Dips are a party favorite and come in both warm and cold versions. A Crock-Pot®, or slow-cooker, can be used for making and serving warm dips. There are many different recipes for Crock-Pot® dips, with cheese-based dips being among the most common. Bean dips, spinach dip, artichoke dip, and variations of both chili and salsa are other types of Crock-Pot® dips. Chocolate and cheese fondue, which can also be classified as dip, can also be served from a slow cooker.
Many Crock-Pot® dips use cheese as the main ingredient. Cheddar, Asiago, blue, and Swiss are just a few examples of cheeses commonly found in dip recipes. Cheese dips often combine one or more cheeses with other ingredients, such as spinach, broccoli, ham, or ground beef. Serving cheese dip from a Crock-Pot® keeps the dip warm and prevents the cheese mixture from separating, although occasional stirring may be required.
Nacho dips, salsa, queso, and chili are other common party dips that can be made in a slow cooker. Bean dips are yet another example of Crock-Pot® dips. These dip recipes are often packed with flavor and tend to be spicier than other types of dip.
There are many different methods and recipes for making cheese fondue. Most recipes call for blending two or three kinds of cheese together with wine and other ingredients. Cheese fondue recipes can be adapted for the slow cooker or made according to the recipe instructions and then transferred into the Crock-Pot® to be kept warm. Chocolate fondue is a variation of traditional cheese fondue that can also be made and served from a slow cooker. Semi-sweet, dark, milk, or white chocolate can be melted and used for a sweet dip or a dessert dip.
Chunks of bread, crackers, pretzels, and fresh, raw vegetables are just a few of the things that can be served with Crock-Pot® dips. Tortilla chips go perfectly with Mexican-inspired dips. For cheese fondue dips, crusty bread, small pieces of meat and crudites can be used for dipping into the fondue. Marshmallows, cookies, frozen pieces of cheesecake and fresh, cut-up fruits are just a few of the numerous possibilites to accompnay chocolate fondue.
Many Crock-Pot® dips can be made directly in the slow cooker and then served directly from it. If the host or hostess prefers, a portion of the dip can be transferred to smaller serving bowls while the remainder is kept warm in the slow cooker. The smaller bowls can be refilled as needed.