Posts Tagged ‘soup recipes’

We tend to take our crock-pots for granted these days. They sit in the cupboard, unloved and unused until we really need to throw in a pot roast or something before we head off for work. Slow cooking has been around for hundreds of years, though. We do not realize how good we have it now.

In the Olden Days

People have been slow cooking their meals ever since they learned how to smelt iron and make a pot. A large kettle could be simmering over the fire throughout the day, or a small, covered Dutch oven could be set into the coals for cooking. It has long been known that slow cooking has many benefits for our food. The downside to the old methods is the constant tending needed for the fire, as well as frequent stirring of the food.

Meats cooked slowly are tenderized because the low heat softens the fibers. It also melts the natural collagen found within the meat, creating a gelatin-rich, delicious meal chock full of goodness. Fibrous vegetables like parsnips, turnips, and rutabagas also benefit from slow cooking. Dried crops like beans and lentils are slow cooked to create delicious, hearty meals.

Today’s Crock Pot

In the’50s, Naxon Utilities Corporation of Chicago created the first slow cooker. It was called the Beanery All Purpose Cooker, and it was designed to help people cook baked beans. It was basically a ceramic pot that fit inside a metal pan with heating elements around the inside. This kept the heat even all around the food, but kept it out of direct contact.

Naxon was bought by Rival in’70. The Beanery was reinvented as the Crock Pot. During the’70s, more women were joining the workforce, and the Crock Pot helped them manage to feed their families as well. It was easy enough to fill it before they left for work and be able to come home to a hot meal.

Over the years, Crock Pots have evolved. They now have ceramic pots that are removable, making cleaning much easier than the old models. With the older pots, one had to be careful during cleaning that the electrical cord not get wet. The new ceramic inserts are dishwasher safe, as well, making clean up even easier. Some newer crock-pots also have an additional setting. They come equipped with High, Low, and Warm. A few are even computerized and will change automatically to warm when the food is finished.

Long ago, women cooked many different meals slowly over the fire. Today, our crock-pots offer even more versatility. Stews, roasts and casseroles are very common meals that are made every day in the crock pot, but you can also make dishes like lasagna, sweet and sour chicken, and even your best chicken noodle soup recipes in your slow cooker.

Like the traditional methods, crock-pots can also be used to bake breads and cakes. The more you play with your crock-pot, the more you may enjoy it. Desserts and other great recipes are waiting to be tried.

When you make a white chicken chili soup recipe, you are blending chicken soup with white navy beans, vegetables and a little spice. While it looks pale and unassuming, when you take a spoonful you know you are getting a flavorful bite of something utterly delicious.