When most of us hear the expression “fast food,” we imagine something that comes inside a packet, can be made up instantly by adding boiling water, probably tastes just like the plastic packet in which it is bought and is just about as healthy. And very often we have to pay a high price for this “pleasure.” However, fast food does not have to be made from high doses of monosodium glutamate and tartrazine. We can learn to make our own fast food at home that will be just as convenient, will taste more pleasant, is far more economical and is much better for our health.
The pioneers of the fast food industry wanted to produce edibles that are easy to prepare and can be eaten on the go. Most busy people have no time to spend hours in the kitchen chopping vegetables and preparing luxurious meals. Instead, they want something that can be thrown into the pot and voila! There’s a meal.
One of the greatest cooking utensils for creating easy meals that require minimal preparation is, paradoxically, the slow cooker – otherwise known as the crock pot. Although the actual cooking inside the pot takes a long time, the food inside requires minimum preparation. Most crock pot recipes are very easy and revolve around the principle of throwing the ingredients inside the pot. And that’s it! Here’s some typical crock pots available to buy online below.
[table id=7 /]
Here is an example of an easy and tasty meal to prepare inside your slow cooker. Imagine that you want to make roast chicken for your family. But of course, you have to go to work. The answer is very simple. The night before you go to work, simply leave a chicken out to defrost. In the morning, if you are able to, simply peel and cut pieces of potato, carrot, and onions, and put them into the crock pot. Then place the chicken, cut into quarters, on the top. Add the following spices: salt, pepper, margarine, paprika, lemon juice, Worcestershire sauce, honey, salt and cumin. Leave all of this cooking inside the pot on a low setting until you come home from work.
Think of how much clearing up and preparation you have saved yourself! Everything is prepared inside a single pot, as opposed to baking dishes and saucepans. All you had to do was a little work at the beginning and the rest is done for you. The only washing up you need to do is for the chopping board, knife, slow cooker and the actual dishes and silverware that you need for the meal. If you had made this meal any other way, you would have had far more washing up waiting for you!
Most working mothers would agree that crock pot cookery is one of the healthiest, easiest and most time-saving ways to prepare meals for the family. From roast chicken to vegetable soup, Irish stew to apple betty, you can prepare almost anything this way – and stay healthy and satisfied. This method of cooking definitely gives a new meaning to the concept of “fast food,” and it is a much healthier one by far!
