The Lows

When you slow cook food many of the vitamins and nutrients get lost. This occurs mostly when cooking vegetables. Slow cookers cook below the boiling point. More often than not vegetables have already been exposed to some form of water. Sitting them in more water and cooking them slowly can promote the loss of the nutrients our bodies need.

Another downfall of slow cooking is that is does take a long time until your food is ready to eat. If you’re looking for something quick then a slow cooker isn’t going to be your best bet.

It also presents a challenge when trying to cook all your food equally although there is a way around this. When cooking stews and soups there are many ingredients involved and everything is cooking at different speeds. Vegetables take longer to cook than meat, since the crock pot is a long slow cooking process the vegetables should be added in first then the meat second. This will give vegetables a head start and keep them cooking right along with that cut of meat.

There are highs and lows when it comes to slow cooking foods. No matter which way you look at it there’s something to be said about throwing it all into one pot and walking away only to have a delicious meal waiting on you hours later. Try slow cooking and determine if the highs are worth the lows at the end of the day.  Win your race on creating delicious meals at a slow and steady pace.

Slow and steady cooking can really amplify the juices and flavors of food making those taste buds go crazy. A crock pot cooks your food very slowly, infusing the flavors and all the while being left unattended.  This allows more free time. But is everything about slow cooking good? Let’s check out the highs and lows and see if we can figure it out.

The Highs

Everybody hates when the house gets all smoky and hot while dinner is cooking. That’s just one of the many pluses of using a slow cooker. Because of its design it keeps smoke in the pot and the heat around your food not around your house.

A lot of foods benefit from being slow cooked. A good example would be those “cheaper” cuts of meat. They are going to be more suitable for being stewed because long slow cooking (simmering) will soften not toughen the meat. Boiling takes away all the muscle and enhances the meat giving it that mouth watering taste.

Another plus with slow cooking is that it eliminates overcooking foods and keeps food from becoming bland. With a crock pot it’s off to work while your dinner is cooking at the same time. Talk about multi tasking.

In today’s world crock pot cooking is the norm for many. Just a few ideas of things that can be made in the crock pot include: Pot roasts, meatballs, ham, turkey, stews, soups, chili, dips, vegetables, fruits and even desserts.

This is also a safer method of cooking. Since you’re using a lower temperature to cook, the food it’s not going to be such a hazard. The lid stays over the food so there is no popping, sizzling or chances of someone being burnt. There are times when slow cookers aren’t always safe. There is a possibility that the ceramic could crack or steam can escape but that is a very low possibility.

Broiling uses intense direct heat when cooking just like grilling. Even though it is in a closed in box the food is cooking like it’s in an opened space. Broiling requires an on eye on the food to keep it from burning. It gives the food a rich juicy taste and gives it a pretty golden brown color. Broiling reaches those characteristics differently than the grill.

1. Keep your eyes peeled:

With any method of cooking you always have to watch the food.  Some forms of cooking may allow you to walk away for extended periods of time but that is not the case when broiling. Just like when you cook on the grill you have to be very cautious and attentive to make sure not to burn the food. This is true because your oven isn’t monitoring the heat itself you are the one that has to do it.

2. Limited amount of space:

The amount of smoke is another issue you face when broiling. Because the food is not being cooked outside like when grilling there is nowhere for the smoke to go but in your house. The way to help eliminate the amount of smoke is by trimming the fat off the meat. This will be healthier as well as helping to keep the smoke out your eyes.

Broiling might not give you that charcoal taste but it certainly offers some pretty special things. Just keep on broiling and you are sure to learn the techniques and fall in love with the experience!

Sometimes things come up that make it hard to get out to your grill, maybe it’s the weather maybe you don’t have any charcoal or propane on hand, that’s were broiling comes in. You can get that same grilling experience right from the oven. Now everything isn’t the same when broiling so let’s see what the differences in broiling are.

1. Your ovens thermometer

You might think this would make it simpler to cook, being able to know exactly what temperature your food is cooking at, when in fact you could face more of a challenge. When your oven reaches the temperature its set to reach it will automatically cut itself off in order to keep it at the programmed temp. The only problem with that is your food is left cooking in its own heat, steam in some cases. A wonderful way to avoid this baking like switch is to crack your oven door so that your oven never reaches its set temperature letting the food actually broil.

2. Broiling Cookware:

One of the key factors when broiling is separating the fat and greases from your food. If they don’t separate, instead of broiling the food will actually bake. This is why there is a need for a broiling pan. It’s a specially designed pan that allows the “extras” to drip to the bottom of the pan and away from the food. Making your food that much healthier.

Boiling isn’t far Behind

Boiling is also a very unique effective way of cooking. Though it is similar to steaming they do have differences. Unlike steaming, boiling requires the food to actually sit in the water. You can boil vegetables, meats and seafood. Basically all the things you can steam, but the taste and health values will change.

Boiling or cooking food directly in the water gives the nutrients a chance to move from the food to the water. It also doesn’t spice up the food nor does it give it that appetizing color that foods get from grilling or baking. Boiled foods don’t have a lot of flavor because the flavor is being soaked in water. This is known as blanching

Here is just a brief list of the positives of boiling

•    Doesn’t require any added fats

•    It’s easy, it doesn’t require you to be hovering over your stove for hours

•    It takes those tough pieces of meat and makes them eatable

•    It is perfect for large scale cooking

These are just a few of the reason boiling is great. Grab a steamer or fill a pot with water and see for yourself just how great they both can be.

Water is a great method of cooking. As it is used to steam and boil foods. A lot of vegetables are cooked in water because it is a very healthy way to cook them. No oils or fats are incorporated into those vegetables when steamed. But what can you boil or steam. You are certainly not limited to just vegetables.

Steam Knocks it out the Park

Steaming is when you boil water causing it to evaporate into a fine mist. The actual steam is what cooks the food. For those who are watching there calories and fats, steaming is a very effective way to cook food and make it healthy. Because steaming keeps food in it original form without having to add anything extra. Something important to remember when steaming is that you are not putting the food directly in water. The food is suspended over the top of the water letting the steam rise up to your food.

Steaming has its ups and downs though. Let’s talk about some of those ups. Steaming means you are basically eliminating the opportunity to over cook the food. This is because steaming cooks slowly. If you happen to leave food in there longer than need be, it will not have the cooking power to over cook the food. Steaming uses a lot more energy than any other cooking method. If steam is cooking the food it must stay at a constant stable temperature to cook through.

Steaming is usually only used to cook vegetables, but some meats can be steamed. Beef, pork and even chicken can be steamed. It gives it a very different taste that some may not like. Seafood is a very common food to be steamed. Fish does very well and even shrimp taste wonderful.

Chicken and Spanish Rice – This will quickly become a family favorite once you give it a try.

Ingredients:

·         3 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breast or thighs

·         3 tbsp. olive oil

·         1 chorizo sausage thinly sliced (optional, but it really adds a nice flavor!)

·         1 small onion, diced

·         2 garlic cloves, minced

·         1 red bell pepper, cored, seeded and diced

·         1 large ripe tomato peeled

·         1 cup uncooked long grain white rice

·         1/2 cup frozen peas

·         3 cups chicken stock or broth

·         1 tsp. salt

Preparation:

Salt and pepper the chicken and heat olive oil in pressure cooker. Add onion, garlic, red bell pepper and tomato and cook until the onion is soft. Add rice and cook for 1 minute. Add peas, stock, salt chicken and chorizo with any accumulated juices. Stir well.

Lock the lid, bring to pressure, then lower heat and cook for 7 minutes at 15psi. Allow pressure to drop by quick release or auto release, then remove lid. Serve and enjoy!

Makes 4 to 6, family size servings.

Chicken Casserole – Casseroles are great for company and the kids love them too!

Ingredients:

·         3 medium potatoes

·         3 to 3-1/2 lbs. boneless skinless chicken breasts

·         Salt to taste

·         2 slices of bacon, cut into 1” pieces

·         1/4 lb. fresh mushrooms

·         12 very small pearl onions, peeled

·         1 tsp. flour

·         1/4 cup chicken stock

Preparation:

Peel the potatoes. Create small balls using a melon scoop. Sprinkle the chicken with salt. Place bacon in pressure cooker and sauté until it has rendered its fat. Remove the bacon and set aside, leaving the fat in the pressure cooker. Add the potatoes to the fat and quickly sauté until lightly brown. Remove the potatoes and set aside. Add chicken pieces and brown on all sides, then remove. Add onions and mushrooms and sauté for one minute. Sprinkle in the flour, then add the stock and return the chicken, bacon and potatoes to the pressure cooker.

Lock the lid in place, bring to pressure. Then lower heat and cook for 8 minutes at 15 psi. Allow pressure to drop by quick release or auto release and remove the lid. A family of 4 will enjoy this yummy casserole as will your guests!

Cooking chicken in a pressure cooker makes the chicken much more tender and juicy than baking it or even cooking it in a slow cooker, not to mention the time you save using a pressure cooker. Here are some favorite chicken recipes you’ll enjoy making and your family will surely enjoy eating.

Chicken Curry – Fast and easy to make, this recipe will surely make your mouth water.

Ingredients:

·         1 cup brown rice

·         1 tbsp. canola oil

·         1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breasts cut into 3/4” pieces

·         4 large onions cut into wedges

·         1-1/4 cups water

·         4 garlic cloves, minced

·         1 tsp. peanut oil

·         1 tbsp. low sodium soy sauce

·         1 tsp. chili powder

·         1 tsp. curry powder

·         1/4 tsp. turmeric

·         1 tsp. ground ginger

·         2 tbsp. fresh parsley, chopped

Preparation:

Cook rice using pot in pot method and set aside in a warm place.

In the pressure cooker, heat oil and sauté chicken and onions over medium-high heat until chicken is lightly browned. Add water, garlic, oil, and soy sauce, then add chili powder, curry, turmeric and ground ginger and stir till well blended.

Lock the lid in place and bring to pressure. Lower heat and cook for 4 minutes at 15psi. Allow pressure to drop by the natural release method for 4 minutes, then release the remaining pressure using the quick release method or automatic release method and remove lid. Stir in parsley and serve over warm rice.

Pressure cooked dry beans and lentils are so much better than canned beans. Here’s why: dry beans cost much less than canned beans; dry beans taste better than canned beans and contain no preservatives; dry beans are healthier than canned beans and more environmentally safe because they don’t require any metal packaging or salt water and preservatives that canned beans are soaked in; and using a new generation pressure cooker is the fastest way to cook beans and rice.

Old Fashioned Baked Beans – Perfect for a family barbeque or Thanksgiving Dinner!

Ingredients:

·         2 cups dry navy beans (aka white beans)

·         3 tbsp. Canola oil

·         1 large onion diced

·         1 garlic clove, minced

·         1-3/4 cups water

·         1 can (2 fl. Oz) tomato paste

·         3 tbsp. brown sugar

·         2 tbsp. molasses

·         1/2 tsp. prepared mustard

·         1/4 tsp. cumin

·         1/8 tsp. chili powder

Preparation:

Rinse and soak navy beans for at least 8 hours. Drain and rinse the beans. Add all ingredients except the beans to the pressure cooker and stir thoroughly. Then add the beans. Bring to a boil, then stir and lock the lid in place and bring to pressure. Lower heat and cook for 40 minutes at 15 psi. Release pressure using the quick release method or auto release and remove lid.

Makes 4 servings.

As you can see, making your family favorites is quick and easy using a new generation pressure cooker! Now you can have low-cost, healthy meals in the fraction of the time it would take you to bake, boil or use a slow cooker!

Pressure cooked dry beans and lentils are so much better than canned beans. Here’s why: dry beans cost much less than canned beans; dry beans taste better than canned beans and contain no preservatives; dry beans are healthier than canned beans and more environmentally safe because they don’t require any metal packaging or salt water and preservatives that canned beans are soaked in; and using a new generation pressure cooker is the fastest way to cook beans and rice.

Here are a couple of recipes for you to enjoy using your pressure cooker

Hummus – Healthy, environmentally safe and delicious!

Ingredients:

·         3/4 cup dried chickpeas

·         1/3 cup Canola oil

·         1/3 cup EVOO

·         1/3 cup tahini

·         1/3 cup water

·         4 tbsp. lemon juice

·         2 garlic cloves, minced

·         1/2 tsp. cumin

·         Salt to taste

Preparation:

Soak chickpeas for at least 4 hours. You can put them in water before you head for work to prepare in the evening. Dispose soaking water and rinse. Place chickpeas in pressure cooker with 3-1/2 cups water. Lock the lid and bring to pressure, then lower heat and cook for 9 to 14 minutes on high (15psi). Use natural release method to allow pressure to drop. Blend cooked chickpeas and all other ingredients until creamy.

Makes 4 servings