Gadgets We Love: The Slow Cooker
One of the items in my kitchen that I would truly miss is my slow cooker. I use it frequently, at least once a week. It is definitely my kitchen secret weapon in the fight to get dinner on the table.
What they are
Slow cookers, or “crock pots”, are appliances that cook food for a long time. The added cooking time gives flavors time to blend, and renders the toughest pieces of meat tender.
Why We Use Them
I use my slow cooker because it is easy for me to throw something into the crock in the morning, and then come home to a finished dinner. I find that with a few minutes of prep time the night before, it literally takes me less than five minutes to make dinner in the morning.
Types of Slow Cookers
There are two main types of cookers available: one where a pan sits on an electric plate , and one where a crock fits inside a heating shell . Unlike my mother’s crockpot, my slow cookers have removable crocks, which I do not hesitate to throw in the dishwasher. I prefer the all around heat on my cooker.
Some slow cookers come with timers as well, and you can purchase a separate timer to turn your crock to “warm” when the cooking time is done. I have the separate timer, and I found one day that we had had a power outage, and the timer had not turned the crock back on, causing me to throw out the dinner that had sat at room temperature for most of the day.
Recipes
When I first met my husband, he told me he didn’t like slow cooked foods. The real trick with getting him to eat slow cooked meals was to find decent tasting recipes. Here are some of my favorite cookbooks:
- Fix-It and Forget-It Cookbook: Feasting with Your Slow Cooker
- The Everyday Low-Carb Slow Cooker Cookbook: Over 120 Delicious Low-Carb Recipes That Cook Themselves
Photo by betizuka
Did you enjoy this post? Why not leave a comment below and continue the conversation, or subscribe to my feed and get articles like this delivered automatically to your feed reader or email.
![[Valid RSS]](/images/valid-rss.png "Validate my RSS feed")
Comments
No comments yet.
Comment Policy:
Comments on this blog are moderated. Rude comments will be deleted.
Leave a comment