Individuals have extremely busy lives and we are often crammed for time. The lack busy lifestyle and lack of time lead us to arriving at home from a long day at work or school absolutely starving and in no mood to prepare a meal. Slow cookers are the answer and what better way to use your crock pot by making soup!
Independent has lovely article, written by on why slow cooker are so great, cleverly titled, Love me tender: Are slow cookers worth the effort? And oh man, I kid you not slow cookers are a man’s best friend.
“It’s not surprising then that in these hard times slow cooker sales are booming and that an ever-increasing army of devotees are returning to the time and money saving device with a newfound enthusiasm. For these penny-pinching and time-conscious cooks, all that remains to do each evening is to soak up the aromas as they chop some vegetables or slice a loaf of crusty bread before sitting down to a delicious and hassle-free diner.
First introduced in the 1970s, by Rival, which named it the Crock-Pot, the slow cooker soon became the must have gadget for the proud suburban housewife. Designed for moist-heat cooking, the slow cooker produces steam which condenses on the lid, then returns to the pot, making it particularly ideal for stews, soups and casseroles.
Now, though, they have shed their retro image and come back into vogue as cash-strapped consumers adopt the ethos of slow, low-energy and low-cost living – slow cookers only use the same amount of electricity as a light bulb and are perfect for transforming cheaper cuts of meat, such as chicken thighs, shoulders of lamb and belly of pork, into tender and tasty dishes.”
-Independent
After 47 the Crock Pot hasn’t changed much, the 1970’s version on the left and today’s version on the right. And why change something that is so perfect?
Don’t let this fancy soup name, posole, deter you, this is a slow cooker recipe and requires little preparation and scrumptious results! Take a load of and try this delicious recipe.
-Oh my, who doesn’t love soup and pasta, but no one likes preparing either one, that is where this slow cooker tortellini soup comes in handy. Revitalise your tastebuds with this recipe via @Living_Lou
Tips for Using a Slow Cooker via BBC goodfood, written by Caroline Hire. For more tips check out the article.
1. Save time & effort
“One of the main attractions for many is the ease of a slow-cooker so when you’re looking for recipes, avoid those that suggest a lot of pre-preparation. For many dishes, particularly soups and stews, you really can just throw all the ingredients in. It can be nice to cook the onions beforehand as the flavour is different to when you put them in raw but experiment both ways as you may find you prefer one. It can also be good to brown meat to give it some colour but again this is not essential.”
2. Get ahead
“If you’re short on time in the morning, prepare everything you need for your slow-cooked meal the night before, put it into the slow-cooker dish, cover and store in the fridge overnight. Ideally, the dish should be as close to room temperature as possible, so get it out of the fridge when you wake up and leave it for 20 minutes before turning the cooker on. If you need to heat your dish beforehand, then put the ingredients in a different container and transfer them in the morning.”
3. Save money
“Slow cookers are great for cooking cheaper cuts like beef brisket, pork shoulder, lamb shoulder and chicken thighs. You can also use less meat as slow-cooking really extracts a meaty flavour that permeates the whole dish. Bulk up with vegetables instead.”
4. Trim the fat
“You don’t need to add oil to a slow cooker, the contents won’t catch as long as there’s enough moisture in there. You don’t need a lot of fat on your meat either. Normally when you fry meat, a lot of the fat drains away, this won’t happen in a slow cooker so trim it off, otherwise you might find you have pools of oil in your stew. This will give you a healthier result and it’ll still be tasty.”
5. Thickening
“Just as the the liquid doesn’t reduce it also doesn’t thicken. You can roll meat in a small amount of seasoned flour before adding it to the slow cooker or use a little cornflour at the end. If you want to do the latter, take a teaspoon or two of cornflour, mix it to a paste with a little cold water. Stir into your simmering slow cooker contents, then replace the lid.”
6. Slow is good
“Ginny has been working with slow-cookers for over a decade, her advice is to use the ‘Low’ setting as much as you can, finding most dishes really benefit from a slow, gentle heat to really bring out the flavours. This also means you won’t need to worry if you’re heading out for the day, it’ll take care of itself. “I think of it as my cook fairy making my dinner while I’m out,” says Ginny.”
7. Leave it alone
“Slow cookers are designed to do their own thing so you don’t need to keep checking the contents. Everytime, you take the lid off it will release some of the heat, so if you keep doing this you’ll have to increase the cooking time.”
- Don’t let the term ‘slow cooker’ deceive you, yes it takes hours to cook but those are hours that individuals can be at work, school, or out partying. That is what makes the slow cookers one of the greatest kitchen accessories and a deadly addition to a soup lovers arsenal.
Here are some fantastic blogs with scrumptious slow cooker soup recipes, which will be sure to turn on anyone’s taste buds 😉
- 16 Slow Cooker Soups That Will Warm your Heart & Soul
- 25 Comforting Crock Pot Soups and Stews
- 29 Slow Cooker Soups and Stews
- Slow Cooker Soup Recipes- Betty Crocker
Go forward my friends and don’t be afraid to cook insane quantities of soup in your crock pot. Soup is great as a left over.
JOLDESIGNS 