Posts Tagged ‘recipe’
Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About Slow Cooker History
Posted by: Ken Kudra
November 20th, 2009 >> Diet
Crock-pots… almost everyone has one, but do they use them? Many just stay in the cupboard, completely underused. Slow cooking has been used for hundreds of years to get the most out of food, but it used to be a lot more work than it is today.
Way Back When
People have been slow cooking their meals ever since they learned how to smelt iron and make a pot. A large kettle could be simmering over the fire throughout the day, or a small, covered Dutch oven could be set into the coals for cooking. It has long been known that slow cooking has many benefits for our food. The downside to the old methods is the constant tending needed for the fire, as well as frequent stirring of the food.
Meats cooked slowly are tenderized because the low heat softens the fibers. It also melts the natural collagen found within the meat, creating a gelatin-rich, delicious meal chock full of goodness. Fibrous vegetables like parsnips, turnips, and rutabagas also benefit from slow cooking. Dried crops like beans and lentils are slow cooked to create delicious, hearty meals.
The Crock Pot
The Naxon Utilities Corporation in Chicago developed what we recognize as a slow cooker in the’50s. They called their new pot the Beanery All Purpose Cooker. It was meant to help make baked beans. The Beanery was a ceramic pot situated inside a metal pan equipped with heating elements around the sides. This heated the ceramic pot evenly, while keeping the heat away from directly contacting the food.
Naxon was bought by Rival in’70. The Beanery was reinvented as the Crock Pot. During the’70s, more women were joining the workforce, and the Crock Pot helped them manage to feed their families as well. It was easy enough to fill it before they left for work and be able to come home to a hot meal.
As the years have passed, the Crock Pot has been improved. With features like removable ceramic inserts for easy cleaning and more settings, it has become more useful than ever before. Unlike older models that only had High and Low settings and were in one piece, making cleaning difficult; the newer models often feature a Warm setting as well as being easier to take care of.
In the old days, women used slow cooking to make many different foods. Today, crock-pots are even more convenient. You can make roasts, stews, beans and all sorts of tasty meals in your slow cooker, even some more complicated dishes including lasagna, pulled pork, and seafood chowders. You can even cook homemade chicken noodle soup in a crock pot very easily. Almost anything can be made in a crock-pot.
Like the traditional methods, crock-pots can also be used to bake breads and cakes. The more you play with your crock-pot, the more you may enjoy it. Desserts and other great recipes are waiting to be tried.
Chicken vegetable soup is delicious and filling. You can add any vegetables you happen to have handy. Try onions, peppers, zucchini, corn, green beans or anything else you like. There are many ways to make this soup. Try some different variations and see which you like best.
There is nothing as comforting as a hot bowl of homemade soup. It warms your belly, making you feel content and cared for. Many consider making soup from scratch to be intimidating, but it is really very easy once you have given it a try. When you use your slow cooker, it is even easier.
Soups for the Slow Cooker
Just about any kind of soup can be made successfully in a slow cooker. If you like simple soups like chicken noodle beef barley, the slow cooker can do it for you. If you like fancier soups like vichyssoise or French onion soup, your slow cooker can handle that too. Delicate soups like seafood chowder can also be made quickly in your slow cooker. If you prefer ethnic soups like Indian Dal or Mexican tortilla soup, you are good to go.
It does not matter what your favorite soup is… you can probably make it in your slow cooker. Leftovers work, too. If you have a ham bone left, toss it in with some split peas for yummy pea soup, or add some navy beans to make a hearty bean soup.
Cheddar cheese soup and clam chowder will also work in the slow cooker. That is the best thing about soup recipes in the slow cooker… you can make all the soups you like best. Noodles, rice, dumplings… they all can be made with the slow cooker.
Try Something New
You can also try a soup recipe that is new for you. Trying new recipes is always fun! A new slow cooker soup will give you something exciting to look forward to for dinner. Have you ever tried a garden cabbage soup? What about deviled chicken soup? Have you ever heard of a cheesy meatball soup or a taco soup? You are sure to find new favorites.
All you need is a little inspiration to create your own slow cooker soups. Why not try making your own recipe? The slow cooker allows for imperfection. A tough piece of meat will be tenderized by the long cooking time. Vegetables and herbs add their flavors, creating a complex broth. Add a little milk or cream towards the end to create a nice creamy soup if you prefer. You are limited only by your imagination.
Old traditional favorites like chicken soup, beef barley and chicken and dumplings are always good, too. For a change of pace, try an old favorite with a different ingredient added. Maybe try pork barley or rabbit and dumplings. It is fun to try a new twist on an old favorite.
You can even press your slow cooker into service after the holidays to make your day after easier. Add leftover turkey from Thanksgiving to the slow cooker to make a delicious turkey soup. Add rice, potatoes, or noodles, whichever you like best. Add in leftover vegetables like peas, squash, carrots, or leftover gravy. You will end up with a new way to enjoy the fruits of your labors from before the big day. Slow cookers are a great way to use up these leftover goodies.
A good recipe for Mexican chicken soup will give you rich flavors of seasonal vegetables native to Mexico. Squash, zucchini and root vegetables are often found in their chicken soups. This gives them a richness that may not show up in soups that use different ingredients.
If cold pumpkin soup sounds a little strange to you, you are not alone. Lots of people in the US have never encountered this cool, smooth treat, but they are missing out. If you have only every had pumpkin soup at Thanksgiving, you have never really experienced it. There are all kinds of soups from all over the world that you need to try.
Pumpkin soup can be a real treat, even if it looks a little unusual at first. Do not be surprised by the smooth texture or bright orange color of a good pumpkin soup. It can be really delicious, and is an experience that everyone should have at least once.
Serve up your favorite pumpkin soup in bowls or mugs, cook it right in the pumpkin, or hollow out a pumpkin to serve as centerpiece and serving dish, too. Garnish with green onion, chopped parsley, or sweet spices like cloves and cinnamon. While your family might start out skeptical, they will end up loving this unique dish.
Pumpkins do not just make creamy, delicious meals – they are also full of good nutrition. Vitamins A and C, iron and fiber are all found in pumpkins, as well as a number of other important nutrients, too. Even your kids will love eating their vegetables after you get them hooked on pumpkin soup.
Try a southeast Asian inspired pumpkin soup recipe easy and quick. With a little carrot and coconut, you have a spicy, exotic treat that is great served during those last hot late summer days, when pumpkins first appear at roadside stands. Of course, to try this soup when pumpkins are not in season, just used frozen or canned products.
The best pumpkin to use for this kind of soup is a small pie or sugar pumpkin, not the kind you would buy for the kids to carve around Halloween. Halloween pumpkins are usually hard, fibrous, and tasteless, while pie pumpkins are sweeter and more tender. They are easy to prep for cooking. Just slice them in half to scoop out the seeds and cut your pumpkin into wedges.
Next, peel your pumpkin and cook the flesh until it is soft, or boil or bake it, then scoop the meat out of the skin once the pieces have cooled off. Either way, compost the parings or use them to make stock, then mash the pulp or put it in the blender.
Savory ingredients that go well with pumpkin include garlic and onion, as well as chicken and vegetable broths. Add in coconut, soy, or cow’s milk, or some cream or half and half. Then blend partially or completely to get a smooth result, with or without some textural pieces. Chill and serve for a real taste sensation.
Classic pumpkin soup is a wonderful dish to serve in the late autumn. The rich flavors and color of the soup is the perfect accompaniment to any meal, including your holiday feasts. Serve it alone or as an appetizer. Your family and guests will love this flavor of fall.
