So, That's What the Kitchen is For

I’ve always joked that if I can’t bake, boil or burn something in 8 minutes or less, I won’t even try to make it. That’s a slight exaggeration. When it comes to cooking I subscribe to one belief and it involves a simple mathematical theory. ‘Preparation time of a meal should be inversely proportionate to the time it takes to consume it, with the preparation variable always being of lesser value than the consumption variable.’ In other words, it shouldn’t take longer to make it than it does to eat it. I’m not concerned with how much time it has to bake in the oven, simmer on the stove or cook in the slow-cooker. That’s ‘free time’. I’m talking about the time spent cleaning, chopping, dicing, measuring, stirring, mixing, browning (especially hate that one for some reason), folding, kneading, and any other culinary activity. All this is kept in mind when looking for new recipes.

For those of you that like serving great meals but don’t like ‘serving time’ in the kitchen, I highly recommend getting a good slow-cooker and the cookbook Fix-It and Forget-It Cookbook: Feasting With Your Slow Cooker by Dawn J. Ranck and Phyllis Pellman Good. I have a dozen or more slow-cooker cookbooks, but this is the one I seem to use the most and I do so at least once a week. If I was to write a cookbook, it would be called Forget-it, I’m Not Fixing-it; so for a cookbook to make me eager to try new recipes, it has to be good. There are hundreds of recipes in it with everything from appetizers to beverages, main dishes to desserts and everything in between. With so many recipes offered, you are bound to discover several favorites. A few of mine are Another Chicken in a Pot, Pot Roast with Gravy and Vegetables, Swiss Steak and Beef Stew Ole. The recipes are simple, but the results are fantastic. The book also includes helpful tips throughout that are the sage advice of veteran slow-cooker-users. The tips combined with the variety of recipes have given me the confidence to experiment with my own combinations from time to time with quite tasty results. I won’t plan a menu without this cookbook!

Let me know if you try this book, have this book or recommend another one like it. I’d love to hear your comments.

SPARKED NOTE: One of the greatest advantages of using a slow-cooker (besides the time saving aspect) is that you can use less expensive cuts of meat. When slow-cooked for hours, most any cut of meat turns out tender, juicy and delicious.