followed directions to the letter, pork was over cooked and rice was way overcooked. dish turned into a rice pudding. the thickness of the pork chop needs to be specified in the recipe. i used bone in loin chops, 1/3 inch thick. this recipe for 8 hours needs a thicker chop

Hi Angie,

In the past few years (probably due to safety concerns) some slow cooker manufacturers have changed their cookers to use a high cooking temperature. If your cooker is boiling while on the normal setting recommended by the manufacturer, then anything you cook in it for 6-8 hours will be overcooked.

Crockpots originally slow cooked at a much lower temperature in which the food was just hot enough to create a small amount of steam (180-190°F).

There are some slow cookers available, such as a Hamilton Beach with a probe that allows you to set the cooking temperature so your food won't be overcooked.

In a slow cooker, boiled food is spoiled food and slow cookers should never boil because boiling is NOT slow cooking. If yours boils and you can't tone it down, use it for making mashed potatoes because that's all it's good for!

If you have an instant read thermometer try a setting that maintains a temperature of 175-190°F in water.

You should still use a higher temperature setting for large roasts or whole chickens in recipes that are cooked without added liquid. Once the center of a large roast reaches 140°F, it's safe to reduce the temperature setting to be low enough to maintain at least 140°F temperature.

One more tip, whatever you're cooking, always check it occasionally to monitor progress. A good rule of thumb is to check at each quarter of the cooking time. Or at least have a look at the half way point.

-- CM