One of the most useful pieces of kitchenware of all time has to be the good old-fashioned crock pot, also known as the slow cooker. The slow cooker, as its name indicates, cooks food very slowly and thoroughly. The principle of it is based on being a large pot that is warmed by a thermostatic element. The food cooks slowly in its own juices, creating a delicious stew or soup.
So why would you want to use this kind of pot in your kitchen? It has several benefits:
- The slow, moist cooking process will soften even the toughest meats, making the food taste wholesome and delicious.
- Food cooked this way is less fattening than fried foods, and it doesn’t lose its goodness and nutrients.
- For any busy cook, such as a working mom, a helpful dad who has little time on his hands, or anyone else who is constantly on the go, the greatest advantage of the crock pot is that it saves time. All you need to do is prepare the ingredients by defrosting the meat, chopping the vegetables, throwing it all in, adding the right amounts of liquid and spices, and turning a switch. And that’s it. You can then walk away and get on with everything else that you need to do that day, and later on you will have a delicious, complete meal.
- The “one-pot” nature of this utensil saves a lot of washing up as well. No extra frying pans and saucepans to clean up. The only dishwashing that you need to do is the actual pot, a chopping board, sharp knife and whatever you used to stir the food before you closed the lid.
- This item of kitchenware has many, many uses. Whole books have been devoted to crock pot recipes, which vary from lamb stew to apple brown betty. You can even use it for various international cuisines, such as Russian food, Jewish cookery, Asian recipes, Southern dishes, and more.
If you want to get the best out of your pot, the following tips may help:
- Always place the vegetables on the bottom of the pot, with the meat on top and softer vegetables, such as tomatoes, on top of that.
- Remember that when you cook a meal this way, the liquids don’t evaporate the same way that they do in the oven or when boiling a pan on top of the stove. Therefore, if you are adapting a different recipe, always remember to reduce the liquid input by at least a third.
- For health and safety reasons, always remember to defrost any meat that you are cooking first. Meats need to be cooked to at least 140 degrees F otherwise this could be quite dangerous and even cause a risk of food poisoning.
- For similar reasons, it is a good idea to start off cooking the food on the high setting and then lower it after the first hour. This helps the food reach the necessary temperatures that would prevent health risks far more quickly.
