The opinions in this post are my own and I was not paid or compensated in any way.

Do you own a slow cooker? If not, why not?

My slow Cooker has been my kitchen buddy since the first year of our marriage. In fact, I love them so much that I have worn out four of these magical little appliances. I currently own two, one round and one oval with a timer.

What’s the difference you ask. Well let me tell you.

The round one has four settings: high, low, warm, and off. Once you set it to either high or low it will keep cooking until you manually turn it to warm or off.

The oval model with a timer has three settings: high, keep warm, or low. To use this type of cooker, you set high or low with the mode button and then you set the time. For example, normally to cook a large piece of meat, such as a roast, you would set the mode to low and the timer to 9 hours. The appliance heats up to the desired temperature and cooks for 9 hours then automatically turns itself to keep warm.

Different brands have different settings. Be sure to read the owner’s manual.

Oh, and I can hear the gasps all the way to my house. Nine hours you scream. Holy cow, I would really have to plan. Yes, that is correct. To properly cook food in a slow cooker you have to plan out your meals accordingly. Hence the name slow cooker.

So, you ask, why would I do that when I can just nuke something in the microwave in 45 seconds?

Well, my new best friends because the food tastes amazing and it saves time. I’ll explain the saving time part a little further down.

What is the Point of a Slow Cooker

The slow cooker is a form of indirect heat. The base heats up and transfers heat to the sides of the appliance. There is then a heat transfer to the food and it is warmed until simmering. The appliance then cooks the food at this temperature for the desired number of hours until the food is fully cooked.

Because of this method of using low heat to cook slowly, moisture is retained, and meats end up being tender and delicious.

Some may worry about leaving a heated appliance unattended for so long. Do not worry, there is usually a base or some form of elevation so that the appliance does not sit directly on the countertop. The counter might be slightly warm to the touch, but the machine will never get hot enough to cause damage to the surface it is sitting on.

The Benefits of a Slow Cooker

There are many benefits for using a slow cooker. Here are a few of my favorite reasons why I love this appliance:

• uses minimal electricity
• many recipes are just one pot (e.g., large cuts of meat, soups, and stews)
• there is only one pot to clean
• it does not heat the house up like an oven will
• the house smells amazing when something is cooking in a slow cooker
• large meals can be made for big families or gatherings
• tougher cuts of meat are tender and flavorful after cooking all day at a low temperature
• recipes in a slow cooker usually consist of whole foods which can be healthier
• the food tastes delicious

Have I convinced you yet to go get one? If not keep reading. Let’s talk about three reasons to make this appliance your new best kitchen buddy.

It is Easy to Prepare a Meal in a Slow Cooker

Anybody who has ever tried to cook a meal from scratch knows it can be time consuming and mess inducing (at least in my case). There’s chopping and dicing, measuring and stirring, not to mention the occasional bout of scalding myself with hot oil or some other form of hot liquid.

So, the slow cooker comes to the rescue as a fantastic way to prepare meals. After all, what could be easier than dumping a bunch of ingredients into a pot, setting it on low, and coming back hours later to a delicious meal?

Of course, some of my friends or those reading this right now might argue that cooking is supposed to be a bit of a challenge. But let’s face it, nobody really wants to spend hours in the kitchen after a long day at work, chasing after the kids, or out living your best life. Besides, there are plenty of other challenges in life that are more than enough to keep us busy. Don’t you agree?

Seriously it’s as easy as dumping a few complementary ingredients in, setting it, and leaving or going about your business for the rest of the day knowing that dinner is done and ready to eat when you are.

You can Cook Almost Anything in a Slow Cooker

You can cook almost anything in a slow cooker but the best things are soups, stews, chilis, and large cuts of meat such as a roast or turkey breast.

My favorites are:

• Pot Roast
• Chili
• Stew
• Soup
• BBQ Pork
• Taco Meat
• Sloppy Joes
• Flavored Oatmeal

This was definitely my go-to method for getting a nutritious dinner on the table when we had people going in all directions. I even put oatmeal in the crock pot with a little milk, butter, some chopped up apples, a little brown sugar and some water the night before when my children that had to get up extra early for a particular school, sporting, or church activity. In the morning a hot breakfast would be waiting for them. The best thing about that is I could stay in bed a little longer. Here is the recipe for that (I didn’t add the raisins).

A simple internet search will yield hundreds of tasty recipes from different types of sites. There are also many great cookbooks for slow cookers. Some of my favorite recipes have come from the Fix It and Forget It cookbooks which you can find at your local bookstore or your favorite online retailer.

Here is a link to a site that I have tried a lot of recipes from. The food always turn out tasty and delicious.

One of the easiest and healthiest foods to cook in a slow cooker is a pot roast. Simply chop up an onion and some carrots and put them in the bottom of the slow cooker. Top with the roast of your choice (no need for browning just put on top of the vegetables raw) then add some salt and pepper and pour a can of beef broth over the top. Set the cooker to low and let cook for 8-9 hours.

When you are ready to eat in the evening, pair it with a simple green salad and some French bread and you not only have a great meal, but you will probably have a few leftovers depending on the size of your family.

My favorite chili recipe is from the recipe booklet that came with the appliance. We lived close to the high school and my son was on the baseball team and would bring his friends and teammates home for lunch. If I knew that they were coming I would have to put sign on the appliance saying that “there is not enough of this for the whole team, please save it for the family that lives here.”

Now that might sound a little harsh but if I did not specify, those boys would have eaten the whole pot. And they would always ask my son if they could come back for leftovers. Leftovers were fair game for anybody and so that it how I received such praise through the years.

Funny story though. One of my sons told me recently that although my oldest son and all of his friends loved my chili, he was not a big fan because he didn’t like beans. Wow, I never knew.

As a result, I made everybody fill out a favorites sheet so now I know what they like and don’t like

A Slow Cooker Saves Time and Money

For busy families, a slow cooker can be a lifesaver. Just throw a few ingredients into the pot in the morning before your day gets crazy and when you come home, a healthy nutritious dinner is ready and waiting. No muss, no fuss (this is where the time saving element comes in) just set the table and you are ready for the noshing to begin. And like I said previously, because slow cookers operate at a lower temperature than ovens, they’re also more energy-efficient. So not only does a slow cooker save you time, it can also save you money on your utility bills.

So, if you’re looking for an easy weeknight dinner solution or want to spend less time in the kitchen, a slow cooker is definitely worth considering.

In addition, it might be a healthier choice for your family because when you already have dinner prepared and cooking in the slow cooker, you are less likely to order fast food or spend extra money going to other types of restaurants.

After all of this information, I hoped that I have convinced you to get one of these amazing machines. Your family is hungry, what are you waiting for?

The slow cooker can help ease your dinner prep time and save you money in the process. Plus, with just a little bit of planning, you can make healthy and delicious meals that will satisfy everyone at the table. Ready to get started? Go ahead and add one to your shopping list – your family will thank you!