| In a Wal-Mart store, a short while ago, I was surprised | | | | Preparing a crock pot meal is very simple. Pick your |
| to see boxes and boxes of crock pots of all sizes, | | | | recipe, load the crock pot according to instructions, |
| prices, and descriptions stacked for sale - in men's | | | | calculate you start and stop times, crank it up and go. |
| wear yet! | | | | You can set it on high in the morning and come home |
| Then I discovered that they were everywhere. Crock | | | | to a steaming and delicious meal all ready to place on |
| pot cooking is enjoying a comeback. In difficult times, | | | | the table. |
| the tried and true is revived. | | | | Being a senior citizen and a naturally lazy male, I often |
| High Heat Vs Slow Cooking | | | | start the cooker in the late evening. It bubbles away all |
| Cooking meat, using a hot stove top or oven requires | | | | night and I awaken to my house filled with delicious |
| the best, high quality cuts of meat in order to produce | | | | aromas. I place the cooked food into containers, |
| good results. Lower quality cuts are more likely to | | | | refrigerate, and I have my meals ready for the day. |
| result in tough, stringy meals. | | | | Simple, lip smackin' good. No fast food on the planet |
| Cooking a roast on a lower heat setting for 6 to 12 | | | | can match the flavour. |
| hours allows you to take advantage of the cheaper | | | | The tasty variations are particularly good because I |
| cuts of meat. Roasts emerge moist and tender with all | | | | choose to virtually eliminate salt from my diet and use |
| of the food values and flavours of the ingredients | | | | herbs and spices as flavour enhancers instead. |
| intact. | | | | Crock pot cooking is also a marvelous opportunity for |
| Follow the recipe you want to use, placing the veggies | | | | family involvement. Loading the cooker is so easy that |
| on the bottom of the pot, the meat on top of that, and | | | | almost any child can get in there right up to the elbows |
| let it do its own thing. You are done. | | | | and help. Good health, lots of giggles, and cementing |
| Most types of bacteria are killed at 140F degrees. | | | | family togetherness is great "stuff." |
| Crock pots, by designed, operate at around 240F | | | | I have a small model, over 20 years old that still works |
| degrees on low setting, and 300F degrees on high. | | | | just fine. Today, that same model sells for around |
| Crock pot cooking is safe. | | | | $15.00. I bought the new, larger one, specifically to get |
| It allows you to use the same low and slow method | | | | the bigger capacity, and removable liner, to make my |
| our forefathers used before electrical energy was | | | | bread in the oven. It set me back $39.00. |
| available. They prepared a pit, building a bed of coals | | | | A crock pot draws a very small current as compared |
| and buried a dutch oven to bubble away for a full day. | | | | to the kitchen range. It is the least expensive, most |
| Today, you can prepare a wide range of meals in the | | | | cost effective major appliance in my kitchen - about |
| crock pot, including cakes and desserts. Personally, I | | | | 5% of what I paid for the stove. As a senior citizen, |
| like to make my own bread because I can put my | | | | that is important to me. |
| own selection of ingredients in the dough - raisins, nuts, | | | | Now you really can shop in the perimeter aisles of the |
| fruit, etc, and I know that it is not chock full of trash | | | | supermarket, where the more healthy and nutritious |
| that I don't need. Bulk food stores are amazing | | | | food lives. You can create serious family meals with |
| resources for ingredients. | | | | the kinds of ingredients that all the health gurus insist |
| I make a no knead bread recipe, using the crock pot | | | | you need for optimum health and weight management.. |
| liner as an oven utensil. The first time I put it in the oven | | | | Try one, you'll like it, and you will recover the cost in a |
| at 450F degrees, I removed a very handsome loaf of | | | | very short period of time by using the less expensive |
| bread. I also melted the plastic knob on the glass lid - | | | | ingredients. |
| so had to replace it with a wooden one. Just like a | | | | Tasty food, minimal effort, and easy on the budget. It |
| man, bumbling around. | | | | just does not get a lot better than that these days. |