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Yesterday I posted number 5 of my top 5 must have small kitchen appliances. Today the countdown continues…
Number 4 on DIY Girl’s list of must have small kitchen appliances is a slow cooker. This is my go to appliance during the Fall and Winter when warm comfort foods like soups, stews, chili or ribs become a staple in this house.
Source: Rival
A slow cooker is a small investment that produces big and tasty returns. You can purchase a decent size slow cooker for less than $50, make meals for a large family and still have leftovers for the lunch the next day. Not bad for an appliance that just sits on your counter all day and cooks while you run errands and clean the house.
My Rival crock-pot was a gift. It’s not the sexiest looking slow cooker but it does the job. It comes with a large dishwasher safe stoneware bowl - big enough to fit vegetables and a 5lb roasting chicken! It is a programmable with 4 heat/time settings plus a keep warm mode (max 1 hour). The stoneware bowl is quite easy to clean but it’s really heavy. Although the bowl is dishwasher safe I find it easier to wash by hand.
Using the slow cooker is as easy as throwing all the ingredients in the bowl, covering with the lid and setting the time/temperature. Turn the slow cooker on in the morning and you’ll have a meal ready in time for dinner. The hard work is the food preparation. You need to plan ahead so you have all your ingredients cut up and ready to go for the morning. If I’m making beef stew I will cut up the meat and vegetables in the evening after the kids are in bed. Then the following morning I will brown the beef and onions before tossing everything into the cooker. Trust me, it’s worth the little effort to plan ahead so you have an extra hour of free time before dinner.
The beef stew was delicious. Everyone had seconds and I still have enough for my lunch today! Yes, I believe my slow cooker of 7 years has served me well and continues to do a great job.
{ 2 comments… read them below or add one }
I also love my slow cooker. You are better than me b/c I don’t brown the meat I just throw it all in. In fact I use the crock pot liners from reynolds (I think). I put the liner in and all the meat and vegetables then take the liner out and put it in the fridge. I mix up all the liquids and put in a container. In the morning I just have to put the liner back in the crockpot and pour the liquids on top and press start. Yum Yum. Can’t wait for some cooker weather. Check out my pot roast recipe at http://disneydivaathome.blogspot.com
When I was working I would never bother to brown the meat in the morning. Too time consuming! Plus I hated showing up to work smelling like beef and onions!