Process/Product

Hey! Hey you!

Me?

Yeah, you.

…yes?

Want to cook more tasty meals for yourself?

Yeah.

Want to save money?

Who doesn’t?!

Are you very, extremely busy?

Heck to the yes!

Well guess what? You need a slow cooker in your life! Like, you need one right this instant.

Wow! Thanks disembodied voice! *ding!*

So went the conversation I had with myself before I clicked “submit” on my new Hamilton beach four-quart slow cooker. I had been wanting one for a while, ever since I discovered the amazing crock-pot-a-day blog. When I saw an article linked from Lifehacker entitled “Simple Crock Pot Recipes Save Time and Money”, I took it as a sign from Pelor himself that I should pull the trigger. That was about a week and a half ago.

Today it showed up at my cubicle in a wastefully large box filled with non-biodegradable packing peanuts. Which was totally necessary since, you know, it’s such a sensitive instrument.

I couldn’t wait to get home and test it out.

I picked up a nice chuck roast and a couple jars of various pickled vegetables and peppers on my way home from work. Yes, I had decided to christian my new slow-cooker with a recipe I saw a while ago over at Brian’s Belly, the Giardiniera Beef. As I’ve mentioned in the past, I like to play fast and loose with ingredients and quantities when I cook, but I still read lots of recipes for inspiration. The giardiniera beef to me epitomized slow-cooking: it required minimal effort and produced something really tasty.

I salivated as I lovingly unwrapped the meat, gently placed it in my clean stoneware, and emptied an entire jar of Mezzetta’s California hot mix on top of it. I added a few more spices, some water, and turned the knob to “slow.” I could already taste the beef in my mind, but my mouth would have to wait another eight to ten hours.

The next morning, I awoke to the heady aroma of oregano, garlic, vinegar and yes, beef. I took a little taste and my mouth flooded with flavor. In fact, I had actually over seasoned it. It seems that less spice is needed for slow cooking, since the flavors come out a lot more than in fast cooking.

I noted my little miscalculation as I packed my lunch and thought of which recipes I wanted to try next.

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