If you have bought a crockpot recently, you probably have one of the newer models. A lot of these have a saute feature, which means you can saute meat or vegetables in the crockpot itself.

This is obviously preferable to sauteing on the stove, then having to transfer the sauteed ingredient, plus everything else, to the crockpot. A crockpot is a great investment because you can cook everything from beef stew to French onion soup in it.

Converting Stove Top Recipes to Crockpot Recipes

A lot of people wonder how to make their favorite stovetop recipes in the crockpot. A low crockpot heat is about 200 degrees F and a high crockpot heat is about 300 degrees F. Fifteen minutes on the stove equals about an hour and a half in the crockpot on a high heat or four hours in the crockpot on a low heat.

Thirty minutes on the stove is about three hours in a crockpot on a high heat or six hours in a crockpot on a low heat. An hour on the stove is about four hours in the crockpot on a high heat or eight hours in a crockpot on a high heat.

These figures are approximate. It depends very much what you are cooking. You should also only use half as much liquid when converting a stovetop recipe to a crockpot recipe because water cannot evaporate from a crockpot like it does from a pot on the stove. The exception to this rule is when you are cooking pasta, beans or rice, because these soak up lots of water, whichever cooking method you use.

How to Make Crockpot French Asparagus Soup

If you like French onion soup recipes, perhaps you would like to try the following French asparagus soup recipe. Asparagus has a unique flavor and the following recipe combines it with onions, potatoes, chicken broth, and seasoning, for a healthy and delicious crockpot soup recipe. You will have enough French asparagus soup to feed four people and it is nice served with warm bread for dunking.

What you will need:

• 2 pounds fresh asparagus
• 2 big potatoes
• 5 cups chicken broth
• 6 green onions
• A pinch each of salt and black pepper
• Sour cream and chopped fresh parsley, for garnish

How to make it:

Snap or cut the ends off the asparagus, then cut the spears into one-inch lengths. Finely chop the green onions. Peel the potatoes and cut them into half-inch cubes.

Put the broth, potatoes, asparagus and green onions into a crockpot, cover it and cook for about six hours on low, or until the potatoes are tender.

Puree the vegetables using a hand blender or transfer them to a blender or food processor with some of the liquid, then put the puree back in the crockpot.

Stir in some salt and pepper, put the lid back on, and cook on high for about thirty minutes. Serve the French asparagus soup garnished with a swirl of sour cream and some fresh parsley. Bon appetit!