I have said it before and I will say it again. I am not a lazy person. I know, I know: The Queen doth protest too much! But we all have our moments. We all have our days. Those days when we come home from work and wish dinner was already done. That dinner was there waiting for us. So we could just crack open a beer, eat and relax.
Most of the time though, we get out of work and we come home and continue to work. We make dinner, clean up the dishes, the kitchen, and suddenly it’s eight o’clock. Where did my day go? I barely have enough time to get anything I needed to get done at home.
Then suddenly, my mother graced me with the best present I have ever received: a Crock Pot.
And the exciting thing about this is that Crock Pots are starting to make a comeback! Not that they really went anywhere, but they are starting to gain popularity among a younger generation. BuzzFeed will have a countdown of top 10 recipes for your slow cooker at least once a week. And it doesn’t stop at just meals. They have concocted recipes for slow cooked cocktails, desserts, even some breads. We are getting the most out of our slow cookers!
Just last week, I made a pot roast and pulled pork BBQ sandwiches for dinner and my boyfriend borrowed my slow cooker for a mulled wine to bring to an employee party. The biggest relief I have about the slow cooker is that no longer do I think “I have a long day tomorrow… I’ll pick up a pizza on my way home.” Instead I see what’s in my fridge and usually can create some nice homemade meal.
My biggest advice to get started with your slow cooker is always have some nice root vegetables on hand as well as broth. Those are nice starting points. You’ll learn what veggies you like and don’t like. For instance, the other day I decided to add some turnips to my stew and didn’t care for how much salt they absorbed (I’ll figured it out one day). Another time I picked up red potatoes instead of Idaho potatoes and really liked how firm they stayed. It’s a lot of fun to test and play with your food. Figure out what you like. This is a very open style of cooking, and you should be open too!
Check out our cooking class entirely devoted to Cast Iron and Crock Pots. It’ll be sure to warm you up this winter! Or better yet, come into The Chopping Block and ask us about the All-Clad Crock Pot and take it home with you today.