Beef Stew

I remember when I was younger coming home and as you rounded the corner of the house, smelling something wonderful cooking. You wished with all your might that it was coming from your house and not your neighbours. Then as you opened the door - you are greeted by a truly delightful smell. Yes it's our dinner and I think it's a pot roast.

Then, when you left home, the crock-pot almost became a hand-me-down. A present from mum and when winter approached you made plans of wonderful dinners and breakfasts - but could it really be that easy. After all, I wasn't actually given any cooking instructions, just the crock-pot. So from experience, here are a few tips for using your crock-pot.

Firstly, it is a wonderful thing to know that you cannot overcook your food (under normal circumstances). The heat comes from the sides not underneath, given that it is insulated. You seldom have to stir and at the end of your meal - cleaning is really easy. One bowl, a few suds and the dishes are done. Be careful though, not to knock the bowl on anything major as it will break. Please don't submerge your whole crock-pot in water unless you no longer wish to use it!

Another tip while you are cooking is not to remove the lid too often. Every time you remove the lid you let out all the valuable heat and it does take time to recover. You may then have to extend your cooking time.

If you are cooking bread or cakes it is recommended that the lid remain in place during the first two hours, before you take a peak.

You can also use frozen meat and vegetables in the crock-pot. All you have to do is add 2-3 hours cooking time. Margaret Fulton recommends in this instance, that if you don't want to add the extra cooking time then set the crock-pot on high for the first hour or hour and a half hours. The important thing to remember here is NOT to put frozen food into a heated crock-pot.

It's absolutely freezing here in the Blue Mountains. It's been raining most of the week and guess what I'm using to cook our 'hearty beef stew.'

I have plenty of recipes to share and will write about those and also some more crock-pot hints.

Spend less hours in the kitchen!

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