-New Urban HOME- SLOW BURN: Why The Crock Pot Is Making A Return to Modern Kitchens, and Why You'll Fall In Love With It
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| The return to trends from the 1970s isn't just restricted to clothing in 2019: on the home front, the rising popularity of 1970s style slow cookers make them among the hottest (and most convenient) cooking trends currently existing in the small appliance market. Above: the all American CROCK POT makes a triumphant return to kitchen offer up transitional comfort foods perfect for a crisp March & April. Now updated for the 21st-century kitchen, the original CROCK POT brand via amazon.de offers models that range from this basic, hob-proof CROCK POT SAUTE 4.5 Liter CSC030X White Slow Cooker (€89,99) shown above to digitized versions with removable pots that are stovetop or oven safe, or both. |
When on the cusp of spring and still looking for new ways to switch up cold weather cooking, what do you do during this transition time between winter holiday feasting and spring celebrations coming on the horizon? Well, do you by chance remember the 1970s Crock Pot? Because it's back in vogue as one of the trendiest kitchen appliances at your local electronics retailer, with German brands now marketing them towards busy home cooks across the country under the appliance title, "Schongarer" or "Dampfgarer". Slow cooking is the new lifesaver for busy families on the go, and modernized versions of the good old fashioned Crock-Pot are now readily available at most online retailers for reasonable prices.
Crock Pots, also known by their non-brand name as slow cookers, are an electrical cooking appliance used to simmer meats, soups, stews, or desserts, at a temperature lower than other cooking methods like baking or braising. The low cooking temperature facilitates hours of unattended cooking for dishes that would otherwise need monitoring if they were boiled, braised, or simmered on a stove top, or left in an over to roast or bake.
Slow cookers first appeared in modern kitchens around mid-century. They were manufactured in Chicago as the "Simmer Crock" in 1950 and reintroduced as the "Crock Pot" in 1971. Slow cookers achieved popularity across millions of American households as more women joined the workforce in full-time positions in the 1970s. Crock Pots allowed wives and moms the ease of starting their cooking in the morning before going to work, then completing dinner preparation after arriving at home in the evening.
The low temperatures used in slow-cookers makes it almost impossible to burn food. Slow cookers are also incredibly energy efficient, using only 75-210 watts of energy depending on the temperature setting used for your dish. The machine cooks all day, but only uses the same amount of energy as a standard light bulb. Most slow cooking recipes only require a few minutes of prep time, then you simply place your ingredients in the cooking pot for 4-10 hours, and walk away until your meal is done.
Slow cookers make inexpensive cuts of meat like beef briskets, pork roasts, chicken thighs & lamb shoulders tender, gelatinized, and delicious. Cheaper cuts of meat with heavy connective tissue and lean muscle are best for slow cookers and produce tastier dishes than expensive meats. In our experience, we've found the slow cooker to be especially complimentary to pork shanks, pork shoulders, and beef stew tips, creating meat so succulent and tender, they can be served in almost any style of meal from Sunday stews to exotic noodle dishes. They are excellent for long cooking curries, and great for get-togethers when you want to keep crowd dishes like soups warm for your guests. If you're attracted to the idea of slow cooking but need a few more tips on how to begin, here are our NUY 40+ notes for how to achieve first class results for your first time slow cooker/ Crock Pot adventure in the kitchen.
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| A classic cooking helper reimagined with modern architectural design: the MORPHY RICHARDS 460751EE KOMPAKT SLOW COOKER (€78) from real.de can fit its heating unit directly inside the cooking pot for easy storage when not in use and has the added benefit of the pot being shatterproof. |
Golden, caramelized meat is part of what will give your dish flavor. To keep your dish from being bland, always brown your meat beforehand to intensify the taste. You can't use standard ceramic slow cooker pots on your stovetop, but we can recommend investing in a slow cooker with a sautee safe pan. Right now, our favorite slow cooker for convenience, clean up, and cost efficiency is the Russell Hobbs Cook At Home cooker (Model # 22740-50): with high (4 hr), low (8-10 hr), and warm settings.
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| A whole new "Crock" for a new generation: digitized, oven safe and stovetop safe, with a timer an instant warming function: the CROCK POT DuraCeramic CSC026X SAUTE SLOW COOKER (€125), via amazon.de. |
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| The ability to sautee meats in a stovetop ready insert pan makes slow cooking more flavorful (and more efficient) than ever before. Save yourself the extra pans used for browning meats (and dishwashing time ), and take your sautee straight from the stove to the stew pot with Russell Hobbes 22740-50 Cook @ Home Dampfgarer (€36,99) available at saturn.de |
* Don't drown your ingredients in liquid.
Slow cookers retain moisture and the liquid inside it doesn't evaporate, so don't use too much liquid when preparing roasts. Covering about half of your dish in liquid should do the trick.
* Not all ingredients should go in at the beginning of cooking.
A list of ingredients you should always add at the END of cooking as to not destroy the texture of your recipe include but are not limited to: fresh herbs, milk & cream, summer vegetables, small amounts of alcohol (large amounts of will overpower your recipe as it will not evaporate as it would on a stove top, giving it the proper flavor it receives from reduction).
* Raw or dried beans are a No-No.
Because beans contain a toxic substance called lecithin, raw or undercooked beans that haven't been properly boiled can cause severe illness and diarrhea. If using beans in your crockpot recipe, opt for the canned version instead.
* Avoid adding pasta and rice to your recipes.
Although it sounds like a plan for the perfect one-pot meal, rice and pasta cooks too quickly to be used for long term stewing and can make your dish a mushy mess. Prepare your rice or pasta separately, and have it waiting patiently on the side to be topped with tasty slow cooked goodness once when your slow cooker is through.
*SUPER EASY STARTER RECIPE*
STICKY COLA BAKED HAM
Ingredients:
2 KG of Gepökelt (brined) pork roast of choice
( e.g. Schweinekrustenbraten or Schweine-Haxe or Schweinevordereisnbein)
2 bay leaves
2 star anise
1.5 liters Coca-Cola
75 ml maple syrup
2 tsp. soy sauce
1 tsp. sugar
Get full the recipe & instructions: HERE
