Our lives have become so hectic that we hardly have time to cook our meals in slow cookers in the traditional way, even if we feel like doing so. I have a very large crockpot which was gifted to me by my mom…but my main concern was related to quantity - how I can cook a small batch of food in a large crockpot.  I knew that large crockpots can cook tasty and very delicious meals but was cooking small batch of food in a large crockpot really possible? Yes, it was and I learnt this with several days of experimentation and practice. It is just about being a little careful and clever. I am sharing some such tips and tricks with you – hope you will find all of them very useful.

• If you are making roasts you have to ensure that the pieces are suitable for the crockpot. This means instead of cooking a few small pieces you can cook food for some days – which means more in quantity. However, the main fact which you need to remember here is that you should not stuff your crockpot. If you stuff it your cooking is not going to be effective. You can cook meals in small batches by letting free airflow in the crockpot.
• You can cook a small batch of poultry in a large crockpot – you can be assured that you shall get a really good taste of it. While cooking the food, you can remove its skin. If you are cooking some other form of meat in your large crockpot you need to ensure that you trim all excess fats from the meat. Thus, your meal will have a less greasy flavor and you meal will have less amount of fat which is very healthy to consume.
• If you are cooking or thickening a small batch of sauce in your crockpot, you can ensure that it is being cooked well by turning on the heat on ‘HIGH’. You have to ensure that you give the sauces enough time to become flavored and tasty. If you find that the sauce you are making is still lacking its flavor you can reduce the heat and cook it for some more time in low heat.
• You might be cooking a small batch of food in your crockpot – this does not mean that you will not be garnishing it. Keep adding some freshly cut tomatoes, chives, green peppers and parsley to your food to give it an interesting taste.
• When you remove your food from the crockpot you should taste the dish just before adding the seasoning. You can use seasonings like garlic powder, pepper, salt and other spices and herbs. This is an excellent option which you need to keep in mind for all your cooking processes.

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