What Did I Do Wrong?

[Juliebove]

I made this recipe, adding another bell pepper (but it was a small one). I also added about 2 oz. of extra water. No other changes.

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Due to the way my day was playing out, I opted to cook it for 3 hours on high. This just worked out well for me time-wise. I don't usually cook on high if I am not at home and I opted to use my older crockpot thinking that perhaps the new one got hotter. My fear was that it would overcook and be dry.

Instead, as I stirred it, I could feel uncooked rice under my spoon. So I tasted it and indeed the rice was hard. The onions and peppers were not cooked either. And the mix was not soupy, but only a little liquid remained.

Since it's late and we really need to eat dinner, I transferred it all to my large Rachel Ray oval pasta pot, added quite a bit more water, brought it to a boil and have it cooking on low. I am hoping it will get done in about 20 minutes as rice would when cooked on the stove.

I have looked up similar recipes and see that they say to cook for 10 hours on low or 6 hours on high. Could it be that I just didn't cook it for long enough? Should I have added more liquid?

[lorka150]

What kind of rice did you end up using? Some, like jasmine rice, take 15 to 20 minutes, whereas brown rices take about 50. Could it be that?

[Juliebove]

What kind of rice did you end up using? Some, like jasmine rice, take 15 to 20 minutes, whereas brown rices take about 50. Could it be that?

Texmati. Should take 20 minutes on the stove. I wound up having to cook it for about another half an hour and we didn't like the end result. I think it was the Worchestershire sauce. It smelled oddly fishy and tasted too sweet. Was very soupy too. I had to serve it in mugs.

[ang1e0251]

I have never cooked rice in a crockpot. I learned to eat rice in Colombia. They eat long grain white rice cooked simply for neary every meal. I was taught that on the stove this had to be boiled hard for a time, then the heat lowered until done. Now I admit I was never very good at getting the temp and timing right. Usually just asked my husband to make it.

A couple of years ago he came back from his siser's with an inexpensive rice cooker. Miracle!! I can cook rice perfectly every time!! Best appliance we ever bought! It doesn't take long to cook. If you started it as soon as you walked in the door, it would be ready for dinner while you did every thing else.

We usually cook a big batch to last for several days then just reheat for lunches and meals. DH will often make a batch in the morning and it's done when we go to leave. Just unplug and leave. The nice thing is the cooker turns itself off when the rice is cooked you don't have to check it or anything. Love it!!

[Jestgar]

If your crockpot was really full, it would take longer. The recipe doesn't say what size crockpot. If the person had a 6Qt (for example) and it was only half full, her recipe would have cooked more quickly.

[SevenWishes]

Rice can take a looooong time in a crock pot, as the temperature tends to be much lower than when you are using a pot with a flame going underneath it. Even if the stuff in a crock pot is bubbling, the bottom of the pot is quite cooler than the bottom of a saucepan that has that lovely blue flame blasting away at it.

Also, maybe I'm just bitter and cynical, but I've never in my life been particularly satisfied with anything I've ever eaten that has come out of a slow cooker. It seems like it's always "off" just a little bit in some aspect...some ingredient is always just a little overdone or underdone, or it burns on the bottom even though the setting was on medium or low, or it's mushy, or....

I know for many using a slow cooker is nearly a necessity, but I've just never seen any dish come out of one that seems as good as one prepared on a stove top or other ways. If anyone wants to prove me wrong and bring me dinners that will change my mind, though...!

[ang1e0251]

I have to agree with you. To me crockpot cooking has a certain "flavor" to it I just usually don't like. I do like to use it to make broths or to keep food warm in for a carry-in but for cooking a meal I'd rather have the taste of the stove or oven.

[626Belle]

2 pounds lean ground chuck

2 medium onions, chopped

2 green peppers, chopped

2 cans (14 1/2 ounces) tomatoes

1 can (8 ounces) tomato sauce

1 cup water

2 1/2 teaspoons chili powder

2 1/2 teaspoons salt

2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce

1 cup rice, (not Minute Rice)

Hmm...seems a little dry, even with whatever juice may come with the tomato products. 1 cup of water and 1 cup of non-instant rice? I do believe only instant rice can be cooked properly with equal amounts of rice and water. Check the bag/box for the rice you used and make sure the liquid ratio is correct. If the finished dish had soaked up almost all of the liquid but there was still uncooked rice, it seems like that could have been caused by an insufficient amount of liquid. I hope it comes out better next time

[rinne]

Hmm...seems a little dry, even with whatever juice may come with the tomato products. 1 cup of water and 1 cup of non-instant rice? I do believe only instant rice can be cooked properly with equal amounts of rice and water. Check the bag/box for the rice you used and make sure the liquid ratio is correct. If the finished dish had soaked up almost all of the liquid but there was still uncooked rice, it seems like that could have been caused by an insufficient amount of liquid. I hope it comes out better next time

That would be my thinking also although I am sure the temperature of the Crockpot makes a difference. I have a Rival Crockpot and I turn it on high until it starts to boil and then to low for a long simmer and at simmer it bubbles away.

[angieInCA]

The water to rice ratio was right but it sounds like one of two things happened, 1) you just didn't cook it in the crock pot long enough or 2) your crock pot is not getting hot enough. On high your food should have been at a slow boil. Check the type of rice you had. Long grain white rice just takes 15 min on simmer to cook but all others take longer.

[Juliebove]

I've never had trouble cooking rice on the stove, and although I know it is fairly quick to cook it that way, when daughter comes in from two back to back dance classes, she wants to eat right away. Which is why I was trying the crock pot meals.

The crock pot was really full. I believe I used a 3 qt. I think I might try my 6 qt. tonight for the chicken and rice dish.

Thanks!