Introduction to Slow Cooking...

Danny's Mum bought us a slow cooker a little while ago and I've been meaning to use it for ages now! Last week I finally got to put it to good use! I love the size of our Slow Cooker, it's just right for us and I love the colour of it too :)

Slow cooking has made a bit of a comeback since it was originally introduced in 1971. They are particulary great for convenience as you can prepare everything in the morning and slow cook throughout the day without having to do anything. The other benefits of using a slow cooker are;

• Foods are cooked at a relatively low heat which helps keep the nutrients in the food. Foods cooked at temperatures higher than 120'C lose some of their nutrients.
• Easy to Clean- one pot so less washing up
• Meats are great for slow cooking as they become softer and melt in your mouth due to the length of time cooking.
• It performs best with the less expensive cuts of meat and does a fabulous job with inexpensive staples such a root vegetables, lentils and beans. So people can cut back on their food budgets, while producing delicious, nutritious food.

I decided to make a Beef and Ale Stew. I've made one before using a normal pan and it came out really well but I remember thinking I should have left the meat cooking longer in order to get that melt in the mouth feel. I literally chopped everything up the night before so in the morning all I had to do was put the lot in the slow cooker pot and switch the switch to low.

Voila!! It was that simple!

Have you used a Slow Cooker? x