One of the best ways to save time in the kitchen is with a slow-cooker. Whether you’re cooking for one or ten, there’s no easier way to make a large meal. To find out what our favorite meals are, we asked chefs and food bloggers from around the web to share their favorite meal for when it’s rainy outside. Here are 9 favorites!
The slow-cooker is a lifesaver
The first reason a slow-cooker is a lifesaver is for a rainy day. When you don’t have to leave the house, you can just throw ingredients into your crock pot or slow cooker and come back later to dinner being ready.
In fact, every person we surveyed said that they loved their slow-cooker because it made cooking easy no matter what the weather was outside. And just about everyone agreed that a slow-cooker saves time!
This may be one of the best reasons why a slow-cooker is so useful. With one appliance, you can cook meals for hours without having to check on it at all – which means more time for chores around the house or a date night with your spouse. Plus, there’s no need to worry about babysitting your meal while it cooks away on the stovetop (or oven) all day long.
It also lets you make large batches of food without having to invest in larger appliances like an industrial size oven or stovetop grill. With a slow-cooker, your cooking space is limited only by how many sessions you want to fill up.
Another great feature of these kitchen helpers? They’re usually less expensive than most other kitchen appliances, which
Our favorite meals to make in the slow-cooker
A slow-cooker is one of the best kitchen gadgets for busy people. It can make cooking meat easy and tender, freeing up time for other essentials like chopping onions, washing dishes, or making dessert.
We asked chefs and food bloggers from around the web to share their favorite meal for when it’s rainy outside. Here are 9 favorites!
1) “Slow cooker short ribs with garlic, mustard, and thyme.” – Chef Karen
2) “Butter chicken.” – Chef Shanee
3) “Sausage and Peppers.” – Chef John Besh
4) “Best ever lasagna.” – food blogger Diane’s Dishes
5) “Pulled Pork Sandwiches.” – Food Blogger Michele at Appetite For China
6) “Bread Pudding with Bourbon Sauce.” – Food Blogger Crispy Bits And Burnt Ends
7) “Creamy Tuna Pasta Salad.” – Food Blogger The Spicy Vegetarian Mama
8) “Cheesy Broccoli Quinoa Bake.” – Food Blogger Julia’s Album
Instant Pot- what is it?
An Instant Pot is a high-tech slow-cooker that also functions as a pressure cooker. A pressure cooker speeds up the cooking process by creating a sealed environment, which raises the boiling point of water and increases heat.
This means that foods cook much more quickly than they would if boiled over a stovetop or in a traditional slow-cooker. In addition to these two modes, an Instant Pot also offers sauté and yogurt making functions. All this for just one appliance!
Our favorite instant pot recipes
1. Instant Pot Chicken Alfredo
2 2. Slow Cooker Beef Stew
3. Slow Cooker Pork Carnitas Tacos
4. Slow Cooker BBQ Pulled Pork Sandwiches
5. Instant Pot Mongolian Beef
6. Crockpot Roast Chicken with Vegetables
7. Slow Cooker Mexican Shredded Chicken
Other tips and tricks
Want to make your slow-cooker even more useful? Fill it with other things besides food!
A recent BHG article suggests using a slow-cooker to make cleaning supplies, like soap and dishwashing liquid. Another great idea is to use the machine to dry your laundry—just add an extra load of clothes to the pot, set it on low or high, and go about your day!
Another way to save time in the kitchen is by cooking in bulk. The easiest way to do this is by baking in batches. By cooking two or three times as many cookies, you’ll spend less time in the kitchen.
Conclusion
Slow-cookers can be a lifesaver in the kitchen and if you’ve got one and haven’t used it in a while it’s time to get cooking. Here are 9 of our favorite recipes to make in the slow-cooker and we’ve even thrown in some instant pot recipes for good measure. With these recipes you can make delicious, healthy meals for your family with minimal effort.
