We tend to take our crock-pots for granted these days. They sit in the cupboard, unloved and unused until we really need to throw in a pot roast or something before we head off for work. Slow cooking has been around for hundreds of years, though. We do not realize how good we have it now.
Way Back When
Slow cooking has been around ever since people figured out how to make an iron pot. One could be hung over a fire for many hours while food simmered in it, or a smaller one could be filled with ingredients and buried in the coals to cook. People have long known the benefits of slow cooking their food. The obvious detriment to these methods was the attention it took tending the fire all day and stirring the contents of the pots.
Slow cooking tenderizes even tough cuts of meat through the gradual softening of the fibers in the meat. The low heat gradually melts the natural collagen within; making a delicious, thick, and gelatin-rich meal that is full of nutrition. Long cooking times over low heat slowly breaks down the fibers in tough root crops like rutabagas, parsnips, and turnips. It also tenderizes stored crops like dried beans and lentils until they are not only tender, but also delicious.
Today’s Crock Pot
In the’50s, Naxon Utilities Corporation of Chicago created the first slow cooker. It was called the Beanery All Purpose Cooker, and it was designed to help people cook baked beans. It was basically a ceramic pot that fit inside a metal pan with heating elements around the inside. This kept the heat even all around the food, but kept it out of direct contact.
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.
Over the years, Crock Pots have evolved. They now have ceramic pots that are removable, making cleaning much easier than the old models. With the older pots, one had to be careful during cleaning that the electrical cord not get wet. The new ceramic inserts are dishwasher safe, as well, making clean up even easier. Some newer crock-pots also have an additional setting. They come equipped with High, Low, and Warm. A few are even computerized and will change automatically to warm when the food is finished.
Long ago, women cooked many different meals slowly over the fire. Today, our crock-pots offer even more versatility. Stews, roasts and casseroles are very common meals that are made every day in the crock pot, but you can also make dishes like lasagna, sweet and sour chicken, and even your best chicken noodle soup recipes in your slow cooker.
You can also emulate your ancestors and bake breads by slow cooking. The more you use your crock-pot, the more creative you will get. You may even try desserts and dips if you get adventurous.
Making a chicken soup recipe is easy and delicious. We all have memories of chicken soup. It was wonderful on a cold day to come in to a hot bowl of soup. The noodles were carefully balanced on our spoons as we brought them up to our mouths so we could slurp them.