Posted on: November 4, 2009
Slow Down
Forget fast food - try a cost-effective, energy-saving way to whip up a home-cooked meal
By Jessica Abels
CTW Features
Everyone agrees there is nothing like a steaming hot, traditional home-cooked meal. So why bother with pre-packaged dinners? Using a slow cooker can be just as easy, but considerably more delicious.
"Crock-Pot slow cookers give the gift of time," says Shannon K. Baxley, senior director of marketing for Jarden Consumer Solutions, which owns the Crock-Pot brand. "They are a convenient, cost-effective, and energy-saving method to home-style cooking."
And they're not just for Grandma, either. Today's slow cookers not only have a high-functioning chic look, but also pack a lot of punch in the kitchen. Cuisinart's latest models, including the Rice-Plus Multi-Cooker with Fuzzy Logic Technology, can perform quick cook and reheat functions, making them "one of the most versatile pieces of kitchen equipment a home cook can possess," says Mary Rodgers, director of communications for Cuisinart.
The Crock-Pot, one of the first slow cookers on the market, is seeing a kind of renaissance in today's online world from the people who find the slow cooker invaluable. "Users are extremely passionate and take a lot of pride in their slow-cooking recipes," says Baxley, noting that more than one million people visit www.crock-pot.com each year in search of the latest recipes.
A new online community called "Crock-Stars" has been developed for slow cooker devotees. "It's a forum for them to share their experiences and recipes with others who are just as passionate," she says. "Grandma (and many others) are blogging and using their Crock-Pot iPhone app. That is progress."
Don't be put off by the idea of "slow," either. In today's hurried, stressful and instantaneous world, a little slow cooking might do you a world of good.