Crock Pot Cooking Must-Have Key Ingredients
Dining out, and fast foods are pretty expensive these days. Using a slow cooker low-paid self pretty fast especially when some of them could cost less than $100. The time it saves compared to other cookware sets and the health benefits it provides places your slow cooker on top of the most beneficial cookware sets in your kitchen.
When you start using your slow cooker, you find out that there are a few key ingredients that you often use to prepare your meals and to enhance the flavor. Below is a list of three ingredients that you may want to keep in your pantry.
When you know that you’re going to use these ingredients a lot, you can buy them in bulk and save even more money. And when you buy in bulk quality organically grown ingredients become even less expensive.
Beans
Beans are an inexpensive source of protein for vegetarians, even vegetarian athletes. Mixed with rice, beans are also a good source of protein for meat-eaters who want to can bring down the consumption of meat to a healthier level.
They are different types of beans with very different flavors especially if you use spices that bring out that specific flavor. They are easy to cook, but they take a long time which makes it the perfect match for a slow cooker.
I’m not a fan of selecting ingredients and then figuring out how to put it together in a meal. It makes sense, to begin with a recipe and then shop for ingredients. I like lentil recipes more than I like navy beans. So, in our pantry, we have more lentils. Your favorite recipe may call for the navy, lentil, Northern beans, or black beans. After a while, you get hang of it.
Fibrous vegetables
Potatoes are one of these fibrous vegetables, and I’m yet to see a kitchen that doesn’t have some potatoes and have seen a kitchen that hasn’t thrown away unused potatoes.
Usually, the problem is cooking them. Again your slow cooker can take the hassle of cooking potatoes out of your hands so you can stew them or mash them after cooking. But it does add a certain thickness to soups, stews, and meals especially if you mix them with meat.
Turnips and carrots are other fibrous vegetables that take time to cook. Luckily for you, your slow cooker does the work for you while you’re away.
Award of caution about potatoes. There are 12 fruits and vegetables that belong to a list called a dirty dozen. These are the list of fruits and vegetables that have high amounts of pesticides. Potatoes are one of them. You should buy potatoes organically grown.
Broth
A slow cooker needs liquid. The first choice is purified water that does not include any chemicals. By adding herbs and vegetables to that water, you’re basically making your broth. You can also buy chicken beef or vegetable broth that is available in grocery stores. These are very inexpensive, and they have their own flavor mixed in which makes it easier for you to use.
Other ingredients that you may use for slow cookers such as meat and fresh herbs don’t lend themselves to storage. You buy those as you need them.
