Prep ingredients at night for quick slow cooking the next day

Q. What can I put in my slow cooker at night and cook for 12 to 13 hours on low? On Saturday night, I would like to put something in the slow cooker around 10 p.m. and come home around 11 a.m. on Sunday after church with lunch ready. The only mishap I've ever had with my slow cooker: I put a pork roast in Saturday night - I think with too little liquid - and woke up Sunday morning to a pork hockey puck that smelled to high heaven.

Andrea, West Virginia

A. You can prep ingredients the night before. If your crock is removable, you can place the ingredients inside. If it's not removable, place the ingredients into a storage container. Stick the crock or container in the refrigerator, take it out in the morning when you wake up, and turn your slow cooker on the high setting before church. One hour on high is about two to two-and-a-half hours on low. Most recipes are based on eight to 12 hours on low. Some recipes cook for 12-plus hours, but like you've experienced, you should monitor it toward the end of its cooking time.

Since you can't take a peek because you're away at church, another option would be to cook your recipe overnight or on Saturday when you're home on low. Then place it in the refrigerator while you're at church, and reheat it in the microwave when you get home. That extra hour you're concerned with can be remedied by adding extra liquid for some recipes, too.

You can also use your slow cooker with frozen meat or poultry. That would take longer to cook and could fit into your time constraints. Frozen meats can buy an additional four to six hours on low or two hours on high. But don't preheat your slow cooker if adding frozen meat or poultry. It can crack your crock.

Q. I discovered the bread store! The bread was short-dated but not outdated, so it was OK for freezing. I'm not sure how the bagels will freeze, so I only got a few to try it. I double-bagged them before putting in the freezer. Can you tell me how well fresh bagels freeze? How long might they keep in the freezer? The bread store is an hour away, and we won't get there too often.

Michelle P., New York

A. You can keep a bag in its original wrapper and freeze it if you plan to consume them quickly. But for longer bagel storage (a couple of months), you should cut them in half for easy toasting without having to thaw them. Then individually wrap the bagels in plastic wrap to grab just the amount you need, place them into a freezer storage bag, remove as much air as possible, and wrap the freezer bag in foil.

Q. What requires more water, a bath or a shower?

G.V., forums

A. It depends. A short shower with a low-flow showerhead will use less water than a bath. If you limit the shower to less than five minutes, you'll use less water, too. With a bath, you can reuse the water to flush the toilet or to water flowers in the garden to help use less water overall.

You can test the amount of water you use by plugging the drain the next time you shower and seeing how much water accumulates, then compare it to how full your tub is when you take a bath.

• Sara Noel is the owner of Frugal Village (frugalvillage.com), a Web site that offers practical, money-saving strategies for everyday living. Send tips, comments or questions to Sara Noel, c/o United Media, 200 Madison Ave., 4th Floor, New York, NY 10016, or sara@frugalvillage.com.