Slow Cooker_ The Best Cookbook Ever - Diane Phillips [3]
Introduction
Whenever I look at my slow cooker, I think of the lyrics to that old Sinatra standard, “I’m not much to look at, nothing to see,” but upon closer inspection the slow cooker is like the girl in high school who everyone said had a nice personality. This decidedly simple piece of equipment isn’t the most attractive item ever to grace your kitchen counter but can it cook!
Slow cookers are the answer to that age-old question, “What’s for dinner?” You can smile and say, “It’s in the slow cooker.” Slow cookers do all the work. You simply prep a few ingredients and let the cooker work its magic over the hours. Slow cookers are made for busy people who would love to have dinner made when they come home, but short of having a personal chef or eating take out, that doesn’t happen. By prepping a few ingredients in the morning or the night before and then tossing them in the slow cooker when you leave for the day, you can return to a slow-cooked, deeply-flavored dinner ready to serve. The only job left is to prep a side dish or two and wait for the compliments.
Another advantage of the slow cooker is the aroma. This gives you an edge because when you open the door to your home, you are greeted with the aromas of slow-cooked goodness. Just smelling the food as you enter will make the work of the day a distant memory.
Many of my students have complained about the slow-cooker books on the market. There are either too many preparation steps, so that the dish is almost cooked before it goes into the cooker, or the flavors are washed out and bland and the dishes all taste the same. This book is dedicated to finding the balance between streamlined prep and full flavor, using fresh ingredients and a palate of flavors from around the world. So come along for the ride. Take the lid off that slow cooker, and let’s find out what that appliance with the great personality really has to offer!
{Getting Started}
WHAT DOES IT DO?
Slow cookers operate on the principle of low and slow heat. The “low” setting on a slow cooker keeps food at 180°F and the “high” setting at 300°F. So think of “high” as a low and slow oven for braises, and “low” as a setting for longer and slower braises. Recipes for the low setting will cook at least 8 hours, about the time most of us would spend outside the home while at work or play. The beauty of the high setting is that a meal can be put into the machine and be ready in about 4 hours, about the time it takes to go to soccer, dance, and music lessons after school. Either way, you’ve got it made—delicious meal that cooks itself.
WHY DO I NEED ONE?
CONVENIENCE Slow cookers produce onepot meals with minimal prep and easy cleanup, and the slow cooker will keep an entree or side dish warm at the table. Instead of turning on the oven in the heat of summer, you can use the slow cooker as the oven and turn out great dishes.
SAVES TIME Slow cookers offer minimal preparation times and no fussing over the food once it’s in the cooker. You can literally set it and forget it.
SAVES MONEY Slow cookers use less electricity than a stovetop or oven, or about as much as a 75-watt lightbulb. Also, a slow cooker can produce delicious, meltinglytender meals out of less expensive cuts of meat.
NUTRITIONAL BENEFIT Because slow cookers should always remain covered, nutrients that might be lost in an oven or uncovered pot are retained.
WHAT SIZE SHOULD I GET?
If you bought this book, you either have a slow cooker that you aren’t using or are tempted to buy one. My advice is to buy what you will need, not what is on sale. There are lots of slow cookers to choose from, and they come in sizes from a 1½-quart pot used to keep dips warm to a 7-quart cooker that will feed an army of hungry soldiers.
If yours is a two-person household but you love to cook and freeze your leftovers, then a 5- to 7-quart cooker would be my recommendation. If you are a two-person household but only want a meal and maybe a lunch leftover that week, then something in the 4- to 5-quart size is probably your