Crock-pot

I have to say that the Crock-pot is my favorite thing to cook in. The meals you can make in them are endless and always taste like you spent hours slaving over a hot stove or oven. Plus worry free, for those days that are full of carpools, practices and games, or as most of us just busy with life. The Crock-pot is going to be your best friend more then you may want to admit. Every house should have one or even two in their kitchen cabinet. They travel well for the company picnics, sports banquet or that family reunion. They are tough durable and easy to clean and store. You put your items in it cover and forget about it till you are ready to serve it. They come in different sizes and colors for every ones needs and wants.  You can buy already assembled meals in the grocery store, or you can assemble your favorite meals on your own. I have even found you can make brownies in your crock-pot that means no warming up your oven and your house. How much better can it be to make a meal then turn around and in minutes have a desert for your family.

Standard slow cookers come in round or oval shapes. Which one is best? There’s no real right answer. Think about what you’d like to cook in the slow cooker and let that dictate the shape you choose. For instance, whole chickens, brisket, or ribs will fit better in an oval shape, but if you’re usually making beans or stews, shape doesn’t matter as much and you can buy the one that fits better in your cabinet or on your counter. You can get tiny slow cookers that really are only useful for keeping dips warm, or you can get a really large-capacity one. If you’re a small household, don’t mind scaling down recipes, and don’t like to have leftovers, smaller three- to four-quart slow cookers will work. Just remember most of your recipes are designed for the bigger 6Qt one.  If you like to double recipes and cook for a crowd, by all means, go even bigger! The key to size is that slow cookers need to be at least half full to get good results. Some of the brands you can buy are Cuisinart which is rated one of the best. Then you have Hamilton Beach, Crock-pot, you are getting the best bang for your buck on this one. It has many great features. Proctor-Silex, and then you have West Bend. When you are shopping for one these are the name brands you want to stick with. They are all rated very high and have the most features. Prices are going to very depending on size and features you get. They normally start around $10.00 and go up over $100.00. Every retail store that sells kitchen items will carry a Croc-pot, or even online.  You can’t go wrong when you buy one it will change the way you cook. They also make gifts for that hard to buy for person in your life. Even if they have one get them a different size or one with more features.(see Home Page to learn how I get my reviews, comments, and content)