GOOD FOOD GUY
SLOWLY DOES IT
Taken from this month’s Cotswold Life magazine
WHY THE SLOW COOKER IS THE MUST-HAVE CHRISTMAS GADGET
I don’t know if it’s the effects of getting back to normality after 18 months at home, or whether there’s some long Covid lingering in the air, but everyone I know seems to be exhausted at the moment. The rush of summer followed by new back to school/back to the office routines (whatever that means now) have left us ‘back at it again’, and please don’t even mention that Christmas is just around the corner…
But isn’t that what November is for? A chance to pause in the busyness of life, to slow down, regroup, and mentally prepare for the winter months ahead? It’s a time for slow-cooked casseroles, quick and easy curries and seven-hour roasts that fall off the bone with no more effort than as if slicing through jelly.
I’m always up for anything that makes cooking simpler, which is why I think my mum has bought us all slow cookers for Christmas over the last few years. You know, the electric plug-in pots that your grandmother used to have sitting on the worktop? Well, I’m a complete convert. You can keep your fancy Smeg steam ovens and Neff sous-vides – a Croc-Pot slow cooker is what every kitchen needs and at around £20 a pop they’re a complete bargain.
The reason our family likes them so much is that they are so flipping easy (well, so I’m told!). You just pop the ingredients into the pot in the morning, flick the switch, and by the time you’ve come in from school/work/play you’ve got a piping hot meal ready to go. Pulled pork baps, chicken in cider, diced beef chilli – all meltingly tender and full of flavour. Whatsmore, they’re brilliant for those days when everyone is eating at different times – the longer you leave the food to cook, the better it will be and there’s no risk of it burning or going soggy, dry, or ending up in the dog!
I’ve discovered that you can literally put anything into a slow cooker and it will come out better (although it won’t improve the behaviour of your children!). Even the dodgiest of meat will become quite incredible when it’s slow-cooked. That means you can use cheaper cuts like beef brisket, pork shoulder or chicken thighs (Waghornes Artisan Butchers does an extensive range, waghornesbutchers.co.uk), saving your money to spend on that bottle of Châteaunerf-du-Pape that will go so well with those braised ox-cheeks…
But it’s not just meat that undergoes a transformation when slow-cooked. All the root vegetables that are so abundant at this time of year were made for slow cooking. Pumpkins, squashes, parsnips, potatoes, carrots and celeriac are classic casserole fodder and give you an affordable way to bulk up on mealtimes. This is seasonal cooking at its simplest.
Now, I know we weren’t going to mention the C-word, but I think you’ll find I’ve just solved all your Christmas present dilemmas in one go – pop a Croc-Pot under the tree for your nearest and dearest – be they cash-poor students, worn-out parents or elderly relatives, a slow cooker could be just the thing they never knew they needed. I know it’s not exactly an iphone, but over time, they’ll thank you – like the food it cooks, it might just take a while! Failing that, buy them a decent bottle of wine to accompany the gift and maybe they’ll not have to force the smile quite as much.