Perhaps "lazy" was the wrong word to describe the slow cooker. Long cooked stews, chilis, soups, pot roasts - they're wonderful, for many reasons. It's a way to tenderize a tough cut of meat, it's how to get your beans done. And I know there's a way to put the slow cooker to use there; I just have to find my way (and maybe get up a tiny bit earlier).
The thing is, the crock pot business has a bad name - there are too many recipes out there where a jar of this and a can of that are dumped on top of an indifferent piece of meat, which is then left to stew all day in its industrial food complex juices. Yes, Virginia, you too can make Sweet & Savory Brisket with only five ingredients: ketchup, grape jelly, onion soup mix, ground pepper, and a poor unsuspecting beef brisket.
Really, people, that is lazy ass cooking. Besides the fact that it probably tastes disgusting, do you even want to think about the high fructose corn syrup and MSG involved? When pressed for time, my inclination is to eat a slice of cheese, three radishes and a piece of bread for dinner - standing over the sink so there aren't any dishes to wash.
What's your favorite fast meal?
10 January 2012
Slow Cooking vs. Fast Eating
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11 comments:
Hummus and tortilla. Tear up the tortilla and dip each piece in the hummus. No dishes.
The slow cooker is a good thing with good ingredients, though. Chilis and stews and everything else. You can also prep the night before and put the inner pot thing in the fridge. Get up in the morning, put it in the cooker part and you're off to the races.
You would not believe the number of slow cooker cook books I pored over trying to find something that wasn't like the brisket recipe you describe (well, YOU probably would, but most people would not). I ended up buying a vegetarian one, but then the problem is that vegetables lose their vibrant color... When I sit down to a meal, I want a lot of variety in texture, color, and taste on my plate, which means I would still have to make other food to go along with whatever comes out of the pot.
Fast meal? Sandwiches. You can put a lot of different flavors in between slabs of good bread.
made some nachos in the convection oven last night...salsa, provolone, pepperoni. YUM! Took about 8 minutes, then we sat at the table picking and talking :-)
Brown rice (I cook a big pot and freeze it in small portions once a month or so) with refried beans, diced onions, diced green chiles and a little shredded cheese.
Saute an onion with some herbs, add a can of black beans, throw in a bag of frozen mixed vegetables and some water; presto! soup.
Only three radishes? I hope you slathered them in butter and sea salt :)
Cheese with pretty much anything.
Peanut butter slathered onto bites of apple.
Bread, cheese and prosciutto. Or salami. Or any high-quality sausage.
If it's hot outside: plain yogurt with olive oil, fresh mint and salt and some almonds (on the side!) for protein.
Now I'm hungry.
For something quick and easy, we make wraps. My favorite are "Peking Chicken Roll-ups" -- we use leftover cooked chicken and I don't remember the ingredients of the sauce (probably soy sauce, garlic, and a few other things) for heating up the chicken and giving it some new flavor, drizzle some hoisin sauce on a wrap, add the chicken, some green onions and roll it up. I think I'm missing something in the assembly, but you get the idea, right? :)
That's completely the issue.
I always felt sort of thrifty and virtuous sticking that crap in the crock pot.
It's sad--I made a couple of REALLY delicious things and then I forgot how I did it. Really--my husband was raving about how my daughter devoured it. I tried to reproduce it and she's hated every one since.
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