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.
Ancient History
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.
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.
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.
Rival purchased Naxon in’70. The Beanery was renamed the Crock Pot and marketed to the many women who were leaving the home to go to work every day. Crock Pots helped many women feed their families every night. It made their lives easier knowing that a hot meal was waiting when they got home.
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.
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.
A hearty chicken vegetable soup recipe will contain all your favorite vegetables. You can make it with a clear broth or with a creamy base. Either way, this soup will be delicious and become a family favorite. Make it for family gatherings or for a cold winter evening.
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