Easy and Delicious Meals with a Slow Cooker

I finally broke down and purchased that one item that I’ve been wanting and needing for quite some time now: A slow cooker. I’ve heard such great things about slow cookers. They’re convenient and easy – you throw in the ingredients you need to make a delicious meal and that’s that. The hardest part is the waiting, but that’s also the whole point of them, also. A slow cooker is great if you don’t have the time to cook dinner after work; unlike the bad idea of leaving an oven all day to cook, the slow cooker is designed to cook at a much cooler temperature and for a longer period of time. In fact, I’ve even seen some recipes that allow you to cook breakfast in it overnight.Another thing that appealed to me about slow cookers was the taste of the food that comes out of them. There really is nothing quite like meat that has been slowly cooking the entire day – it’s tender, moist, and juicy, something that the oven or a pot on the stove can’t quite live up to.There are so many different styles of slow cookers. No matter what the style of your kitchen and home is, you are bound to find one that you will love and that will fit into your design and color scheme. They are also small and compact, so it’s not a problem for those who don’t have much counter space in the kitchen.I purchased a black slow cooker by the brand Crock Pot for the great price of $29.99. I’ve seen slow cookers range all the way up to $100.00 and sometimes even more, and I was a bit apprehensive of buying an inexpensive one because of that whole, “you get what you pay for” saying. However, I don’t always believe this is the case and this purchase also proved that once again, that saying is sometimes not true at all.

The settings on the slow cooker (and I believe this is the common choice for most slow cookers) are 4 hours, 6 hours, and 8 hours. Having different options is important for when you want to leave your slow cooker unattended. Whether you’re going to be gone all day or only a few hours, there will be a setting that you can use to ensure the food cooks just the right amount of time.

For my first meal, I decided to try something out that I’ve cooked many times before on the stove: A simple beef stew. I know it’s not very creative or adventurous, but I wanted to try out something easy the first time. Also, since I’ve never used a slow cooker before, I didn’t want to leave it unattended until I got to know it a bit first.

One thing I instantly noticed about the slow cooker recipe is that it called for a lot less ingredients. With the traditional way of cooking beef stew, I normally have to use flour and vegetable oil in order for it to taste right – at least with the recipe I’ve always used. I’ve tried omitting these ingredients before, and it just didn’t come out well, so I was a bit nervous.

Aside from the McCormick packet that contains the beef stew mix, all I used for this meal was one package of beef chunks and three potatoes. After peeling and chopping the potatoes into bite-sized chunks, I just threw everything in the slow cooker and topped it all with the beef stew mix. I’m not really a fan of vegetables, so it’s just a personal preference of mine – but you could add any other vegetable you want.

The recipe gave me the option of cooking it on low for 8 hours or on high for 4 hours; of course, the high temperature setting still isn’t very at all. I opted for the 4 hour option since it was already late in the afternoon.

The next four hours were pretty uneventful, but I mean that in a good way. There were no issues or reasons for me to feel apprehensive about leaving the slow cooker unattended next time. Plus, it made my apartment smell great!

When it was finally time to eat, I was more than pleased with the results. The meat and potatoes were tender and full of flavor, and the fact that I was able to omit the flour and oil and get the same taste was a big plus, too – less calories! The cleanup was simple and quick, with the cooking dish being removable and dishwasher safe.

I’ve used the slow cooker a couple times since then (pork roast with sweet potatoes one night, and meatballs for a spaghetti dinner another evening) and while I wasn’t home, without any problems at all. I’m eager to try out new recipes for the slow cooker, and it was definitely worth the thirty bucks!