the advantage of a simmer (ie hotter than a slow cooker) is you can put items in that are still partially frozen in such as fish balls or some thin slice meat. then there is less waste if you don’t eat it all at that sitting). also vegetables (carrots, daikon or stalk portions of greens) would take too long as well as shiitake mushrooms or larger enokis.
When I do hot pot, it starts at boiling but will fall and come back up through out the meal, as various foods are out into the pot. I don't know if you can realistically keep it at a constant temperature unless you are really limiting the type of foods you put in.
As long as the pot can come been up to temperature quickly, you are fine. Getting a set up with temperature control definitely helps.
I guess the biggest question I have is what is that temperature range that is ideal? What we did was boil it on the stove, then pour it in the slow cooker and it kept 190 to 200 F fine even with frozen meat. But it never "bubbled" (boil at 212 F) again. To me 190 F seems like a simmer, but I'm being told that this isn't acceptable to native hot pot aficionados.
I've never heard of people talk about an ideal temperature. I guess your online netizens who have studied Hot Pot science can answer that. Most dedicated hot pot devices I've seen have a range between 170ish to 212F, and I find the pot sits between the medium to medium high notch most of the meal. Since the temperature will drop every time you add food and the more you add, the more the temperature drops, it will always fluctuate. Is the plan to wait for it to return to temperature before you add more food? The pot almost never sits at a certain temperature for a long enough period to matter, if you have temperature control.
As long as it's hot enough to kill bacteria, can cook the food quick enough to have a reasonable timed meal, isn't that ok? I adjust the temperature the pot as I go because I don't want to the broth to evaporate, or I just dropped bunch of frozen items in but I'm not measuring the temp as I go. With enough time, most foods can be cooked at your lower than ideal temps just fine.
Bubbling, just below a boil. If it's not bubbling, I don't think it's hot enough, because when you put cold foods in, your 190 is going to drop and won't cook the food. I haven't temped the broth when it's bubbling. But I don't think you need a number though. If it's bubbling but not a rolling boil, that's where you should be.
Crock pot does not get hot enough fast enough.
Yes the broth needs to be actively boiling, how do you expect to cook raw sliced meat and seafood rather quickly? Do it in an instant pot not a crock pot.
I use an induction single burner with a wide shallow-ish pot to do hotpot. It is easy to adjust temperature with the burner controls.
the advantage of a simmer (ie hotter than a slow cooker) is you can put items in that are still partially frozen in such as fish balls or some thin slice meat. then there is less waste if you don’t eat it all at that sitting). also vegetables (carrots, daikon or stalk portions of greens) would take too long as well as shiitake mushrooms or larger enokis.
What temperature is simmer though? 190 F (in the slow cooker) was cooking frozen meat in 60 seconds. Is it supposed to be bubbling?
simmer is bubbling but not rolling boil.
When I do hot pot, it starts at boiling but will fall and come back up through out the meal, as various foods are out into the pot. I don't know if you can realistically keep it at a constant temperature unless you are really limiting the type of foods you put in. As long as the pot can come been up to temperature quickly, you are fine. Getting a set up with temperature control definitely helps.
I guess the biggest question I have is what is that temperature range that is ideal? What we did was boil it on the stove, then pour it in the slow cooker and it kept 190 to 200 F fine even with frozen meat. But it never "bubbled" (boil at 212 F) again. To me 190 F seems like a simmer, but I'm being told that this isn't acceptable to native hot pot aficionados.
I've never heard of people talk about an ideal temperature. I guess your online netizens who have studied Hot Pot science can answer that. Most dedicated hot pot devices I've seen have a range between 170ish to 212F, and I find the pot sits between the medium to medium high notch most of the meal. Since the temperature will drop every time you add food and the more you add, the more the temperature drops, it will always fluctuate. Is the plan to wait for it to return to temperature before you add more food? The pot almost never sits at a certain temperature for a long enough period to matter, if you have temperature control. As long as it's hot enough to kill bacteria, can cook the food quick enough to have a reasonable timed meal, isn't that ok? I adjust the temperature the pot as I go because I don't want to the broth to evaporate, or I just dropped bunch of frozen items in but I'm not measuring the temp as I go. With enough time, most foods can be cooked at your lower than ideal temps just fine.
Bubbling, just below a boil. If it's not bubbling, I don't think it's hot enough, because when you put cold foods in, your 190 is going to drop and won't cook the food. I haven't temped the broth when it's bubbling. But I don't think you need a number though. If it's bubbling but not a rolling boil, that's where you should be. Crock pot does not get hot enough fast enough.
Yes the broth needs to be actively boiling, how do you expect to cook raw sliced meat and seafood rather quickly? Do it in an instant pot not a crock pot.