Slow cookers and Crock Pot slow cookersBusy parents know that sometimes preparing a healthy meal amongst all the day’s hectic activities can almost be impossible. The time it takes to cut vegetables and roast meat can consume hours. There is a solution however- slow cookers.
Slow-cookers.net is an informational site designed to inform busy families about the convenience and nutritional value that slow cookers or Crock Pots can provide. This site does not endorse or intentionally promote any one brand or product; it’s merely created to give the latest advice in the world of slow cookers. With this site countless families can learn to enjoy tasty, home-cooked meals without any hassle.
Slow cookers allow the cook to simply toss in the ingredients and forget it. They cook the food at low temperatures over an extended amount of time. The slow cookers heat the food at range of about one hundred seventy-five to two hundred degrees.
This means it’s safe to leave the slow cooker unattended while the family is away at work and school. Mom or Dad just needs to take a couple of simple steps in the morning for the whole family to enjoy a hearty meal that evening. Besides convenience there are also a number of benefits to cooking with a slow cooker.
•Energy efficient- a slow cooker takes less energy to cook a meal than an oven or stove. Even though the meals usually take several hours to cook, the low wattage the appliance requires keeps the energy demands low.
•Money saving- with a slow cooker inexpensive cuts of meat can be used because the meat is slowly roasted, which makes even tough cuts soft and tender after a few hours. Wallet friendly meals can be made with simple ingredients and a few choice spices. Potatoes are inexpensive and turn out great in slow cookers.
•Better flavor- the slow heating, moisture infusing process of slow cooking traps in flavors and keeps them distributed throughout the meal. Adding strong spices at the beginning of cooking allows the spices to mellow and become just an element of a meal instead of overpowering it.
•Fewer mistakes- after using the slow cooker a couple of times while supervised the cook can then establish a good temperature setting for a meal and reduce the risk of burning or scorching food.
•More oven and stove top space- when preparing meals for large gatherings a slow cooker can prove to be invaluable. Cooking a portion of the meal in the appliance frees up room in the oven and on the stove so that other dishes can be prepared simultaneously.
•Easy clean up- instead of a sink full of pots and pans the cook will only have the dish-washer safe removable insert and its lid to clean. Just recently slow cooker liners became available that makes clean up as simple as tossing the liner in the trash after the meal is over.
With all the advantages it’s hard to understand why more families don’t use slow cookers more often! The slow cooker enjoyed a dose of fame in the late seventies and then slowly faded but thanks to concerns about energy consumption and the non-stop action of today’s busy family slow cookers are making a comeback.
When buying a slow cooker the cook needs to look for some key features. First, the right size is very important. Slow cookers can be made for one to two people or can be large enough to feed up to ten. The average family of four will be happiest with a cooker of at least six quarts or larger. And, even if you have a small family, or are single, you can cook meals, and save them for home food storage.
Heat settings are the next thing the family should look at. Some slow cookers have just one temperature setting which may suit the needs of the family just fine, but more often the cook will want a slow cooker with variable heat settings. Many even have a warm setting that keeps the food at a palatable temperature after the meal is cooked.
Some other features to look for include a programmable timer, digital display, and of course an airtight glass lid that allows the food to be viewed without letting precious moisture escape. There are many recipes on the internet for great slow-cooked meals so the family will never run out of tasty options with their own slow cooker!
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