"slow cooker" news and stories

Cooking steel-cut oats may take a bit more time than a packet of instant oatmeal (OK, about 20 to 30 minutes longer), but the chewy texture and nutty flavor of these freshly milled whole grains will make all the difference.

Stir in a touch of brown sugar and cinnamon, and top with fresh mixed berries, as in the recipe photographed above, and you'll have a sweet eye-opener that's also good for your heart. And if you're not an early riser, you can put the ingredients in the pot the night before and let them cook overnight using your slow cooker.

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Photo: ImipolexG, Flickr

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.

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.

When it comes to small kitchen appliances, I am something of a collector. I've got a rice maker, multiple ways to make coffee, toaster oven, toaster, three waffle irons, food processors, mixers and four different slow cookers. Some of the other duplicate appliances I've got are a little ridiculous, I realize this (although I could give you a good justification for the waffle irons if pressed) but I will never stop defending my slow cooker collection.

I have a six-quart, a four-quart, a 2.5-quart and a mini-crock (I'm not sure how big that little guy is, but it's great for small batches of party dip). This because different recipes and dishes require different sized crocks in which to cook. However, I recently discovered a product that is changing the way I think about my collection of slow cookers. It's a cooker that comes with three crocks, in graduated sizes. This means that you can adjust to the demands of your recipe without needing an assortment of cookers. The crocks stack one inside another, for easy storage.

Sounds like my slow cooker collection in need of an upgrade!

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