# cheaper to run a stove burner with iron dutch oven or a crock pot?



## MERTON (Aug 9, 2006)

i'd be cooking dry beans. and are there any crock pots without the non stick coating? or maybe an iron crock pot? and is it possible to cook dry beans faster than overnight?

also, what are some cheap easy corn bread recipies?


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## jennyema (Aug 9, 2006)

I have never seen a crockpot these days that wasn't nonstick.

No such thing as an iron _crockpot._  There are cast iron dutch ovens, but they are not stand-alone electric appliances.  That wouldn't be too efficient, anyway.

The fastest way to cook beans is in a pressure cooker.


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## MERTON (Aug 9, 2006)

how long would that take?

do you know of any seasoned iron pressure cookers? or just some without the non stick surface? and aren't they dangerous to cook with?

are there any cheap but good ones you recomend? it needs to hold at least 2lbs of beans. the more the better though. that way to could just keep them in the fridge and only cook them every few days or something.


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## GB (Aug 9, 2006)

My Crockpot is not non-stick. It is a stoneware insert and believe me, things stick!


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## Robo410 (Aug 9, 2006)

beans can soak overnight, but don't need to cook that long once soaked...a few hours.  THere are stoneware crockpots that will do the job.  However, I just make them on a day when I'll be arond the house doing chores, and let em simmer on the back burner or in the oven.  

good pressure cookers aren't cheap.  most are polished aluminum.


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## MERTON (Aug 9, 2006)

is this thing any good?

http://www.cooking.com/products/shprodde.asp?SKU=300474


and it would be easier to cook them quickly... i'll be doing it pretty often... plus electricity around here is so expensive a pressure cooker might save me money.


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## Chief Longwind Of The North (Aug 9, 2006)

GB said:
			
		

> My Crockpot is not non-stick. It is a stoneware insert and believe me, things stick!


 
 Me too!  But I can get the plastic liners if I wanted to forego the elbow grease.

And as far as I know, I haven't seen pressure cookers with non-stick coatings.  They are safe and easy to use.  But you do have to follow the directions and understand the inherent dangers of not following them.  The thing won't blow up unless you purposely defeat the built in safety devices.  But even with the safety devices, if you open the lid while the pot is under pressure, it could be catastrophic.

Example:  you have a pressure cooker running at 15 psi.  The lid has a ten inch diameter.  The resultant inside force is 628 lbs. on the lid, enough to blow it out of your hands and create a hole in your ceiling.  But with the pressure equalized between the outside atmosphere and the inside of the pot, there is zero force applied to the lid and it is safe to remove.  So if you always make sure to follow the rules, it's perfectly safe.

Seeeeeya; Goodweed of the North


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## Andy M. (Aug 9, 2006)

MERTON said:
			
		

> i'd be cooking dry beans. and are there any crock pots without the non stick coating? or maybe an iron crock pot? and is it possible to cook dry beans faster than overnight?
> 
> also, what are some cheap easy corn bread recipies?


 
Whether it's cheaper on the stovetop on in a crock pot depends on a number of factors including whether or not the stove is gas.

You do not have to cook dried beans overnight.  You need to soak them overnight or use the quick soak method and then cook them for a couple of hours.

Here are some good cornbread recipes.  If you want something easier, try Jiffy Corn Muffin/Bread mix.


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## Michael in FtW (Aug 9, 2006)

Regarding crock-pots without nonstick coatings ... I have never seen one with a nonstick coating, but that doesn't mean some darned fool didn't make one. Generally - a crock-pot is a ceramic pot sitting over a an electric hotplate that has either one or two temperatures (although some of the newer ones do have variable controls).

Cooking your beans: you can soak overnight and then cook them on the stovetop on an hour or two (depends on the type of bean) - or you can put the beans into a pot with cold water, bring to a boil, cut the heat off and let them sit for an hour or two and then cook like if they had been soaked overnight. If you are looking for a shorter cooking time ... there is the pressure cooker option (they will be either aluminum or satinless steel).

Another option is a ceramic bean pot ... you can soak then over night - and then place them into a slow oven (about 200-F or so) and they will be ready in the morning, or in the evening when you get home from work - depends on when you put them on to cook. Cast iron would work, ceramic glazed cast iron like Le Creuset, etc. would too. 

Corn bread is pretty cheap to make - corn meal, flour, eggs, buttermilk, a little shortning/butter/lard, salt, baking powder, sugar (optional) ... or like Andy M. suggested - Jiffy Corn Muffin mix - usually 3 boxs/$1 most places. And, any leftovers you can crumble up in a bowl, add a little buttermilk, and you've got breakfast the next day!

Which will be the most economical way to cook beans will, like Andy M. said, depend ... gas or electric ... what is the price of gas or electric ... etc. Logic would suggest that the pressure cooker method would probably be the cheapest ... since it is the quickest. But, it may not be ....


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## FryBoy (Aug 9, 2006)

If you want to save time and money, get a pressure cooker. They're wonderful, and most dried beans can be fully cooked in about 30 minutes or less. Modern pressure cookers, such as those from Kuhn Rikon of Switzerland, are extremely safe (you'd have to defeat three separate safety devices to make it unsafe, which would be nearly impossible). They're made of high-quality stainless, and I've never has any problem with things sticking.


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## lyndalou (Aug 10, 2006)

My crock pot has a ceramic insert, also. Never heard of a non stick one. I love the thing and use it a lot for soups and stews and (my favorite) Dottie's short ribs.


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## jennyema (Aug 10, 2006)

When I said they were nonstick, I was thinking that they wern't bare metal.   Ceramic is to me, sort of nonstick, though it obviously isn't technically so.


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## goodgiver (Aug 10, 2006)

*Pressure Cookers*



			
				Goodweed of the North said:
			
		

> Me too! But I can get the plastic liners if I wanted to forego the elbow grease.
> 
> And as far as I know, I haven't seen pressure cookers with non-stick coatings. They are safe and easy to use. But you do have to follow the directions and understand the inherent dangers of not following them. The thing won't blow up unless you purposely defeat the built in safety devices. But even with the safety devices, if you open the lid while the pot is under pressure, it could be catastrophic.
> 
> ...


 
The directions abou  tmy pressure cooker says that when it starts to jiggle to reduce the heat. OK  but I have an electric stove and it takes a while to cool down. Now what am I supposed to do?


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## GB (Aug 10, 2006)

I do not have one so I do not know what the directions allow you to do, but if you are allowed to move it then how about moving it off the heating element after you turn it off?


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## FryBoy (Aug 10, 2006)

Goodweed of the North said:
			
		

> The thing won't blow up unless you purposely defeat the built in safety devices. But even with the safety devices, if you open the lid while the pot is under pressure, it could be catastrophic.


 
That's certainly true -- IF you could open the lid while the pot is under pressure. 

Based on my experience with my two Kuhn Rikon pressure cookers and one other brand (can't recall the name), I'd say it's virtually impossible to remove the lid while there's any significant pressure in the pot. It would require near superhuman strength and a hearty dose of stupidity -- it's highly unlikely ever to happen unintentionally. That may not be true of older designs.


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