My Favorite Kitchen Appliance: The Slow Cooker

 "I Get by With a Little Help From My Friends."  One of my favorite Beatles songs!  Wow, 50 years ago they started a revolution with their music.  In 1970, the slow cooker was invented and this began a revolutionary new way of cooking in the home.  It allowed working women to put together a meal in this gadget before going off to work and come home to a healthy, home cooked meal.  With a few tips, this can be one of your favorite kitchen helpers.

You will want to be sure that all of the ingredients are thawed before putting your dish together in the slow cooker.  for easy clean up, lightly spray the slow cooker with non stick spray.  Be sure to follow food safety guidelines from the USDA at http://www.fsis.usda.gov/wps/wcm/connect/a181017c-cc51-4261-bfeb-f78cfc24c022/Slow_Cookers_and_Food_Safety.pdf?MOD=AJPERES.  Once you have your dish put together, do not be tempted to lift the lid.  each time you do, you will loose valuable cooking time.  

There are a lot of great slow cook recipes available on line and you can also adapt your favorite recipe for use in the slow cooker.  Check out this reference from All Recipes.com. http://www.fsis.usda.gov/wps/wcm/connect/a181017c-cc51-4261-bfeb-f78cfc24c022/Slow_Cookers_and_Food_Safety.pdf?MOD=AJPERES.  When deciding on what to put in your slow cooker, also keep in mind the time factor.  There are times that the slow cooker is not a good option,  I sometimes am away from home for close to 10 hours and on these days, that would be too much cook time.  I like to use the slow cooker on days I am home and doing house cleaning at the end of the day, the last task I want to do is to cook.   Here are two of my recent favorite recipes.

Swiss Steak

1 1/2 lb steak, fat trimmed off

1/4 c. Flour

1 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. pepper

1/4 tsp. garlic powder

1 medium onion sliced 1/4 inch thick

2 celery stocks, diced very thin

1 small can diced tomatoes, un drained

1 1/2 c beef broth ( can use water and beef base or bullion cubes)

1.  Cut steak into small pieces.  Dust with flour, salt, pepper and garlic mixture.

2.  Lightly  spray slow cooker with non-stick spray.  Arrange onion slices on bottom of slow cooker.          Place meat over top of onion.

3.  Pour diced celery and then tomatoes over meat.  Pour beef broth over top

4.  Cover with lid.  Cook on low for 6-8 hours or on high 2-4 hours.

Cut steak in small pieces, trim any fat from edges.

Lightly coat meat with flour and spices.

Lightly spray slow cooker with non-stick spray, arrange onion slices in bottom of cooker.

Arrange meat on top of onions.

Next, celery and tomatoes on top of prepared meat.  Pour beef broth over top.  Cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours.

Serve with Mashed Potatoes

Apple Crisp

1 c. flour

1/2 c. light brown sugar

1/2 c. sugar

1/2 tsp. cinnamon

1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg

pinch of salt

1/2c butter, sliced

1 c. walnuts (optional)

1/3 c. white sugar

1 tbs corn starch

1/2 tsp. cinnamon

6 c. sliced apples

Directions

1. Mix flour, brown sugar, 1/2 cup of white sugar, 1/2teaspoon cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt together in a bowl. Combine butter with the flour mixture using fingers or a fork until coarse crumbs form. Stir in walnuts and set aside.
2. Whisk together 1/3 cup sugar, cornstarch, ginger, and 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon. Place the apples in a slow cooker, stir in the cornstarch mixture; toss with lemon juice. Sprinkle the walnut crumb topping on top. Cover and cook on High for 2 hours or Low for 4 hours, until apples are tender. Partially uncover the slow cooker to allow the topping to harden, about 1 hour.