The crock-pot is likely the least celebrated and yet one of the most life-changing kitchen appliances known to man, and yet too few of us ever use our crock-pots.
Scott and I own three of them collectively, and more often than not, they are all three sitting in their respective boxes somewhere rather than being plugged in on our countertop holding a warm, hearty meal for those cold winter nights.
In an effort to make better use of these sorely neglected appliances, I yanked the smaller one out on Sunday thinking the New Year 2007 was as good a time as any to start throwing together meals in the morning before we go to work and coming home to a hot and ready to serve dinner. With leftovers.
So far, tiny crock-pot is on its second use in a week; Sunday I filled it with leftover tenderloin strips from New Year’s eve, red wine, tomatoes, onions, red bell peppers, soy sauce, brown sugar and garlic for a variation of pepper steak.
Today it is slow cooking country style pork ribs and sauerkraut, one of my German grandmother’s favorites. Tomorrow, I am going to experiment with a French onion soup rendition, since the recipe book that came with the littlest crock recommends slow simmering your soups in it, and this Saturday it will pay homage to my Irish lineage with a lovely corned beef, sauerkraut, and potato offering.
Like any New Year’s resolution, I will need to actively remind myself to continue using the crock-pot lest our new habit easily falls by the wayside, but I would hope that we can stay in the habit long enough (I read somewhere that research has proven it takes adults 21 consecutive days to develop a new habit. I’m not sure if that applies to crock pot cookery or not, hopefully not, since we will not be using it consecutively for that three weeks) to make this one of our staple modes of winter cookery, much as the grill is in the summer (although we have also been known to grill year-round -- or, rather, Scott has been known to grill year round).
Regardless, the best thing about cooking in a crock-pot, as I remember every time I pull one out, is that you do not need a recipe, even as reference. Pretty much any kind of seasoned meat can go in the pot with any kind of vegetable and herbs, so long as you add enough liquid and set the heat accordingly for the time it will be in there as indicated on the appliance. What a lovely equation!
Beef roast (with salt and pepper) + wine + (onions + potatoes + mushrooms + carrots + canned diced tomatoes) + sage + garlic = Pot Roast
Pork ribs (with salt and pepper) + undrained sauerkraut (either can or bag) + onion + celery or caraway seed = Pork ribs and sauerkraut
Whole chicken (with salt and pepper) + chicken stock or white wine + (potatoes + peppers + carrots + celery) + garlic = roasted chicken
Amy L. Schubert is a 15-year veteran of the hospitality industry and has worked in every aspect of bar and restaurant operations. A graduate of Marquette University (B.A.-Writing Intensive English, 1997) and UW-Milwaukee (M.A.-Rhetoric, Composition, and Professional Writing, 2001), Amy still occasionally moonlights as a guest bartender and she mixes a mean martini.
The restaurant business seems to be in Amy’s blood, and she prides herself in researching and experimenting with culinary combinations and cooking techniques in her own kitchen as well as in friends’ restaurants. Both she and her husband, Scott, are avid cooks and “wine heads,” and love to entertain friends, family and neighbors as frequently as possible.
Amy and Scott live with their boys, Alex and Nick, in Bay View, where they are all very active in the community. Amy finds great pleasure in sharing her knowledge and passions for food and writing in her contributions to OnMilwaukee.com.
