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Nutrition Slow Cooker

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Steve Freides

Steve Freides

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Senior Certified Instructor Emeritus
Elite Certified Instructor
Making your own food is a good thing and, when you get into it in the right way, sometimes it's relaxing and not stressful at all. I enjoy roasting coffee; I do it on my front porch in all kinds of weather, including the cold, windy kind we're having here today.

We are recently into using a slow cooker (think "crock pot") - great way to not have to stay in the kitchen or worry about when something is finished and get overdone, and a great way to make your own food. I find it particularly satisfying in the winter to cook a piece of meat with hearty veggies like carrots and potatoes, and the results are delicious _and_ you can often use a less expensive cut of meat.

-S-
 
It's very nice, Harald. On Saturday, my wife and I had to be out all day, so before we left, we put what is called a pork "butt" here but it's actually pork shoulder as I understand it, into our slow cooker, about 2 kg of meat, and all we added to it was a jar of store-bought BBQ sauce and let it cook for 8 hours. The slow cooker automatically switches to warming mode when the cooking time is finished. The results was fork-tended and delicious when we came home. When we make beef, we usually add carrots and/or potatoes and/or onions.

Sorry if that makes your more tortured :) but more people who find it difficult making time to cook ought to use a slow cooker. Not directing that at you specifically, just wanted to put the message out there about how easy it is to do - buy a slow cooker, buy a piece of meat, buy a jar of sauce, and you're good to go.

-S-
 
I've had my fair share of culinary disasters but I've got slow cooked meat down to a fine art. Yes, absolutely love the simplicity and down to earth pleasure of a slab of meat and a pile of veg. If you will allow me to indulge in some knowledge gained for any interested omnivores.

3 tips to elevate an already nutritionally rich and a wonderful meal to epic proportions and a whole new level of awesomeness.

1. Bone-in meat. It is THE thing that makes a meal an event. Oxtail is cheap as chips and tastes out of this world. Unbelievably tender and rich for its cost. Of course, any cut, any animal. Beef shin chilli is amazing. Italian osso buco, veal shanks, mind blowing.

2. Red wine.

3. Fresh herbs.

Bon Appetit!
 
Harald Motz said:
@Steve Freides : slow cooking...I just finished a swing sessions of 150 reps with my 50kg...I am a bit hungry now. The imagination of slow cooking, slowly creeping delicious smell into my nostrils...makes me feeling a bit tortured now.
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I was making some korean-style marinated ribs the other day and it smelled wonderful. Pressure cookers seem to be getting more popular but you miss out on the anticipation of the smell wafting throughout the house, motivating you to finish your lifting...
 
Harald Motz said:
@Steve Freides : Thanks for putting it into perspective. I think I will get one. Slow cooked meet + veggies out of a steamer or wok. Great idea.
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This is exactly how I eat in the evenings. Piece of meat in the slow cooker. Get home, put a sweet potato in the oven while I train. Then steam 1 beet plus a pile of brussel sprouts which takes like 10 minutes after I'm done training and I'm good to go.
 
This slow cooker "thingie" is now on my wish list. Is this like braising meat but with this appliance made easy? Want to start making bone brothe as @Abdul Rasheed mentions, its add magic to almost any dish.
 
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Henningb said:
Is this like braising meat but with this appliance made easy?
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Basically, yes. You can put meat in with very little liquid and it will make its own, which makes it different than braising. In braising, you supply liquid but then you lose some of what's in the meat into the liquid you supplied. With a slow cooker, you can take the liquid, reduce it (or season it or whatever you like), and use it as gravy.

With beef, we brown the meat first - cast iron skillet on a high flame, and get some browning on all surfaces. It adds to the flavor, but it is not strictly necessary.

-S-
 
I cooked a whole chicken the other day in a crock pot. Only things I threw in were salt, pepper, juice from a whole lemon and rosemary. Came out phenomenal.

I'm far from a talented chef.
 
KernLittle said:
I cooked a whole chicken the other day in a crock pot. Only things I threw in were salt, pepper, juice from a whole lemon and rosemary. Came out phenomenal.
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The best thing about putting a whole chicken in is making stock right after-- pull off the meat, leaving all bones, juice, and seasonings behind; add in some chopped celery and carrots (or the peels/trimmings of these and other veggies), onions, and garlic; fill with water, and place on low overnight. Strain it in the morning and voila. Amazing stock.
 
Steve, you have the same slow cooker I have, my wife and I love it! There are several slow cooker recipes in our Paleo books. While we don't do Paleo full time, we do make a number of meals from the books. One of our faves is a pork shoulder and sauerkraut dish. 2 lbs of pork shoulder cut into chunks which are then browned quickly on med high heat and tossed in the cooker. Slice some onions and garlic and throw them in the pan you just took the pork out of until they're translucent. Dump 'em in the slow cooker. Add in a bunch of sauerkraut and a bay leaf, close the cooker, put it on low for about 9 hours and dinner's ready. All of about 15 minutes of prep time and let the cooker do the rest. You'll also have enough leftovers for a while. And you can buy cheaper cuts of meat if you're budget conscious because the slow cooker breaks down the tough fibers and makes anything tender. And they're only like $50-60. A great investment.
 
Abdul Rasheed said:
We at home use slow cooker to make bone brothe..12 hour to 24 hour cooking, and we love it. Never tried cooking a slab of meat, which I shall try next time.
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We do the same and I LOVE broth!
But also great for us frugal minded, because the cheapest meat will end up tender in there. We use ours at least once per week.
 
I love my slow cooker and use it perhaps 5 nights per week. The only thing i never add is veg as im told it destroys the vitamin contents due to the duration. Im about to try slow cooker liners tomorrow to reduce cleaning. Best thing about slow cooking is how fool-proof it is for me.
 
A Cajun classic red beans and rice . at home near New Orleans I used to just cook it in a pot but now I found really easy in slow cooker : bag of red kidney beans cut onions and bell pepper add water set it and forget it when beans fall apart add some smoked sausage for a few minutes serve over rice. Delicious!!! Season with cayenne pepper and salt if you like.
 
Steve Freides said:
Making your own food is a good thing and, when you get into it in the right way, sometimes it's relaxing and not stressful at all. I enjoy roasting coffee; I do it on my front porch in all kinds of weather, including the cold, windy kind we're having here today.

We are recently into using a slow cooker (think "crock pot") - great way to not have to stay in the kitchen or worry about when something is finished and get overdone, and a great way to make your own food. I find it particularly satisfying in the winter to cook a piece of meat with hearty veggies like carrots and potatoes, and the results are delicious _and_ you can often use a less expensive cut of meat.

-S-
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Slow cookers are economical appliance and they're grand for preparing the most of your budget recipes. This cooking tool needs less effort, so you’ll have more time to relax while cooking. Hamilton Beach is a famous brand of slow cooker as seen on Best Slow Cooker Reviews of 2016 - All Kitchen Find , it's the winner of best all around.
 
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