{"id":943,"date":"2022-10-10T19:05:33","date_gmt":"2022-10-10T19:05:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/simplestartnutrition.com\/?p=943"},"modified":"2022-10-10T19:32:56","modified_gmt":"2022-10-10T19:32:56","slug":"the-slow-cooker-over-70-years-old-and-still-a-household-staple","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/simplestartnutrition.com\/?p=943","title":{"rendered":"The Slow Cooker: Over 70 Years Old and Still a Household Staple"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t<div data-elementor-type=\"wp-post\" data-elementor-id=\"943\" class=\"elementor elementor-943\" data-elementor-post-type=\"post\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-a86ce92 elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"a86ce92\" data-element_type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-45585f4c\" data-id=\"45585f4c\" data-element_type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-eb8dd7b elementor-widget elementor-widget-theme-post-title elementor-page-title elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"eb8dd7b\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"theme-post-title.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h1 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">The Slow Cooker: Over 70 Years Old and Still a Household Staple<\/h1>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-7ed1660 elementor-widget elementor-widget-theme-post-featured-image elementor-widget-image\" data-id=\"7ed1660\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"theme-post-featured-image.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"258\" height=\"300\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/simplestartnutrition.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/Screenshot_20221010-105040.png?fit=258%2C300&amp;ssl=1\" class=\"attachment-medium size-medium wp-image-945\" alt=\"Photo of woman smiling and holding a cookbook behind a slow cooker\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/simplestartnutrition.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/Screenshot_20221010-105040.png?w=1079&amp;ssl=1 1079w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/simplestartnutrition.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/Screenshot_20221010-105040.png?resize=258%2C300&amp;ssl=1 258w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/simplestartnutrition.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/Screenshot_20221010-105040.png?resize=879%2C1024&amp;ssl=1 879w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/simplestartnutrition.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/Screenshot_20221010-105040.png?resize=768%2C895&amp;ssl=1 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 258px) 100vw, 258px\" \/>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-62799d98 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"62799d98\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>Ah, the slow cooker, or the Crock Pot as I like to call it.\u00a0 (<i>Note: technically Crock Pot is a brand name like Kleenex, the actual appliance is called a slow cooker<\/i>)\u00a0 Now that it\u2019s fall, you\u2019re going to see it on my counter top <i>a lot more.<\/i>\u00a0 If you follow this blog at all, you know I\u2019m not a great cook (<i>or even a good cook, tolerable is more like it<\/i>), that\u2019s my husband&#8217;s department.\u00a0 He loves to take his time in the kitchen and make a delicious meal.\u00a0 Not me!\u00a0 Get it on the table and fast, it\u2019ll be edible <i>most of the time.<\/i>\u00a0 Enter: the slow cooker.\u00a0 I can throw it all in a pot, walk away for 8 hours and come back to a nice dinner that actually tastes good.\u00a0 What\u2019s not to love?<\/p><p>We can thank Irving Nachumsohn for the invention of the slow cooker in 1939.\u00a0 It took more than a decade to get the slow cooker to market, but eventually in 1950\u2019s it was available to the masses under the name <a href=\"https:\/\/www.smithsonianmag.com\/innovation\/brief-history-crock-pot-180973643\/%23:~:text=In%2520their%2520household%252C%2520the%2520slow%2520cooker%2520was%2520a,and%2520it%2520was%2520granted%2520on%2520January%252023%252C%25201940.\">Naxon Beanery<\/a> \u201cThe All Purpose Cooker\u201d.\u00a0 In 1971, a rival of the original slow cooker came out called the Crock Pot.\u00a0 Today, over 80% of American households have a slow cooker.<\/p><p><i>Why do over 80% of Americans have one you ask?\u00a0<\/i><\/p><ul><li>Save energy- Using a slow cooker vs your oven or stove top can save a lot of energy, especially in the summer. Why turn on a big oven and heat up the house when it\u2019s already hot out\u2026<\/li><li>Save money- the slow cooker is great at making those tough cuts of meat, which tend to be cheaper, nice and tender.\u00a0 A lot of recipes also call for root vegetables like potatoes, and\/or beans, all of which are quite economical.<\/li><li>Save time- Duh! No more standing at the stove, stirring, checking, you can put your meal on in the morning and walk away for the day.<\/li><li>Enhances flavor- the longer something cooks, the more time for the flavors to develop!<\/li><li>Pretty Foolproof- while this is mostly true, I have managed to burn a recipe or 2. <i>I\u2019m just that talented<\/i>.\u00a0 But in general, the recipes are set it and forget it type recipes, even I can do it!<\/li><li>Easy clean up- it\u2019s only one pot!<\/li><\/ul><p><i>There are a couple downsides- neither of which are deal breakers in my opinion<\/i><\/p><ul><li>If you want to sear the meat, you\u2019ll need to do that in a separate pan (<i>unless you have a super fancy slow cooker- see below<\/i>)<\/li><li>Since everything is slow cooked, it\u2019s all very tender, and everything being the same soft texture might not be so appealing to some people- so add some crunch at the end!<\/li><\/ul><p>In case you\u2019re the rare person who doesn\u2019t have one, or maybe want to grab another one, let&#8217;s walk through some decisions you\u2019ll have to make.<\/p><p><i>First, What size are you going to get?<\/i><\/p><table cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"0\"><tbody><tr><td valign=\"top\">Size<\/td><td valign=\"top\">Uses<\/td><\/tr><tr><td valign=\"top\">20 ounces<\/td><td valign=\"top\">Personal use, this tiny model is designed for a meal on the go, think a nice warm lunch in the office.<\/td><\/tr><tr><td valign=\"top\">1.5-2 quart<\/td><td valign=\"top\">Typically referred to as a \u201cmini\u201d cooker, it\u2019s great for keeping dips or appetizers warm like buffalo chicken dip or mini meatballs<\/td><\/tr><tr><td valign=\"top\">2.5-3.5 quart<\/td><td valign=\"top\">1-2 people or a small meal.<\/td><\/tr><tr><td valign=\"top\">3.5-4.5 quarts<\/td><td valign=\"top\">Perfect for 3-4 people, no leftovers!<\/td><\/tr><tr><td valign=\"top\">5-6 quart<\/td><td valign=\"top\">This is your standard slow cooker size most recipes are based on<\/td><\/tr><tr><td valign=\"top\">7-8 quart<\/td><td valign=\"top\">Great for large families and parties, and if you have somewhere to store it!<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><p><i>Second, What features do you want?<\/i><\/p><p>You can choose a very simple model- typically a manual slow cooker.\u00a0 This is just one knob on the front with off, low, medium, and high.\u00a0 Easy, but you do need to keep your eyes on it as it might cook faster or slower than you think.<\/p><table style=\"height: 154px;\" width=\"235\" cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"0\"><tbody><tr><td style=\"width: 233px; height: 102px;\" valign=\"middle\"><p style=\"margin-bottom: 0px; min-height: 14px;\" align=\"center\"><span style=\"font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 12px; line-height: normal; font-family: Helvetica Neue; font-variant-ligatures: common-ligatures; color: #000000;\"> <img decoding=\"async\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-950\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/simplestartnutrition.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/Screen-Shot-2022-10-10-at-3.09.51-PM.png?resize=246%2C208&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" width=\"246\" height=\"208\" \/><\/span><\/p><\/td><td style=\"width: 234px; height: 102px;\" valign=\"middle\"><p style=\"margin-bottom: 0px; min-height: 14px;\" align=\"center\"><img decoding=\"async\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-953\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/simplestartnutrition.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/Screen-Shot-2022-10-10-at-3.31.33-PM.png?resize=300%2C200&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"programmable slow cooker image\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/simplestartnutrition.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/Screen-Shot-2022-10-10-at-3.31.33-PM.png?w=498&amp;ssl=1 498w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/simplestartnutrition.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/Screen-Shot-2022-10-10-at-3.31.33-PM.png?resize=300%2C200&amp;ssl=1 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/p><\/td><\/tr><tr><td style=\"width: 233px; height: 22px;\" valign=\"middle\"><p style=\"margin-bottom: 0px;\"><span style=\"font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 11px; line-height: normal; font-family: Arial; font-variant-ligatures: common-ligatures; color: #000000;\"><b>Manual<\/b><\/span><\/p><\/td><td style=\"width: 234px; height: 22px;\" valign=\"middle\"><p style=\"margin-bottom: 0px;\"><span style=\"font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 11px; line-height: normal; font-family: Arial; font-variant-ligatures: common-ligatures; color: #000000;\"><b>Programmable<\/b><\/span><\/p><\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><p>The other option is a programmable slow cooker.\u00a0 This allows you to put in a specific time for the food to cook, for example 5 hours, instead of trying to guess if that\u2019s the high or medium setting.\u00a0 Some other fun features you might want to consider:<\/p><ul><li>Travel lid that locks in place to make it easy to transport.<\/li><li>Pot shape.\u00a0 Oval tends to allow for larger cuts of meat vs a round pot.<\/li><li>Some newer models come with searing capabilities, which saves you from cleaning a separate pan, but it\u2019ll cost you.<\/li><li>Wifi enabled, which allows you to turn it on and off or change the setting from your phone.<\/li><\/ul><p>Slow cookers run anywhere from under $20 to over $100.\u00a0 So there is definitely one for every budget.<\/p><p>Now that you have your slow cooker, it\u2019s time to put it to good use.\u00a0 Beyond the classic soups and stews, a slow cooker can make main dishes like chicken and broccoli, a roast, ribs, pulled pork, and more.\u00a0 Plus side dishes like mac and cheese, baked potatoes, and stuffing.\u00a0 It\u2019s great for breakfast casseroles, oatmeal, or hashbrowns.\u00a0 And if that\u2019s not enough, try making some dessert- like cake, rice pudding, and even cheesecake!\u00a0 Another fun use is drinks.\u00a0 The slow cooker is perfect for fall to keep your apple cider warm or hot chocolate ready to drink all winter long.<\/p><p>There are so many recipes out there, you\u2019ll find some to suit your abilities and time.\u00a0 Some recipes call for a little prep, like cutting up vegetables, or browning meat, others are called \u201cdump\u201d recipes, where you literally just chuck a bunch of stuff in the pot, give it a stir, and walk away (<i>right up my alley<\/i>).\u00a0 While I am an avid recipe follower (<i>I\u2019m not a good enough cook to \u201cwing it\u201d&#8230;maybe one day<\/i>), I will make the occasional substitution, addition, or subtraction to a recipe to make it slightly healthier.\u00a0 I\u2019m not talking about calorie control, but maybe a little more heart healthy.\u00a0 I might add beans or some extra spinach for fiber, which helps with blood sugar control and gut health.<\/p><p>Here are my go-to moves<\/p><ul><li>I only buy low sodium or no sodium broth and stock.\u00a0 This helps me keep the sodium in check, and I can always add more if I want to, but you can\u2019t really take it out once it\u2019s in there.\u00a0 Try upping some of the other spices to have a flavorful meal without too much salt.<\/li><li>Swap out ground beef with ground turkey.\u00a0 Ground turkey is lower in saturated fat.\u00a0 If you want to use ground beef, look for 93\/7 or 95\/5.<\/li><li>Leave the skins on vegetables like potatoes and carrots.\u00a0 That means more vitamins, minerals, and fiber.<\/li><li>Add a can of beans.\u00a0 Black beans, kidney beans, white beans, whatever sounds best in your recipe (<i>for example, I always add black beans to my chicken tortilla soup, whether it calls for it or not, they\u2019re so good!<\/i>).\u00a0 This boosts the fiber AND protein in your soup, keeping you fuller, longer!<\/li><li>I add<i> slightly<\/i> more vegetables than the recipe states.\u00a0 1 cup of spinach- how about 1.5 cups?\u00a0 2 bell peppers, maybe 2.5 or even 3 peppers.\u00a0 You don\u2019t want to go WAY overboard, it can affect the moisture content of the soup, and the cooking time, plus you need to be careful not to overfill the pot- it should be about \u00be full.<\/li><li>Can I use low fat cheese or 1% milk?\u00a0 This doesn\u2019t always work, but even subbing some of the cheese (not all of it) might work, or using some cream and some milk (in place of all cream) is a way to cut down on some of the saturated fat. I\u2019m not trying to ruin the recipe, just trim the fat (<i>Ha! Get it?<\/i>)<\/li><\/ul><p>I usually make the recipe the correct way the first time, and then tinker the next time to see what can be changed.\u00a0 Not a full makeover, but more veggies and less salt\/fat never hurt anyone!<\/p><p>So, did I convince you to bust out your slow cooker?\u00a0 What are you going to make?\u00a0 Give us some ideas, we love trying new recipes!<\/p><p>Stay Happy, Stay Healthy<\/p><p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-643\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/simplestartnutrition.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/image-7.png?resize=132%2C101&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" width=\"132\" height=\"101\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/simplestartnutrition.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/image-7.png?w=1650&amp;ssl=1 1650w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/simplestartnutrition.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/image-7.png?resize=300%2C231&amp;ssl=1 300w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/simplestartnutrition.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/image-7.png?resize=1024%2C789&amp;ssl=1 1024w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/simplestartnutrition.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/image-7.png?resize=768%2C592&amp;ssl=1 768w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/simplestartnutrition.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/image-7.png?resize=1536%2C1184&amp;ssl=1 1536w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/simplestartnutrition.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/image-7.png?w=1280&amp;ssl=1 1280w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 132px) 100vw, 132px\" \/><\/p><p>This blog was written by Chris Henigan MS, RD, LDN, co-founder of Simple Start Nutrition.\u00a0 For more blog posts and nutrition information follow @simplestartnutrition on Instagram and Facebook.\u00a0 Also feel free to contact us, by visiting our website (<a href=\"http:\/\/simplestartnutrition.com\/\">simplestartnutrition.com<\/a>) to schedule an appointment to discuss your nutrition related needs.\u00a0 We\u2019re here to 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cooker, or the Crock Pot as I like to call it.\u00a0 (Note: technically Crock Pot is a brand name like Kleenex, the<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":945,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"elementor_header_footer","format":"standard","meta":{"nf_dc_page":"","om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-943","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/simplestartnutrition.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/Screenshot_20221010-105040.png?fit=1079%2C1257&ssl=1","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/simplestartnutrition.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/943","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/simplestartnutrition.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/simplestartnutrition.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/simplestartnutrition.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/simplestartnutrition.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=943"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/simplestartnutrition.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/943\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":956,"href":"https:\/\/simplestartnutrition.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/943\/revisions\/956"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/simplestartnutrition.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/945"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/simplestartnutrition.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=943"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/simplestartnutrition.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=943"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/simplestartnutrition.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=943"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}