Ames, we put the potato kugel in a crock pot bag so it stays neater and I can serve neat slices. I punch little holes in the bag so the cholent and kugel can “share” their tastes. The reason i dont use a crock pot bag and not silver foil is because I heard it is not healthy to eat cooked silver foil and the cholent will absorb the aluminum. Crock pot bags arer very cheap, I bought a couple of boxes in Closeout connections for .99 box.
The kishke i put in a crock pot bag only if i am putting in a half or quater of kishke loaf. If I put in a whole loaf then i put it straight in, for the same reason. I put the kishke in with the wrapper, and I cut it ogg b4 serving. Beware of words on the wrapper, one side has words the other side doesnt (on mealmart pack.)
When i serve cholent I like a neat plate. A piece of kugel, a nice slice of kishke, coldcuts sometimes and then cholent in the center.
The oil adds to the flavor of everything, and it is for sure a huge help to keep in the water. We started adding oil when we felt we were constantly adding water. U dont want ur cholent to dry out. Thats a real killer! Remember as u add water to the cholent u will need to add spicing…