There are crackpots and there are crockpots. This essay is about the latter.
I decided about a week ago to see if I could revitalize my interest in cooking by using crockpot recipes. In the past, I’ve always thought crockpot cooking all tasted the same. It didn’t matter if is was a stew or a soup or a baked potato (Yes, you can cook a baked potato in a crockpot.) It all tasted kind of mealy. Steamed, maybe.
But I bought this new crockpot cookbook and decided to put it to the test. A couple days ago, I made a turkey and wild rice casserole that turned out pretty good. Last night I made Swiss steak. It too was tasty. So today, I’m trying split pea soup with Canadian ham bits. I’ll have a salad and garlic bread on the side.
Granted, these recipes seem to be more like winter dishes than summer ones. But that’s okay, since we’re heading into the cold season, and I want to be prepared. What I’ve learned from this experiment is that I prefer to fix my dinner early in the day, make a plan, set the table, and be done with it. I’m not spontaneous when it comes to cooking. So a crockpot could work for me. I’m hoping it does.
Leave a Reply