homecooking, crockpots

I bought a crockpot for myself a few months ago and make the BEST pot roast in it, so I'd recommend one even for human food, it won't go to waste even if you end up not homecooking.   The benefit of crockpotting is that you just put everything in there, turn it on and let it do its job.  Certainly saves on kitchen cleanup
Having said that, I've actually NOT been crockpotting the dog's food - not yet anyway.  I'm making up recipes, trying to ensure it has the right amount of nutrients (without overdoing them), etc and alot of the data is from the USDA website which states how the food is cooked (braised, broiled, etc).   Once I get my new slew of books then I'll have a better feel for balancing and plan to crockpot.
Right now I cook each thing individually and then put all the ingredients into my food processor (which I haven't used at all in 15 yrs !  I was surprised it still worked !) to finely chop everything.   The veggies especially need to be very finely chopped to allow maximum absorption.
Ok - I've rambled and not given you a true answer, but hope that my thoughts help you to make an informed decision

i have a really big crockpot. I usually make a batch of home-cooked every weekend. In the morning I toss the sweet potatoes and assorted veg in and leave it to cook six to eight hours. Then I turn it off and add in the chopped up meats, organs, supplements, stir well, and let cool. The meats get lightly cooked and the veg gets well cooked this way.
Many people just throw everything in and cook all day.
 
The real advantage of crockpot cooking is you don't have to be there. They are safe to leave on without supervision. And you can use it to make lovely human dishes.

I LOVE LOVE LOVE crockpotting for Ella!

I just toss in either a whole chicken or chicken leg quarters, cook on high until it boils, then I turn it on low all night. The next morning, I add the other meats I use (usually beef heart, green tripe) and turn it on high again. THEN about 4-5 hours before I want it ready, I add in the potatoes and veggies I want to use. Then about an hour or 45 minutes before it's done, I add the rice.

I won't be crockpotting for a while, though. I have about 20 containers between both of my freezers, so I have PLENTY of food for her for a while.

She loves it.

Crockpots are fairly cheap so I would definately recommend getting one.
The one I have is fairly big.  I just throw in some meat, either beef or chicken or sometimes both.  Cook on high for a couple hours then low for the night.  Add carrots, potatoes, oatmeal or rice and an apple in the morning, let those cook then turn it off and let cool.  I use that all week as a topper for his kibble.

i use to cook every night, but started the crock pot cooking a few months ago and LOVE it.  Only cook one time a week for the babies this way.  And boy do they love it.  i use 1 cup of the stew on top of 1 1/2 cups of dry at night.  They also get 1 cup of dry in the morning with a little yogurt, sometimes some cheese or baby food on it.  The stew lasts my 3 dogs 5 nights and they get canned salmon or mackeral and canned unsalted mixed veggies the other two.  however, if i go fishing and have fish, they get fresh baked (microsave) fish instead of canned.
 
I have used a crock pot for years and years.  When our boys were little fellows (are now 37 and 40) and into little league sports (baseball, football, basketball) i would start a meal in the crock pot in the morning and by the time we got home after the game tha night, supper was ready--and since I would cook meat and veggies togehter, only ONE pot to clean.  I gotta say tho, i was sure happy when they came out with the removable insides.  much easier to clean
 
i even found a use for my last crock pot after the handles broke.  I use the ceramic liner for the dogs water dish here in the house.  Is a 6 quart, perfect for 3 big golden retrievers, ater stays cooler.
 
 

I wanted to do some research on crockpotting to see if there were nutrition benefits.   I figured the low temp would cut down on lost nutrients and I wanted to confirm this and I think I'm wrong - I think you LOSE more nutrients (see below)
 

Cooking with a slow cooker does have some disadvantages. [linkVitamins[/link]>http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vitamin][size=1]Vitamins[/link] and other trace nutrients are lost, particularly from vegetables, partially by [linkenzyme[/link]>http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Enzyme][size=1]enzyme[/link] action during cooking. When vegetables are cooked at higher temperatures these enzymes are rapidly [linkdenatured[/link]>http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Denaturation_%28biochemistry%29][size=1]denatured[/link] and have less time in which to act during cooking. [linkBlanched[/link]>http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blanch][size=1]Blanched[/link] vegetables, having been exposed to very hot water, have already had these enzyme rendered largely ineffective. Since slow cookers work at temperatures well below boiling point and do not rapidly denature enzymes, vegetables tend to lose trace nutrients.

 
[linkhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crock_pot]http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crock_pot[/link]
 
What do you think ?

Love the crockpot! I found one at a thrift shop (it seems to be a usual item) for a few bucks. Luckily the top and heat source are seperate which does help with the cleaning. I generally put in a chicken and cook it for a day (24 hours). The bones are soft enough to crumble and the marrow gels the whole thing. My Sweetie is still young so the fat isn't a problem - but I cool it in the fridge and skim the fat. I make her rice and vegs seperately to more accurately guage the amounts. And, I use the rice cooker for that.
Get a crock, it's the real deal.

I am still so unsure about this home cooking and supplements...I have been topping kibble with chicken veggies and brown rice..I cook it all up in a big pot....but have not added any calcium to it....jessies-mom bless her heart has tried to explan this to me.. but I am still unsure...I have a 90lb gsd and my tzus weigh between 11 and 13lbs..I am just so unsure that if I put calcium in there would it be to much for the tzus and not enough for the gsd...or are they getting the balance they need from the kibble...I am so confused as to what to do..I dont want to screw my dogs up

I just bake Trudy's salmon, but she gets some of the roast I make in the crock pot. WOW, the roast, carrots, potatoes, mushrooms taste so wonderful in there. I cook one day and we eat the next day. That way the flavors are 100% better the next day! SO easy too!

ORIGINAL: Cazzy

I am still so unsure about this home cooking and supplements...I have been topping kibble with chicken veggies and brown rice..I cook it all up in a big pot....but have not added any calcium to it....jessies-mom bless her heart has tried to explan this to me.. but I am still unsure...I have a 90lb gsd and my tzus weigh between 11 and 13lbs..I am just so unsure that if I put calcium in there would it be to much for the tzus and not enough for the gsd...or are they getting the balance they need from the kibble...I am so confused as to what to do..I dont want to screw my dogs up

I would separate your food into containers for your tzus and for your GSD.
Whatever portion they get per feeding, that's how much calcium I'd add.