Here’s why slow cooking is worth taking the time for…
Taking a Time Out
It’s common in modern cooking to put time ahead of quality. We think of five-star restaurants, chefs pouring their souls into delicate sauces with hours of time taken on the creation of perfection.
We, however, mere cooking mortals don’t have time to chop and sauté our evenings away. Enter the slow cooker. For an enriching meal that takes you no time at all to prepare just choose your ingredients and place them in the pot.
Now you’re free to go to work, read a novel, paint a portrait, study for your exams and, at the end of the day, a wonderful and nutritious meal will be waiting for you.
Nutritious and Delicious
The mastery is in the method when it comes to slow cooking. By slowing down the cooking process by reducing the heat, all those precious nutrients present in your meat and vegetables don’t get burned away.
Unlike steamed and boiled vegetables, slow cooking your greens retain their natural healthy attributes and, even if they do lose some of their quality, the nutrients lost can be regained in the end by using any juices released during the cooking process as a sauce with your meal.
Improve your Food Choices
It’s tempting after a long hard day of work, or a long night of studying, to skip the laborious task of preparing a home cooked meal and just grab those pre-packaged dinners from the freezer.
Whether it’s a lasagne you stuffed in there a month before, or boxed pizza, it’s just easier. Or, is it? Owning a slow cooker can change your entire perspective on fast food.
By simple having to chop some vegetables and choose chicken, beef or lamb, then pop them in a pot for a few hours, the entire home cooking process is simplified, encouraging you to skip the frozen nuggets and instead make a healthy dinner.
Tackling the Tough Cuts
Often we avoid tough cuts of meat in our cooking, believing that they lack the tender succulence of the more expensive cuts. Despite being more expensive, we often sacrifice our precious pennies in the name of a good bit of beef.
The slow cooker tackles this conundrum head-on by transforming a piece of rough and tough meet into a soft and tender slice of delight. The time it takes to cook the meat means that its texture is softened and broken down.
These cuts of meat are also healthier as they contain less fat than those sought-after superior cuts, meaning you can enjoy high-quality tasting meat without the guilt in your tummy or in your wallet.
Saving you Stress and Money
Despite taking longer to cook your dinner, the slow cooker is, in fact, an energy efficient marvel. Not just slightly more efficient, the slow cooker uses only 300W of power compared to a traditional ovens’ 4,000W of power usage. Wow.
Not only are you improving your health and the overall quality of your food, you’re saving money and reducing your carbon footprint. Look forward to a reduced electric bill and the smug smile of the conscientious environmentalist.
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