This is the cold-weather half of my cooking. Soup in the slow cooker on a Monday, chili when there is a game on, a braise on a Sunday afternoon that fills the house with smell for four hours. All of it is here, sorted by what is going in the pot.

The crock pot soups come first, because that is where I start myself, and because the slow cooker is the appliance that does the most work for the least attention. Then chili, potato soups and chowders, vegetable soups, and after that the hearty dinners: beef braises, steak, pork, brats and seafood.

What is in the pot

Crock Pot Chicken Soups

Chicken in a slow cooker should go in whole or in large pieces and be shredded at the end. Cut it small first and it dries out long before the vegetables are done.

Slow cooker chicken stew is the one I come back to most: everything goes in raw and comes out as dinner. Crockpot chicken parmesan soup is the one I did not expect to like as much as I do, and crock pot chicken tortilla soup is the one I make in a double batch.

Dairy and pasta go in at the end, not at the start, or you get a grainy soup and noodles that have dissolved. Everything else can go in raw in the morning. Soup also freezes better before the cream than after.

Also in the folder:

Chili and White Chicken Chili

White chicken chili gets its body from the beans themselves, mashed against the side of the pot, which thickens it without flour or cream.

The easiest crockpot white chicken chili and the crock pot version are the two I rotate through all winter. Over-the-top chili is the long, serious one for a day you have time to stand over it.

Chili is better the next day, every time, because the spices bloom in the fat and the heat settles. Make it a day early if you can, and keep the toppings generous: something crunchy, something sour, something sharp.

Potato Soups and Chowders

Potato soup breaks when it boils hard after the dairy goes in. Add the cream at the end, keep it below a simmer, and it stays smooth.

Crock pot loaded potato soup and loaded baked potato chowder are the two comfort versions, Italian sausage potato soup adds the fat that makes it a meal, and Irish bacon, cabbage and potato soup is the one I make in March. Potato pea chowder is the lighter one in the group.

Leave some of the potato in chunks rather than blending it all smooth. Texture is what keeps a potato soup from tasting like wallpaper paste, and a partly blended pot gives you both body and bite.

The others I did not single out:

Vegetable, Squash and Bean Soups

A vegetable soup tastes thin when the vegetables go in raw. Brown the onion and whatever root is going in first, and the finished pot tastes like it cooked twice as long.

Autumn squash soup is the Panera-style one, crock pot minestrone is the one that clears the crisper drawer, and Tuscan chickpea soup is substantial enough to skip the bread. Depression-era egg drop soup and Hoover stew are the frugal recipes I keep coming back to.

A parmesan rind or a bay leaf in the pot costs nothing and does more than any amount of extra salt. Finish a vegetable soup with acid, a squeeze of lemon or a splash of vinegar, and it stops tasting flat.

What is left in this group:

Beef Stews and Slow-Cooked Braises

A braise needs two stages: a hard sear for color, then long, low heat with the lid on. Skip the sear and you get boiled meat in brown liquid.

French beef bourguignon is the classic, hearty vegetable stew with beef and potatoes is the weeknight version, and no-peek beef is the one where the whole point is leaving the oven door shut. The Amish wedding steak is the three-hour project for a Sunday with nowhere to be.

Brown in batches with space between the pieces, and deglaze the pan with liquid so none of that colour is wasted. A braise is also the most forgiving thing in this collection: twenty minutes more will not ruin it.

A few more from the same section:

Steak, Roasts and Fast Beef Dinners

Steak needs a dry surface, a hot pan and a rest afterwards. The resting is not optional; cut it early and the juice ends up on the board.

Pan-seared filet mignon explains the fond trick that turns the pan into a sauce, garlic butter steak bites with whipped feta is the one I make when I want it to feel like a restaurant, and sizzling steak fajitas char the peppers first so they do not water down the pan. Million dollar beef tenderloin is the roast I save for a table with candles on it, and it wants a thermometer rather than a timer.

Take the steak out of the fridge well before it cooks, salt it early, and dry the surface right before it hits the pan. Those three habits matter more than the cut you bought.

Also here:

Pork, Brats and Seafood Dinners

Brats do not need boiling. Searing them in beer in a skillet gives you the same cooked-through result with a browned skin instead of a grey one.

The Oktoberfest bratwurst skillet and grilled beer brats with peach mustard glaze both make that case. Cuban mojo pork sliders are the pressed-sandwich project, and for seafood, creamy Tuscan shrimp and trout with garlic lemon butter are the two fast dinners I fall back on.

Pork is leaner than it used to be, which is why old recipes overcook it. Pull it earlier than instinct says and let it rest. Seafood is the same argument in miniature: the pan should be hot and the fish should leave it early.

Also on this list:

Marinades, Sauces and Dinner Planning

A marinade seasons the surface and tenderizes the outer layer; it does not penetrate a thick cut. Which means the real decision is what you brush on at the end.

Skirt steak marinade with chimichurri and homemade burger sauces cover most of what I need. For planning a week of this kind of cooking, high-protein anti-inflammatory dinners is the roundup I plan from, and the thirty-minute comfort dinner is the one for a night with nothing left in the tank.

Keep one marinade and one sauce in the fridge and weeknight cooking stops being a decision. That is the real value of this group; the recipes themselves are simple, but having them made is what changes dinner.

Soup and braise questions

Can I put raw chicken straight into a slow cooker?

Yes, and for soups and stews it is the better way. The chicken poaches in the liquid and shreds easily at the end. Leave it in large pieces so it does not dry out, and shred it in the pot so the juices stay in the soup.

How do I thicken soup without flour?

Mash some of what is already in the pot. Beans, potatoes and squash all break down into body if you press them against the side and stir. It keeps the flavor where it belongs instead of adding a raw-flour taste.

Why did my potato soup turn grainy?

The dairy got too hot. Add cream or milk at the end, off a hard boil, and keep it at a gentle simmer from then on. Soups with cream also reheat better slowly than fast.

Do I have to sear meat before braising?

For anything you want to taste beefy, yes. The browning creates the flavor that the long cook spreads through the liquid. It is the step that separates a good stew from a pale one.

What do I serve with soup?

Bread, usually something from the scones and quick breads collection, and a sharp salad from the side dishes and salads page. A focaccia or savory scone turns a bowl of soup into a full dinner.