This edible feast is predominantly about texture -- not that the artful arrangement isn't almost too perfect to disturb by consumption. This slow-cooked salmon recipe from stickygooeycreamychewy.com is salmon at its finest, attractively plated with lush, buttery layers melting, fragmenting, crumbling at the mere touch.

Tenderly cradled atop an aromatic layer of sliced oranges and onions, fennel and tarragon, the fish is baked at a low temperature for half an hour. Unlike the bland color and taste that can result from more traditional cooking methods, this unfussy recipe manages to preserve the vibrant tones of the salmon as well as its shape, while dishing up a luscious product. Plus, with the extra time slow cooking affords you, you can prepare your side or salad -- and even enjoy a glass of wine.


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The mercury's dropping which means it's time to break out that trusty crock pot for set-it-and-forget-it cold weather cooking.

Move over pot roast -- did you ever think of making cobbler in a slow cooker? The ice cream on top might be worth the extra wintry chill down your spine. Try replacing the blueberries in this recipe with frozen or canned peaches.

As much as I adore my job, I tend to get the Sunday evening blues and have found as of late that labor-intensive cooking projects prove to be wonderfully soothing. It might be a bread knead, a painstakingly crimped lard crust pie, or, as it's manifested for the second week in a row, a unexpectedly soul-stirring risotto. Emphasis is on the "stirring" part, I assure you, as two times now, I've darned near sprained a forearm muscle with the non-stop drag of the wooden spoon through the ever-thickening starch. It's worth it, though -- the constant, meditative motion -- when it suddenly, palpably, audibly even, transforms the individual rice grains into a sumptuous, silken mass. It's the sort of culinary alchemy that transforms me from a solitary kitchen wretch into someone who suddenly wants to feed everyone she's ever met.

Last week's Acorn Squash Risotto from Mario Batali's Molto Italiano cookbook was a rousing success with my husband, as evidenced by this habitual leftover-snubber's willingness to dig back in on subsequent weeknights. This week's pulled pork variation, made on a whim, was a hearty treat tonight, and I've got a sneaking suspicion the flavors will meld well over the next few days.

Try for yourself. My Pulled Pork Risotto recipe is after the jump, and if you've got any soothing cooking rituals you'd like to share, I'd be more than grateful to hear about 'em.

There seems to be no corner that the world of slow cooking doesn't reach! We already had one Jenna coin the term "crock blocked," and now another, more famous Jenna is praising the wonders of the Crock Pot. According to Ace Showbiz, Jenna Fischer (of The Office and Dewey Cox) told Self magazine:

I prepared everything the night before, threw it in the Crock Pot in the morning, set it on low and came home to dinner. My boyfriend adored it. We had more time to spend together that evening. Since we didn't have to cook, it left time for hanky-panky!

We keep hearing about all the wonders of easy slow cookin', but most don't talk about how much time it frees up for sex. With the rampant popularity of the old-school cooking method, how long do you think it'll be before Fischer is doing sexy commercials for some slow cooker?

There's an extra-stabby brand of self-recrimination that comes about when one comes home, mouth slavering for the vegetable stew, several-bean chili or pulled pork shoulder that's occupied one's thoughts all day, only to come home to an air redolent of exactly nothing. No warm waft, no indicator light all a-wink with the tease, nay, promise of a hearty, slow-cooked dinner because (shudder....sob...sigh...) one neglected to actually engage the Crock Pot's "ON" button.

Is there a term for this happenstance and/or the all-day nagging feeling that one's forgotten to flip it on, but is too far from home to remedy the situation? If not, howzabout we put it to a vote? Cast it below, or suggest a better one in the comments.



And lest anyone fret, Jeff later reported that he in fact came home to a lovely, fully-cooked chicken cacciatore.

UPDATE: Commenter Jenna has suggested "crock blocked," which I'm entirely jealous I failed to coin.

My personal favorite cold weather, no barrel smoker, slow-cooker pulled pork recipe is after the jump.

I am a big fan of cooking in a slow cooker. I mentioned in this post that I have four slow cookers in graduated sizes for when I want to cook a little bit or a lot. I love that I can pop something into the pot and set it to cook overnight while I sleep (I often do this with chicken stock or a turkey breast).

I love this little cookbook called Crockery Cookery (there's something very pleasant about saying that out loud), written by Mable Hoffman. It was first published in 1975, when the slow cooking trend first started to sweep the nation. It contains recipes, tips, tricks and a guide to all slow cookers that were available in 1975 (not particularly helpful these days, but an interesting blast from the past).

My copy has a receipt in it from a Salvation Army Thrift Shop from 1983, marking the recipe for Turkey Tetrazzini. It uses canned mushrooms, but other than that calls for fresh veggies and good ingredients, showing me that not all recipes from the seventies are a wasteland of processed ingredients and horrible chemicals.

The meat was sealed, added to the soften onions and garlic, a teaspoon of paprika and plenty of beef stock. Then a low heat as the whole simmered. I am not sure the potatoes benefited from par-boiling before being added to the dish but that is what I did. Around 30 minutes before the end of the three hours the potatoes were added to the stew and left to cook just as slowly but without a lid to the dish.

 With a real spicy kick the chorizo bled colour into the stew, the flavours mingling with the paprika and other ingredients. A hearty dusting of chopped parsley added a freshness to the whole but the spice edge from the chorizo took a heavy hammer to the complexities of the accompanying wine; which was a shame, but the succulent steak component shone in a near perfect match. Three hours simmering and less than forty minutes to eat; at least the house hummed with delicious aromas and the guests went home sedated and mellow.

Part One was posted earlier. [Photos Andrew Barrow]

I'm a firm believer in the beauty of the braise. Not familiar? A braise is any time you first brown your ingredients in hot oil (or, sauté), and then add liquid to finish the cooking. You can finish your braise on the stovetop, in the oven, or in a slow cooker - but most braises are finished in the same place they were started. And braises are often the definition of s.l.o.w. slow.

Many slow cooker recipes call for a good browning of the meats and/or veggies first, but most of them hasten to mention that the browning could be skipped. I think this is close to vital (and Sarah Gim mentions that it does, after all, speed up the cooking process). What's your take: to brown, or not to brown.

[Photo Sarah Gilbert]

We've been talking about slow cooking today with everything from steel-cut oatmeal for breakfast to an authentic kalua pig roasted in the ground to Catalan beef stew. When you've got the time (and the space, if you're doing the whole kalua pig!), slow cooking is awesome.

During the work week though, and even on weekends when time is taken up with "life errands" like picking up dry cleaning, slow-cooking isn't always realistic. At least, not the kind of slow-cooking that truly takes four to five hours. Besides, I don't have a slow-cooking crock pot and my tiny apartment kitchen couldn't hold another small appliance.

But not to despair! There are way to *ahem* cheat the slow cooking a little. It probably won't be as fast and perky as Rachael Ray or Sandra Lee, but a few tips can still get you a beautifully braised, buttery beefy stew without having to sic your can opener on Dinty Moore. These aren't novel new ideas in cooking, just reminders.

Who doesn't love baked beans? I always have a couple of cans in my cupboard, ready to mix with weiners for a retro protein-packed snack. When I planned for slow cooking day, baked beans was my first thought. Nothing is more quintessentially American or (let's be honest here) easier.

I've tried to make baked beans before, and gotten frustrated with the long cooking time. Not this weekend. I started composing my soul of slow cooking post and got into a zen cooking space. I looked up at least five recipes, and they were all almost exactly the same - all started with two cups of navy beans (or, variously, "Great Northern" or "Michigan Navy" beans, which are almost the same thing), 5-6 cups of water, onion, bacon or salt pork, molasses, ginger, mustard and salt.

There were variations, of course; a little Worchestershire Sauce here, a little ketchup there. I ended up using the recipe for Boston Baked Beans from The Gourmet Slow Cooker, by Lynn Alley. It turned out fabulously, and I have only one piece of advice: cook it for a really, really long time! I cooked mine in an oven, for at least eight hours. It was delicious and so flavorful.

"I want a crock pot!" says the woman who's checking me out at the thrift store, eagerly. Later, I'm shopping for a slow cooking recipe book and am surprised to see five shelves in Powell's Books for Cooks devoted to the subject. "Do you have a slow cooker?" asks the clerk after I make my selection. I tell her I've just purchased one. "I need one, too!"

Today, it seems, everyone's into slow cooking. I head to my favorite gourmet market and there, next to the fabulously shiny stainless steel cookware and in front of the organic local produce is a sexy All-Clad slow cooker. I try to find a price tag, and when I can't, figure it's a sign from the heavens: stick with your thrift store purchase, sweetie. I have to go to the supermarket for a few things, and there's an end-of-aisle display of much lower-priced slow cookers.

When we set out to do a theme day around slow cooking, few of us even could define it. Now, we're all hooked, as Crock Pots bubble in our kitchens and beans bake for hours and hours at 300 degrees. For the record: slow cooking is any method of cookery that combines low heat and long periods of time, usually without requiring much attention. Often, slow-cooked meals are begun a day or two before they're meant to be eaten.

Why is slow cooking so popular, now, a good thirty-five years since it became vogue with the introduction of the Crock Pot? It's because it brings back the soul to cooking.

Oatmeal must be one of the best breakfast foods you can have and it is unquestionably my favorite, though pancakes are a fairly close second. Oatmeal is high in fiber and low in fat, has protein, iron and no cholesterol. In fact, it has even been shown to lower cholesterol. Oatmeal may be rather plain on its own, but its nutty flavor perfectly compliments honey, maple syrup and just about any type of fresh fruit you wish to top it with. A handful of chopped pecans or hazelnuts are also a good addition to the cereal.

There are many types of oatmeal that you can buy, though all come from the same oats. Steel cut oats are whole oat groats that have been chopped into smaller pieces. Rolled oats are oat groats that have been steamed, rolled and flaked for easier cooking. Quick cooking oats are rolled oats that have been chopped into smaller pieces and "instant" oats are basically powdered oats. "Instant" oats do not produce a good bowl of oatmeal, instead forming more of a paste. For the oatmeal lover, steel cut are the only way to go. These pieces of oats take longer to cook than the other, precooked varieties, but they are worth it. The oatmeal is creamy and the oats are chewy. The texture is unlike any bowl of breakfast cereal you've ever had. McCann's is the most famous brand, but other brands are beginning to become more widely available. You can buy steel cut oats very inexpensively at natural food stores, as well.

You leave the house in the dark. You come home in the dark. It's winter, and you yearn for a lovingly-cooked meal. Why not have it ready when you get home? Why not fill your house with the rustic aromas of slow cookery?

But I have a job, or, at least a life, I can hear you murmuring to yourself, shaking your head. I don't have a personal chef. I'll just throw a Lean Cuisine in the oven.

No! Stop! Put away that freezer meal. Freezers are for summer, when you eat ice cream and whir up smoothies with fresh fruit and yogurt. Winter is for slow cookers, for Crock-Pots and baking at low, low heat and, oh, the bountiful braise. Monday, January 23, we'll be celebrating all that is slow - all our recipes will cook at low heats for several hours. Nearly all of them can be mixed early in your day and set cooking, and the flavors will combine throughout the afternoon as the dish gets more, and more, and more tender, until it is meltingly delectable, until it sings on your tongue.

Classic slow-cooked meals were invented long before the Crock-Pot trademark was ever registered. Dishes like cassoulet and baked beans and Beef Bourguignonne hearken from centuries ago. Once, everything was cooked slow. We honor our culinary heritage. We long for food that has nothing "fast" about it.