From fix-it-and-forget-it to delicious alpha-gal friendly meals, here’s how to pick the best crock pot for your kitchen and the benefits you’ll enjoy when cooking with a Crock-Pot.
The information provided on this site is based on my personal experience living with alpha-gal syndrome. I consistently cite and link to expert sources, but nothing published on this site should be perceived as medical advice.
Alpha-gal sensitivities vary by person. You should understand your dietary restrictions, making any adjustments needed, and directing any questions to your physician.
Beloved by working moms for decades, slow cookers remain a well-known secret for juggling a busy life on a budget — and who isn’t these days?!? Imagine coming home after a long day to the irresistible aroma of a meal that’s been cooking while you have been out there adulting. It’s not magic — it’s your slow cooker at work.
This trusty gadget can transform cheaper cuts of meat into tender, flavorful dishes and whip up soups and stews that taste like you’ve been tending to them all day (even if you haven’t). Plus, slow cookers don’t just save you time — they’re also a savvy way to stretch your grocery dollars. In today’s economy, every cent counts, and a slow cooker helps you make the most of what you’ve got.
In This Article
Features To Look For When Choosing a Crock-Pot
Whether purchasing a slow cooker for yourself or as a gift for someone with a food allergy, there are important features to consider.
A Glass Lid
A tight-fitting lid that holds in heat is essential for proper slow cooking. Removing the lid repeatedly to check your food allows heat to escape. Choose a model with a glass lid so you can check progress without lifting it.
Cooking Functions
Standard, less expensive slow cooker models can have analog or digital temperature controls. Most give you a choice of cooking times with high, low, and keep warm heat settings. More expensive models can have features that include searing/sauteing, braising, baking, sous vide, and even proofing bread. Choose a slow cooker that fits your needs, budget, and cooking style.
A Timer
While it’s not necessary, having a timer on your slow cooker adds convenience. It will stop cooking at the designated time, switching the appliance to the keep warm setting.
Dishwasher Safe
When choosing a slow cooker, look for one with a dishwasher-safe, removable stoneware insert and glass lid. This feature makes cleanup much more convenient and efficient. After cooking, you can simply remove the insert, place it in the dishwasher, and let the machine do the work. This saves time and ensures your slow cooker is ready for the next use without the hassle of hand-washing.
Consider a Multicooker
What is a multicooker? You might know it better as an Instant Pot—kind of like how we all call facial tissues Kleenex. It’s an electric kitchen appliance that performs multiple cooking functions such as slow cooking, pressure cooking, steaming, etc. Some multicookers even stand in for a stand-alone air fryer! When you purchase one of these, you get a slow cooker and much more in one appliance.
Size Matters When Selecting a Slow Cooker
Are you the kind of person who loves having leftovers for the next meal (or the next few)? Do you regularly cook for a small army? And, perhaps most importantly, do you have room in your kitchen for a slow cooker?
Most slow cooker recipes are created for six-quart or larger models. If you are a small household and don’t mind scaling down recipes, a three- or four-quart slow cooker may be just right for you. However, smaller slow cookers don’t allow as many options for leftovers.
A six-quart slow cooker is the size most cooks begin with. It’s perfect for roasting whole chickens and creating hearty soups and stews.
If you often double recipes to ensure you have leftovers, you may find that eight- or 10-quart slow cookers are better suited to your cooking style. Here are some tips for choosing the right slow cooker for your needs.
Caring for Your Slow Cooker
Slow cookers require minimal care and are pretty easy to clean, as long as you pick one with a removable crock. Trust me, being able to toss the inner cooking pot into the sink (or the dishwasher) is a lifesaver when you’d rather be doing anything else.
You can buy liners for slow cookers that make cleanup quick and easy — because who wants to scrub baked-on sauce after dinner? But if you’re looking to save a few bucks, just soak the crock for 30 minutes to an hour, and you’ll wonder why you ever worried about cleanup in the first place.
If you find a stubborn spot, sprinkle baking soda on a damp cloth and firmly rub the area. Baking soda won’t scratch glass or porcelain and is an inexpensive and effective cleanser.
Be sure the base is unplugged and cool. Then, you can use the same baking soda on a damp cloth trick to remove any baked-on drips that have made their way into the slow cooker base.
Clean and dry both the insert and the base after each use. Store your slow cooker with the crock in the base and the lid on the ceramic insert.
Benefits of Slow Cooking
There are definite benefits to preparing meals in slow cookers.
- Fix It and Forget It — The few minutes it takes to prep ingredients and load them into a slow cooker are usually the only hands-on minutes a cook spends cooking their dish.
- Saves Electricity — Depending on energy costs in your area, slow cookers use less energy than your range or oven. And they won’t heat up the house like your oven.
- The House Smells Amazing! — Just like baking bread or cookies in the oven or simmering a pot of soup on the stove top, the meal in your slow cooker will send delicious aromas wafting through your home.
- You Avoid Takeout — Knowing a delicious, hot meal waiting at home curbs the temptation to hit the drive-thru or call for takeout.
- Meat Is Tender — Slow cooking allows tougher cuts of meat to break down. They’ll become melt-in-your-mouth tender while remaining succulent and juicy.
- Flavor Is Magnified — Slow cooking ingredients with seasonings, herbs, spices, and aromatics creates a much deeper flavor profile than can be achieved in short cooks on a stovetop.
- One-Pot Meals — You can prepare an entire meal in your slow cooker. Add some bread and a salad, and voila! You’ve got a meal that looks like it took way more effort than it did.
- Save Money — Choose affordable, tougher cuts of meat and more cost-effective recipe ingredients for fabulous slow cooker meals. Slow cooking means they’ll be as delicious as more expensive cuts.
Timing Slow Cooker Dishes
Most slow cooker recipes cook for three to four hours on high or six to eight hours on low. However, you wouldn’t roast chicken breasts in the oven for the same time as a whole bird. So you shouldn’t cook them for the same amount of time in a slow cooker, either.
Perfectly juicy, slow cooker chicken breasts require only two and one-half to three hours on LOW in most slow cookers. They will be tender and can be cut into beautiful slices or even chopped or shredded to add to other recipes. Use a meat thermometer to test the doneness of meat.
Practice Makes Perfect
The more you use your slow cooker, the more adept you will become at preparing easy, delicious meals with it. Start with slow cooker recipes from trusted sources and from any recipe book your manufacturer has provided. Now is the perfect time to choose the best slow cooker for your kitchen and cooking style. You’ll soon be creating delectable slow-cooked meals for any occasion.
Do You Regularly Use a Slow Cooker in Your Alpha Gal Friendly Kitchen?
So, what about you? Are you a slow cooker enthusiast, or are you just dipping your toes into the world of low-and-slow? Got a recipe that never fails or a tip that’ll make the rest of us wonder why we didn’t think of it sooner? Share your tips and tricks in the comments section below.
Portions of this article originally appeared on Food Drink Life.
