Dining and Cooking
Do I really need to grease it?
In Slow Cooking

Do I really need to grease it?


I have used my slow cooker for YEARS and never run across a recipe that required me to grease it, and never had any problems with things sticking. Recently got a new cookbook from a friend and was trying out recipes. This one says to grease the pot … do I need to or is it just a precaution if the pot sticks?

Also what is the function of the tapioca here? If I can't find it in the store, can I sub something?

by NatashaDrake

33 Comments

  1. Madea_onFire

    This is a bad recipe. Find a different beef stew recipe. Why is there ketchup in it?

    Also sprinkling tapioca over the top will lead to clumping. The only reason why you would add tapioca would be if you needed it to be gluten free & you can’t make a roux.

    I am also confused why someone in Wyoming doesn’t just use corn starch instead of tapioca

  2. graboidgraboid

    No, you don’t need to grease the pot. Ridiculous. The tapioca is probably used to thicken it up. There are better recipes out there.

  3. ReaganRebellion

    This recipe is terrible. 145 for beef stew?

  4. iownakeytar

    This recipe looks like it was written by someone who has never had beef stew. It’s probably AI.

  5. PhortDruid

    Six carrots, tapioca, ketchup, AND tomato juice? What the fuck was Carol thinking?

  6. NatashaDrake

    Oh noooo is it a bad recipe?! 😅 Y’all I am autistic and struggle to understand how parts work together as a whole. You may have all saved me from making an expensive (beef is PRICEY to throw out) mistake.

  8. CantaloupeCamper

    ~~No liquid at all~~ … curious recipe… ketchup?????

    Greasing the pot?

    I dunno about this recipe man.

    I’m all for trying new ideas but this really seems like a very DIFFERENT recipe that both is very weird and someone tried to port over to a crock pot … but really should be done elsewhere (or nowhere…).

  9. mcmoonery

    Things must be dark in Wyoming to make something like that

  10. kater_tot

    For the liquid portion I prefer to use a can of tomato soup, however much water you want (I used to use 1/2 can, now I’m closer to a full can) and half a can of whatever wine you have on hand. The soup has a little bit of thickener in it. Plain tomatoes are too bland. V8 would probably be good too. Ketchup would be…. Ehhhhh. Oh and only 1lb of beef. And thyme and oregano.

    “I made all these minor changes and it came out perfect” lol. It’s beef stew, you make it over and over and tweak it till you like it. Mine is still missing *something* but it’s probably just salt (it’s a good low salt meal if you need that.)

    I do actually spray the interior, seems to prevent some of the cooked-on bits. The liquid level in this is pretty low until those veggies cook down.

  11. mynameisipswitch2

    While I agree that this sounds sketchy, it looks like she uses the tapioca (probably Minute Tapioca) and Ketchup as thickener to make the sauce. It also looks like she wants the beef to medium doneness.

    I’ve never heard of greasing a crock pot though. Maybe the sauce gets overcooked to the sides of the pot?

    There’s gotta be better recipes than this

  13. dpaanlka

    This is one of the worst recipes I’ve ever seen posted here that wasn’t trying to be intentionally comical or rage bait.

  17. TTHS_Ed

    I would grease the crock so this abomination slides out easily into the trashcan.

  18. RVABarry

    Stop with the tapioca hate. It’s a common thickener and I use it in a slow cooker beef stew from Americas Test Kitchen. The rest stinks, but tapioca isn’t a sin here.

  19. AncientHorror3034

    I give my slow cooker a quick spray of oil to keep food from sticking. It makes clean up easier.

  24. phoggie69

    Who the fuck puts tapioca on beef stew? Find a better recipe

  25. ColdSoju

    Ketchup and tomato juice? I get that people live differently and within their own means, but really? If you’re going through the trouble to buy beef then at least buy a jar of pureed tomatoes and tomato paste.

  26. jhunderm

    Use a crockpot disposable liner. No need to grease it.

  29. undead_dummy

    recipe comes from Carol in Wyoming. makes sense

  30. ModMaterial5888

    I would spray with cooking spray or use a crockpot liner. Makes cleaning a lot easier

  31. Flying_Saucer_Attack

    Ketchup? Wtf they doing in Wyoming 🤢🤮

  32. YmFzZTY0dXNlcm5hbWU_

    I know this is the slow cooker sub but I have tried to make beef stew in the crock pot and it doesn’t come anywhere close to a dutch oven. The quality difference is outrageous. Try this recipe over some rice if you want a seriously good batch of stew: [https://www.seriouseats.com/all-american-beef-stew-recipe](https://www.seriouseats.com/all-american-beef-stew-recipe)