So we recently talked about when to add rice to the slow cooker. And now it’s pastas turn.

Making some meat or chicken with a sauce in the slow cooker can make for a wonderful meal.  But cooking the rice or pasta “on the side” is not always necessary. With many recipes, you can add the rice or pasta right in and let it cook during the last bit of cooking.

Pasta can quickly turn into a mushy mess in the slow cooker.  And by quickly, I mean really quickly.

To keep the pasta from getting soggy, add the shells plus 1 cup of hot water (or maybe more, depending on how much liquid is already in the slow cooker) when there is 30 minutes left in the cooking cycle.

If you are using quick-cook pasta that takes just 7 minutes to boil, then I would add it in 18 to 20 minutes left in the cooking cycle. If you are using a heartier, whole grain pasta, than plan to add that 35 to 40 minutes before the cooking cycle is complete.

Also, I recommend transferring the contents of the slow cooker to a large bowl or serving dish, to prevent the pasta from overcooking while the slow cooker sits on the warm setting.

Have you done much slow cooking with pasta or rice?! What have you found works best for you?!

A common question I hear about one dish dinners, slow cookers and rice is…

When Do I Add the Rice to Slow Cooker So It Doesn’t Turn Out Mushy?!

Add the rice to the slow cooker that is cooking on high, when there is 2 hours left in the cooking time. If your slow cooker is set on low, add when there is 2 hours 45 minutes left in the cooking time.

• If you are cooking a soup or stew and you wish to add rice to make it a one dish soup or stew and not have to dirty another saucepan or rice cooker, then add it when there is 2 hours left in the cooking time. Add hot water or broth if necessary. (See note in next tip about liquid amounts.)
• If you are making a chicken and rice casserole like dish in the slow cooker, you can add the rice when there is 2 hours left in the cooking time.  You will have to look at the amount of liquid that is in the slow cooker when you add the rice.  If it looks dry, then you’ll want to add some hot water when you add the rice.  Rice works on a 2 to 1 ratio in the slow cooker, 2 cups water to 1 cup rice, just as it does when cooking on the stove top or baking. So if there is about 2 cups of liquid already in the slow cooker, then just add the rice.  If there only seems to be 1 cup, then add in an additional cup of hot water or broth.

This will help keep the rice nice and firm, and perfect for when you are ready to eat.  It will not sit in the liquids all day and won’t have time to get mushy!

Also, You can use your slow cooker as a rice cooker. Simply spray the sides and bottom with a non-stick cooking spray. Add the amount of water plus rice that you’d like to cook using the 2 to 1 ratio (explained above).  If you are using brown rice, add an additional 1/2 cup, or use a 2 1/2 cup water to 1 cup rice ratio. If you wish to season the rice, do so now. Set the slow cooker on high and cook for 2 hours.  Fluff lightly before serving.

What have you found helpful in avoiding the slow cooker rice mush?!

I wonder if this is something you’ve thought about…how much salt and or pepper should I add to this soup?! Or this potato salad?! Or this pasta salad?!

Many moons ago I lived in the Dominican Republic.  And I loved spending time with my friend Mishel.  She had 4 kids at the time and was such a strong, independent mother who was confident in her parenting and confident in her skills in the kitchen.  I soaked up as much practical parenting knowledge, and kitchen knowledge as I could from the time we spent together.  I longed to be the strong and confident wife, mother and cook that she was…and I wasn’t even married yet.  In fact, I’d just met my soon-to-be husband…I just didn’t know it at that time that we’d be married, and would one day have 3 beautiful boys.

One of the many things that she taught in is the answer to this very question…

How Much Salt and Pepper Should I Add?!

The subject came up when she was making a “traditional” Dominican potato salad.  You can see that “traditional” is in quotes…because it’s not “traditional” at all.  It’s an American potato salad…with carrots and sometimes peas mixed in.  We were just chit chatting about this, that and the other and she was just putting things together, mixing in the mayo, the egg, the carrots, and then came the salt and pepper.

I was watching everything. Like a hawk. And when she got to the end…the “salt and pepper to taste” part…I just blurted out, “Well, how do you know how much salt and pepper to add!?”

This potato salad that she was making was for a potluck. So it was a large portion. In a large mixing bowl. She said…

I just sprinkle a thin layer of each over the top and then stir it in. From there, people can add more to their serving if they prefer.

Since then, this has been my rule of thumb for adding salt and pepper to any dish…small pot of soup to large bowl of macaroni salad for a crowd. Sprinkle a thin layer and mix it in.  Chances are it won’t need less of the seasoning if you follow this rule.  And if it needs more, simply let each person enjoying the meal add it to their own serving.

I find myself coming back to this rule, over and over and over, as I’m preparing “one dish dinners.”As I write recipes day in and day out, I find myself writing “Salt and pepper to taste”…over and over and over. I even have an “autocorrect” set up in Word for “sptt” to become “Salt and pepper to taste.” (Yes, efficiency is the name of my game!)

So now you know…”to taste.” I hope you find this rule helpful…as you season your foods “to taste.”

Do you have a certain trick for getting the right amount of salt and pepper into your favorite meals?!