If you're new to Chief Family Officer, start here to find out what CFO is all about. You may want to read the weekly Ways to Make & Save Money Series.

You can learn about The Drugstore Game here.

Saturday, July 30, 2005

A Great Slow Cooker

Slow cookers are making a comeback, now that people are cooking more at home but are just as busy as ever. I love mine, because dinner requires very little work when I use it. I just toss in the ingredients in the morning, and when it's dinner time, I have just a few things to do to get dinner on the table.

I used to have a Hamilton Beach 6-quart slow cooker, but I never really liked it. It felt flimsy and the lid never fit correctly.

I love my current West Bend 4-quart slow cooker. It's much sturdier, the lid fits correctly, and 4 quarts is a better size for my family. Actually, I like this slow cooker so much that it's my second one - I ruined the crock that came with my first one by leaving tap water in it for several weeks to warm Alex's bottles during those early days when breastfeeding wasn't going well and we had to supplement. The tap water ended up leaving a hard crust all around the inside of the crock that I couldn't get off. (In fact, I think so highly of this slow cooker that I even got one for my mom.)

Fortunately, this West Bend slow cooker is really affordable - I think my first one was $24.99, and by the time I got my second one, the price had gone down to $21.99. I use it about once a week, but I really need to add more recipes to my repetoire so I can use it even more often. It's great during the summer, because it doesn't heat up the kitchen the way the oven does, and it's perfect for hearty soups and stews in the winter. I've posted one slow cooker recipe (Crockpot Shredded Beef Sandwiches) and I'll post more soon.

Incidentally, for a limited time, this slow cooker comes with free shipping from Amazon. I have no idea how long the free shipping offer is for, but you'd only have to buy something that's $3.01 in order to qualify for Super Saver free shipping anyway.

at 10:55 AM

2 comments:

kathianne said...

I started really using the slow cooker when my kids were in high school, sceduals were just so hectic. Food was ready when they were and I could eat when I wanted to.

When I returned to teaching, I began using it nearly daily. I have a West Bend 6 qt. with removable pot, (you can grill on the heat stand.) I prepare all the ingrediants into the pot, put the lid on it and into the fridge it goes. In the morning I take it out, heat up the bottom and set it on low.

Dinner is ready when I am! In the evening after cleaning up, I just do another recipe for the next day.

7/30/05 4:55 PM
Cathy said...

Kathianne - Do you mean the crock can go on the stove? Also, do you have any recipes you'd be interested in sharing? You can post it here, or send me an email (cfoblog@gmail.com) and I'll post it if that's okay with you. I'd love to be able to add to my slow cooker recipe file so I can use it even more. Thanks!

Also, a very kind gentleman named Ron suggested I try vinegar on the old crock. Fortunately, it hasn't found its way to Goodwill yet (who has time with a 4-month-old?) so I will soak it overnight and report back tomorrow. Thanks, Ron!

7/30/05 7:00 PM

Post a Comment

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)