorb water and thicken a recipe. Pre-soak for a few minutes in boiling water before adding.

Root Vegetables and Tubers

Firm root vegetables such as potatoes, carrots, turnips, swedes and parsnips take a long time to cook and should be cut small, then placed in the bottom of the crockpot and covered with water or stock.

Sweet potatoes hold their shape best if cooked without peeling. If peeled and you want to keep the shape, add for the last four hours. If cooked for the whole cooking time, they will partially disintegrate and add flavour to the gravy.

Fruit vegetables

Slow cooking tomatos can toughen the skins and the seeds become bitter. Remove skin and seeds before cooking.

Aubergines (eggplant) can be bitter and should be sliced and salted for half an hour, then rinsed before adding. Sweet peppers (bell peppers) are best used ripened. (orange or red).

Leafy Vegetables and Brassica

Cauliflower and broccoli should be cut into 'florets' and the stems discarded.

Chop cabbage and spinach finely and add for the last hour of cooking.

Pasta

Easy-cook pasta works best. Pasta will go soggy if cooked all day. Two to three hours from cold, and half an hour if added to hot sauce.

100% durum wheat pasta keeps its shape best. Fresh pasta is not suitable for a slow cooker.