BookmarkAll About Crock Pots
Also known as a slow cooker, a crock pot is a cooking device that serves the dual purpose of being a cooker as well as a heating device. Most crock pots offer two simple settings - high and low. Unlike pressure cookers, crock pots do not use an airtight seal to heat the contents, thereby reducing the risk (albeit a low one) of explosion. So long as there are liquids inside the ceramic crock pot container, the temperature will not rise above the boiling point of 212 degrees Fahrenheit. As the water boils, the water vapors go through the process of condensation and subsequently return moisture to the food contents you are cooking. This is what allows you to slowly cook various food items.
Benefits of crock pots
First, crock pots have the obvious benefit of not having to use your stovetop or oven to prepare a meal. Crock pots are designed with high and low settings. After your crock pot is turned on, the heat increases gradually over time and shuts off automatically. Antithetical to anything your dear mother ever taught you about cooking, crock pots are designed to be left unattended for long periods of time. You can wake up in the morning, toss in a rump roast or throw together a quick stew, head off to work and return that evening to a meal cooked to perfection. Here are few other benefits of crock pots:
Crock pots never require you to preheat them before cooking. You can even put frozen meats into a crock pot, but be sure you allow for extra cooking time.
You can place baking bags as well as aluminum foil inside crock pots.
A crock pot's design eliminates the need for stirring food items during cooking. Stirring the food will actually cause a release of heat and subsequently make for a longer cooking time. The only exception is seafood, which should be stirred occasionally.
Crock pots can even handle pasta if it is boiled prior to being added to the mix.
Easy to clean and store.
Above all, crock pots are a safe, easy alternative to traditional cooking methods, and are probably the only cooking method actually meant to be left unattended.
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