Biceps tense, beads of sweat dripping, chefs stand hunched over a hot room, carefully honing their craft. Mad chopping, followed by hours over a hot stove, then wash, rinse, repeat.
In today’s hectic, outsourcing driven world, it’s easy to relegate cooking to the back shelf. You find yourself eating out every meal, while specialty tools and appliances stay tucked away in the pantry. Thankfully cooking has become a bit less labor intensive with the advent of appliances. That’s where slow cookers come in. You don’t have to spend hours in the kitchen making complicated meals to save money and eat healthy.
Dinner can be as easy as throwing a bunch of ingredients together, some water and the timer. Voila! In a couple of hours, you’ll enjoy a delicious stew or soup.
If you prep everything the night before, then your morning routine is simple. Take the slow cooker dish out of the refrigerator, place it into the appliance, and turn it on.
When cooking on a budget, slow cookers can be a lifesaver. Cheaper meat cuts like pork shoulder, chicken thighs, and beef brisket cook beautifully when done slowly. You could also use less meat because the long cooking process extracts all the flavor from the meat and into the veggies. If you don’t already have a slow cooker, newer versions even combine pressure cooking and other functions. Grab yours and get going!