RUSH, rush rush, gobble gobble gobble. If you get home from work and spend 10 minutes staring despondently in the cupboards before throwing some bread in the toaster or ripping the top off a ready meal, you need to slow down.
In fact, what you really need is a slow cooker. These humble kitchen devices have made something of a comeback in recent years, as timepoor people recognise their value.
Sara Lewis’s new book Ultimate Slowcooker (Hamlyn, £9.99) is devoted to the charms of cooking things slowly.
She said: “A slow cooker is ideal for families because the supper can be put on in the morning, after the children have gone to school, so that a warm, tasty meal is ready in the late afternoon or early evening, when you and the children are most tired.
“If you work unsocial hours or on shifts you can put on a meal before you go to work, so that a meal is waiting when the rest of the family get home. Retired people can leave their supper to cook while they spend the day engaged in more rewarding activities.
“When microwave ovens first became widely available they captured everyone’s imagination as the answer to our busy lives.
But the reality is that food cooked in a microwave is often tasteless and lacking in colour, and most of us now use our microwave ovens for little more than defrosting and reheating foods.”
For many though, it’s not just the thought of the hot meal waiting for them that’s attractive, but the bonus of saving money.
Where to pick up pots of joy
IF Sara Lewis has whetted your appetite for slow cooking but you’ve yet to install one in your kitchen, Lakeland has a couple of excellent options.
Small households will love the two-portion mini slow cooker, £19.56, which holds 1.5 litres. The dishwasher-safe ceramic pot can be removed for easy serving and fridge storage.
If you’re feeding a crowd, invest in the 4.5-litre capacity Prestige family slow cooker, £39.14. This has three settings: low for simmering and slow cooking; high for faster cooking; and auto, which regulates temperature automatically. The dishwashersafe oval ceramic pot easily accommodates a large joint and vegetables, and has a glass lid so you can keep an eye on proceedings.
Lewis says: “This is a great everyday casserole to give to the family. It avoids being ordinary by adding a hint of oriental spice and mellow-tasting plum sauce. It’s delicious served with mashed potatoes mixed with green vegetables.”
Serves 4
Preparation time: 20 minutes
Cooking time: 8-10 hours
Cooking temperature: low
Slow cooker size: standard
Ingredients
1tbsp sunflower oil
4 pork shoulder steaks or boneless spare rib chops, about 700g (1lb 7oz), each cut into three
1 onion, chopped
2tbsp plain flour
450ml (¾ pint) chicken stock
grated rind and juice of 1 orange
3tbsp plum sauce
2tbsp soy sauce
3-4 whole star anise
1 fresh or dried red chilli, halved (optional)
salt and pepper
grated orange rind, to garnish
To serve:
Mashed potatoes mixed with steamed green vegetables, such as peas and cabbage
Method
Preheat the slow cooker if necessary – see manufacturer’s instructions.
Heat the oil in a large frying pan, add the pieces of pork and fry over a high heat until browned on both sides. Lift the pork out of the pan with a slotted spoon and transfer to a plate. Add the onion to the pan and fry, stirring, for five minutes or until lightly browned.
Stir in the flour, then mix in the stock, orange rind and juice, plum sauce, soy sauce, star anise and chilli, if using.
Season with salt and pepper and bring to the boil, stirring. Transfer the pork to the slow cooker pot and pour the sauce over it. Cover and cook on low for 8-10 hours.
Serve with mashed potatoes mixed with steamed green vegetables and garnish with grated orange rind.
Lewis adds: “Warn diners not to eat the star anise.
“If you don’t have any star anise, then use a cinnamon stick, broken in half. If you like garlic, add two cloves, finely chopped, just after frying the onions.”
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