The other day I was looking through my grocer's weekly sale flyer and I found myself thinking, "The easier the preparation, the worse it is for you." Think about fast food. No preparation, but completely unhealthy.
I continued my thoughts through meal preparations - frozen TV dinners, frozen pizza, frozen "meal in a bag", boxed dinners, the list goes on and on. We are so concerned with doing things quickly we are hindering our health by jamming our bodies full of preservatives and things with names too long to state and too difficult to pronounce.
I pictured my grocery store, which wasn't difficult since I'm usually there at least twice a week. I love my grocer's produce section, seeing all the fresh fruits and vegetables; I usually spend most of my time there. However, thinking of all the isles that follow, my thoughts were once again confirmed. Packaged food after packaged food - even in the organic isle! I know that cooking with natural ingredients is the best way to go, but how are we to do it if we're bombarded with packaged, boxed, preserved food?
Thinking about my own cooking, I know that I use more "pre-packaged" items than I probably should. For convenience sake, I often used frozen vegetables and canned tomatoes. I feed my kids boxed macaroni and cheese. However, they don't eat frozen dinners, ready-made frozen chicken, and we never eat at fast food restaurants.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Natalie_Schloesser
Sunday, May 24, 2009
Slow Cookers Don't Cook So Slowly Anymore
Remember back to the first time on your own; you moved into your own place and took with you numerous hand-me-downs from your parent's house. As time passes, you replace each piece one at a time, moving ahead with your own things. However, it seems that recently there's been a lot of buzz as to why you may not want to buy a new crock pot.
I've been reading a lot of crock pot cooking forums lately and there seems to be a common thread; many people are discouraged from cooking with their new crock pots. Why is this? What has come to pass to make newer crock pots more frustrating to cook with than older crock pots? I saw so many posts claiming that people had returned their new crock pot and dug out the one from their grandmother, or went rummaging around to thrift shops and garage sales to find a "good old crock pot" for $5 or less. And yet, many of those people don't realize that there's an excellent reason why your slow cooker doesn't cook quite as slowly anymore; it's for your own safety.
The US Food and Drug Administration states that bacteria grows the fastest between 40 and 140 degrees Fahrenheit. Depending on the meat, it needs to be cooked to a minimum of 145 degrees Fahrenheit to kill most bacteria (poultry should be cooked to 165 degrees Fahrenheit and ground meat to 160 degrees Fahrenheit). Even if your food is eventually cooked to the proper temperature, if it stays too long in the 40-140 range, it will house much more bacteria than if cooked properly.
Since the FDA also recommends that food be refrigerated at a temperature of 40 degrees Fahrenheit or below, then how do we get it from 40 to 140 as quickly as possible, therefore preventing growth of bacteria? At this point, it may seem as if you should throw out every "slow" cooker you own. But hold on!
That is exactly the reason why the new slow cookers don't cook as slowly as the older models do; it's all for your health and safety. However, manufacturers have also realized that the main benefit people seek from using their crock pot is to start dinner in the morning before work, go work an 8-10 hour day, and then come home to a fully prepared meal. In realizing this, they have added bells and whistles to their models, with keep warm and buffet settings, automatic timers, and much more.
What does this mean for you? First of all, test your crock pot. If you're not sure how to test to see if your crock pot is safely cooking your food, read "Does Your Crock Pot Work?" to find out. Second, don't be scared of your new crock pot; it may take some getting used to. Third, make sure you're filling it the correct amount; if you don't have the correct amount of food in your crock pot (no less than half but no more than two-thirds full) your meal will not turn out right.
I just recently purchased a new crock pot and had the luxury of being able to closely monitor the first few meals I made in it. Yes, it does cook a lot faster than my old one. Once I got used to it and began to use my keep warm, simmer, and buffet settings, each meal turned out perfectly. Most importantly, I love knowing that cooking with my new crock pot is much safer and healthier for my family.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Natalie_Schloesser
I've been reading a lot of crock pot cooking forums lately and there seems to be a common thread; many people are discouraged from cooking with their new crock pots. Why is this? What has come to pass to make newer crock pots more frustrating to cook with than older crock pots? I saw so many posts claiming that people had returned their new crock pot and dug out the one from their grandmother, or went rummaging around to thrift shops and garage sales to find a "good old crock pot" for $5 or less. And yet, many of those people don't realize that there's an excellent reason why your slow cooker doesn't cook quite as slowly anymore; it's for your own safety.
The US Food and Drug Administration states that bacteria grows the fastest between 40 and 140 degrees Fahrenheit. Depending on the meat, it needs to be cooked to a minimum of 145 degrees Fahrenheit to kill most bacteria (poultry should be cooked to 165 degrees Fahrenheit and ground meat to 160 degrees Fahrenheit). Even if your food is eventually cooked to the proper temperature, if it stays too long in the 40-140 range, it will house much more bacteria than if cooked properly.
Since the FDA also recommends that food be refrigerated at a temperature of 40 degrees Fahrenheit or below, then how do we get it from 40 to 140 as quickly as possible, therefore preventing growth of bacteria? At this point, it may seem as if you should throw out every "slow" cooker you own. But hold on!
That is exactly the reason why the new slow cookers don't cook as slowly as the older models do; it's all for your health and safety. However, manufacturers have also realized that the main benefit people seek from using their crock pot is to start dinner in the morning before work, go work an 8-10 hour day, and then come home to a fully prepared meal. In realizing this, they have added bells and whistles to their models, with keep warm and buffet settings, automatic timers, and much more.
What does this mean for you? First of all, test your crock pot. If you're not sure how to test to see if your crock pot is safely cooking your food, read "Does Your Crock Pot Work?" to find out. Second, don't be scared of your new crock pot; it may take some getting used to. Third, make sure you're filling it the correct amount; if you don't have the correct amount of food in your crock pot (no less than half but no more than two-thirds full) your meal will not turn out right.
I just recently purchased a new crock pot and had the luxury of being able to closely monitor the first few meals I made in it. Yes, it does cook a lot faster than my old one. Once I got used to it and began to use my keep warm, simmer, and buffet settings, each meal turned out perfectly. Most importantly, I love knowing that cooking with my new crock pot is much safer and healthier for my family.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Natalie_Schloesser
Crock Pot Chili - Easy Recipes For The Best Chili
If you haven't used your crock pot recently, its time to pull it out of the cupboard. Crock pots are perfect for those busy weeknights. Here are 3 different chili recipes for a chilly evening.
Mom's Favorite Chili
1 pound ground beef ; browned, drained
1 can pork and beans
1 can chili beans
1 regular can tomato sauce
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon chili powder
Red pepper ; to taste
Salt ; to taste
Mix all ingredients in crock pot. Cook on LOW for 3 to 4 hours.
Navajo Beef And Chile Stew
3 pound lean beef stew meat ; cut 3/4 " cubes
1 large onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 can ready-cut tomatoes with juice - (14 1/2 oz)
1 can diced green chiles - (7 oz) drained
1 can whole-kernel corn - (8 1/2 oz) undrained
1 teaspoons dried oregano leaves, crushed
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground red pepper
2 tablespoon yellow cornmeal
Combine all ingredients, except cornmeal, in a slow cooker, mixing well. Cover and cook on LOW for 7 to 8 hours or until meat is tender.
20 Minutes before serving:
Turn control to HIGH. Stir in cornmeal. Cover and cook on HIGH 20 to 25 minutes.
No-Bean Chili
2 pounds ground beef
(or cubed lean stew beef)
1 can tomato sauce - (8 oz)
1 can tomato paste - (6 oz)
1 can stewed tomatoes - (16 oz) ; (optional)
2 tablespoon chili powder
1 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon hot pepper sauce ; or more
Combine all ingredients in slow cooker. Cover and cook on LOW for 8 to 10 hours. (Add a can of your favorite beans if you wish, but then it wouldn't be No-Bean Chilli.)
This recipe yields 4 to 6 servings.
Do you need more easy crock pot recipe ideas? Sign up for our newsletter at Easy Crock Pot Recipes and get quick and healthy crock pot recipes delivered to your email regularly.
Diane has just finished a free cookbook of her favorite southern recipes. Download Easy Southern Favorites today. These recipes are guaranteed to have them begging for more. Best of all, its free!
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Diane_Watkins
Mom's Favorite Chili
1 pound ground beef ; browned, drained
1 can pork and beans
1 can chili beans
1 regular can tomato sauce
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon chili powder
Red pepper ; to taste
Salt ; to taste
Mix all ingredients in crock pot. Cook on LOW for 3 to 4 hours.
Navajo Beef And Chile Stew
3 pound lean beef stew meat ; cut 3/4 " cubes
1 large onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 can ready-cut tomatoes with juice - (14 1/2 oz)
1 can diced green chiles - (7 oz) drained
1 can whole-kernel corn - (8 1/2 oz) undrained
1 teaspoons dried oregano leaves, crushed
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground red pepper
2 tablespoon yellow cornmeal
Combine all ingredients, except cornmeal, in a slow cooker, mixing well. Cover and cook on LOW for 7 to 8 hours or until meat is tender.
20 Minutes before serving:
Turn control to HIGH. Stir in cornmeal. Cover and cook on HIGH 20 to 25 minutes.
No-Bean Chili
2 pounds ground beef
(or cubed lean stew beef)
1 can tomato sauce - (8 oz)
1 can tomato paste - (6 oz)
1 can stewed tomatoes - (16 oz) ; (optional)
2 tablespoon chili powder
1 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon hot pepper sauce ; or more
Combine all ingredients in slow cooker. Cover and cook on LOW for 8 to 10 hours. (Add a can of your favorite beans if you wish, but then it wouldn't be No-Bean Chilli.)
This recipe yields 4 to 6 servings.
Do you need more easy crock pot recipe ideas? Sign up for our newsletter at Easy Crock Pot Recipes and get quick and healthy crock pot recipes delivered to your email regularly.
Diane has just finished a free cookbook of her favorite southern recipes. Download Easy Southern Favorites today. These recipes are guaranteed to have them begging for more. Best of all, its free!
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Diane_Watkins
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