Crock Pots are Awesome

If you disagree I will fight you.

My Mum had a crock pot when I was growing up. It was not used often, and I assumed that was because it was very special. For years once hitting adulthood I saw the Crock Pot (capitalized now) as the ultimate kitchen utensil a grown up would have. I yearned for one. Imagine my surprise when I found out in the US they are only $30! I deprived myself for years, for NOTHING.

Finn left home in August of 2023. I started trying to buy him a crock pot then. I didn’t want him to suffer the same yawning gap in his kitchen experiences. He kept saying no. Imagine my joy when he messaged me the other day to ask if I would buy him a Crock Pot (almost wrote crack pot, given it is inauguration day, forgive me). He admitted he is coming around to my way of thinking. Of course, I let him immediately buy one and have been bombarding him with my made-up recipes ever since.

Tomatoey Chicken

Put chicken legs in pot. Pour a can of crushed tomatoes in. If you want to get fancy, chuck in olives too. I think about 7 hours on low?

Pulled Chicken

Put boneless chicken in pot. Pour over half a bottle of BBQ sauce. I would start at 3 hours on low and then check it. You want to pull it apart with two forks so you will be able to see if it is cooked.

Brisket

Put in pot (duh). Pour over a cup of beef broth, and keep basting throughout cooking time. You can also chuck potatoes in there too. Cook on slow for 3.5 hours

Beef Stew

Guess what? Put it in the pot with 2 cups of beef broth, onion, garlic, Worcestershire sauce if you have it, vegemite also works, or both. Salt, a teaspoon of sugar. 30 minutes before it finishes chuck a cheap bag of frozen peas and carrots in. I’d probably cook for 4 hours on slow. God I am hungry now.

I can NEVER remember how long to cook things, so I keep an eye on them. And make sure you are stirring so one big doesn’t dry out.