by Emma Newell
These days it feels like no one has time to cook anymore. Between studying for exams, work, extra-curricular activities, and then, of course, having a life, cooking healthy foods is forgotten in many college homes. Many students find themselves reaching for those convenient candy bars or munching on the fastest (most of the time greasiest) five dollar foods on Main Street to satisfy their hunger during hectic days.
But not to fear, because the crockpot (or slow cooker) was invented to solve all of your problems! If the appeal of hundreds of recipes, ease of creating, and downright deliciousness of crockpot meals wasn’t enough to have you running to your nearest Target to buy one – here are 10 more reasons to love crockpots:
- Crockpots save energy – a crockpot uses a lot less electricity to cook than an oven does (aka more money in your pocket after the electric bill every month).
- When using a crockpot, you can go accomplish other things while your food cooks – after 4 hours of nonstop studying at the library, imagine coming home to a delicious meal already made for you that you can eat throughout the week!
You can buy less expensive cuts of meat – because we all know no one’s running to the store to buy a Kobe Steak. The process of slowly cooking the meat in a crockpot softens even the toughest of meats!- There’s less chance of scorching or burning your food due to the low temperature of cooking.
- Using a crockpot frees up your oven and stovetop for other type of cooking or baking – aka making chocolate chip cookies while your chicken cooks.
- Unlike ovens and even stovetops, crockpots will not heat up your kitchen – this is a plus during those summer months when no one wants to go near the stove.
- Crockpot meals are lower in fat, due to the fact that the foods cook in their own juices so it’s not necessary to add any butter or oil.
- The steaming, covered environment of a crockpot allows for more food bacteria to be destr
oyed compared to traditional methods of cooking. - Foods cooked in crockpots retain much more of their vitamin and mineral content than foods fried or boiled.
- And finally, the meals are delicious! Because of the slow, low-temperature cooking, the vegetables and meats will absorb all the juices and seasonings creating a truly enjoyable, flavorful meal.
With hundreds of recipes available even the pickiest of eaters can find an amazing crockpot meal. For some different recipes you can check out: http://www.countryliving.com/food-drinks/g1903/slow-cooker-recipes/ .
Crockpots are sold at pretty much any local appliance shop, Amazon, Target or Macy’s. Some of the real elite ones can be over $100 but this $30 Target crockpot will do the job! Enjoy!
