Slow cookers speed up meal times
If you are a chef, I’m envious. But the chefs I know don’t cook at home. For everyone else, are you sometimes eating the same frozen stuff? Rushed for time? Is ketchup a vegetable in your household? Stop. Just stop! Go buy a slow cooker. While you’re at it, go buy a rice cooker and a big bag of rice. If you have these small appliances already, dig them out. Not only will you save money in the long run, your taste buds will become more discriminating.
Within 30 minutes after you come into the house, you’ve got an awesome slow cooked entrée, fresh rice and steamed vegetables. You didn’t have to turn on the stove and no pots to clean!
Here’s how to eat a wholesome, home-cooked meal within 30 minutes of coming home. Skip the frozen and take-out aisles and do this:
- Search the internet for “slow cooker recipes” and bookmark a few;
- If you don’t already have the ingredients, go to the grocery store and buy them on your next trip. When your daughter is asleep, go to the kitchen and follow the directions to cut and prepare. Remember, you’re not cooking anything; you’re simply chopping and throwing it in the pot. Put the contents in the fridge and forget about it;
- In the morning, take it out and plug it in. Turn on the slow cooker from the moment you leave the house;
- When you come home from work, unplug the slow cooker;
- Cook the rice. The water should cover the rice by about half an inch. It should be done in about 20 minutes. If your rice cooker comes with one of those steamer racks, put vegetables in it during the last 5-10 minutes of the rice cooking cycle. Steaming cooks food much faster than boiling and retains all the nutrition;
- When the rice is cooked, dinner is done.
There you have it. Within 30 minutes after you come into the house, you’ve got an awesome slow cooked entrée, fresh rice and steamed vegetables. You didn’t have to turn on the stove and no pots to clean! Bon appétit!