The Importance of Crock Pots

Today's going to be a busy day, and tonight is Heroes Monday, which means I'm making dinner. There's only one solution to being busy and still having to make dinner....the crock pot!

I'm a huge fan of crock pots. Aside from making food taste incredible, they are easy to use and work much better with a busy schedule than anything else I've ever cooked with. And they are cheap! These days you can pick up a small one at Walgreens for $10!

Tonight I'm making Pulled Pork Potato Skins and Pesto Chicken Quesadillas. I'll have the recipes tomorrow, but since today's busy I'm doing the hard parts of these recipes in a crock pot.

For anyone who doesn't know, the basic jist of the crock pot is that it boils and steams your food for you. Cooking things in liquid and/or steam will make food incredibly tender. The only problem is that for a better quality product, you need to cook it longer. The crock pot is never going to be used for a "quick meal." But if you have a busy day ahead of you, or just know what you want to eat that night, get your food in the crock pot before you go to work, and then you're all set! By the time you get home, your food will be completely cooked, your home will smell incredible, and you'll have a hot, delicious meal that won't even require much work!

One simple crock pot meal is a variation on the chicken recipes I talked about in the last post. Take a few of those frozen chicken breasts you have in your freezer and put them in your crock pot. Cover with chicken broth, and set your crock pot to "low". Let it cook for 6-8 hours (or however long you're at work). When you get home, remove the chicken from the cooking liquid. Shred it with a fork, and then add your sauce of choice. Add whatever sauce you'd like and even feel free to put this chicken over rice or pasta! Trust me, this chicken will be the most tender chicken you've ever had!

That exact recipe will work with any meat. Feel free to try it with a pork shoulder or any type of beef roast. These two examples will probably work better with a beef broth, but you can still get away with chicken broth or even water or beer (yup, I said beer). Most liquids will work just fine.

If you want to add vegetables, like chopped onions, minced garlic or diced carrots, I suggest putting them in the bottom of the crock pot, before the meats. This way they get a little more heat intially, which will release more flavors upward towards the meat.

Remember, you'll never overcook something in a crock pot. The longer your food is in there, the better it will taste! I always prefer cooking things on low, but if you have less time, cooking on "high" will still give you amazing food. And best of all, your home will smell incredible from over a block away!

If you're looking for a great meal that's ready to go when you get home, think about picking up one of these glorious cooking devices today!