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Anita
Francesca Claverie picks up her empty crock pot and
makes her way home after a Thursday night communal
dinner with 22 friends and residents at UC
Davis.
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SACRAMENTO,
Calif. - The crockpot is slowly warming the hearts - and
bellies - of many, as it is becoming the unlikely hero of
the kitchen.
Take Anita
Francesca Claverie's tale of triumph: When a pesky critter
chewed through the wires of her stove, rendering it useless,
it was Crock-Pot to the rescue.
"My dad
felt sorry for us, so he went out and bought us a Crock-Pot
that's cute and cheesy-looking," says the University of
California-Davis junior.
Claverie, 20,
uses her slow cooker to make weekly communal meals - Spanish
rice, mole, curries - for fellow residents of the Domes, an
alternative-living cooperative at UC Davis. She simply
throws vegetarian ingredients into the pot before she heads
off to class in the morning. And she's just one of many who
agree that nothing is better than coming home to a
delicious, warm-cooked meal made by, well, yourself - hours
earlier.
Say hello to
the new generation of crockpot fanatics. They've ditched
Susie Homemaker's family-style meat-and-potatoes for more
creative recipes, tailoring their slowly cooked meals to fit
their fast-paced lifestyles.
Planning
ahead never tasted so good. Since it was made popular in
1971 by Rival's trademarked Crock-Pot, the slow cooker has
continued to help home chefs prepare stews and other foods
with ease.
And it's not
just families labeling the appliance a miracle worker. With
smaller models that hold 1-½ or 3-½ quarts, singles also
have developed a love for the tool.
On
Facebook.com, Gayle Healy of Humboldt State University
created a networking group called "The Intercollegiate
Crock- Pot Club." There, students gab over their
"favorite Crock-Pot color" and more.
Using less
wattage than a light bulb, the appliance cooks meals
gradually by keeping the temperature around 200 degrees. (A
typical slow cooker operates at 176 degrees on low and 194
degrees on high.)
And within
the last few years, various slow cookers, which range in
price from $15 to $250, have gotten even fancier. Jarden
Consumer Solutions (the parent company of Rival Crock-Pots),
has introduced new versions of its slow cookers to help
people on the go.
"In the
last two years there have been meaningful changes to the
Crock-Pot Slow Cooker," says Amy Golino, culinary
analyst for Jarden Consumer Solutions.
"Five
years ago, they were just manual, and that was too
limiting." Now, Golino notes, the brandname offers slow
cookers styled to fit those who prefer an even simpler
"hands-free" cooking method.
Appliances
like the Crock-Pot Smart-Set Programmable Slow Cooker
($79.99) can automatically adjust heat levels for various
types of foods and can shift to a warming level when cooking
is done. The company even sells packaged meal-in-one
ingredients to toss into the pot.
"The
trend is not losing steam," says Golino. "It's
more convenient now than it ever was."
Personal
trainer Sharon Felts of El Dorado Hills, Calif., became a
faithful fan of slow cookers when she started modifying
Weight Watchers recipes to use in a crockpot. Felts, 33,
says it helped her lose 65 pounds.
"It kept
me on track," she says. "Knowing that a healthy
and fulfilling breakfast or dinner will be done when you get
up or head home makes a trip to the drive-through
unnecessary and foolish."
Now Felts, a
single mother of two, plans her meals for the week on
Sundays and uses her slow cooker every other day.
Her list of
healthy ingredient must-haves includes frozen chicken
breasts, frozen mixed vegetables, baby Yukon potatoes,
stewed tomatoes, chicken broth and pork tenderloin.
"Don't
forget the Pam," she adds. The nonstick spray makes the
cleaning process simpler. Billy Summers likes to use his
slow cooker to make food for his friends at his midtown
apartment but notes that the leftovers are even better for a
busy single guy. "I ate my chili from the Super Bowl
for an entire week," says Summers, 27. "I live
life on the edge."
Bandmates
Rochelle Sparman, 45, and Kortnee Barnett, 25, of
Sacramento's I AmEden also like to rock the crock when
entertaining guests. At a recent party, Sparman set her
cooker on high and made nacho cheese with Velveeta and
salsa.
"It was
a hit," says Barnett of Sparman's nacho bar.
At home,
Barnett turns on her own Crock-Pot when she wants to empty
out her refrigerator. After Thanksgiving, Barnett used
leftover mashed potatoes, turkey and vegetables and added
chicken broth to make a yummy concoction in the pot.
Slow cookers,
however, aren't without their mishaps. Back at the Domes in
Davis, Anita Francesca Claverie says she once left some mole
cooking for nearly 48 hours.
"It was
completely charred," the 20-year-old says with a laugh.
"It wouldn't have been that way if I would have added
more water, though."
Either way, a
stoveless Claverie continues to use her slow cooker daily.
"Something's
always cooking in it," she says. "Now I'm not even
as worried about the time frame for when our stove will be
fixed."
---
CROCKPOT
OATMEAL
Prep time: 10
minutes Cook time: 3-4 hours Serves 6-8
Recipe from
Sharon Felts of El Dorado Hills, Calif. Note: This recipe
works only in slow cookers with timers.
Ingredients
½ cup barley
flakes
½ cup rye
flakes
1 ½ cups
steel-cut oats
½ cup brown
rice
¼ cup wheat
germ
6 ½ cups
water
1 large
grated apple (unpeeled)
1 tablespoon
vanilla
A pinch of
cinnamon
Optional:
Dried fruit or unsalted nuts
Instructions
At night, add
ingredients to slow cooker and set for 3-4 hours on low. Set
auto-warm option.
Per serving:
241 calories; 7 g protein; 46 g carbohydrates; 3 g fat (1
saturated, 0 monounsaturated, 0 poly unsaturated, 2 other);
0 mg cholesterol; 7 mg sodium; 6 g fiber; 3 g sugar; 11
percent calories from fat.
---
GREEK STEW
Prep time: 10
minutes Cook time: 6 hours on medium Serves 4
Recipe from
Sharon Felts of El Dorado Hills
Ingredients
4 chicken
breasts
2 cans stewed
diced tomatoes
1 can
quartered artichoke hearts with juice
15-20 pitless
Kalamata olives
1 box of
instant couscous
Feta cheese
(optional)
Instructions
Lightly spray
slow cooker with nonstick spray. Place chicken breasts in
bottom of the pot. Pour in stewed diced tomatoes, artichoke
hearts and olives, and stir. Cover and cook on medium for
six hours or on low for eight hours.
To serve,
prepare some five-minute instant couscous and put a serving
in a bowl.
Place one
piece of chicken on top, spoon broth over the meat and then
lightly sprinkle with feta cheese, if desired.
---
VEGETARIAN
BLACK BEAN MOLE
Prep time: 10
minutes Cook time: 3-4 hours on high Serves 6-8
Recipe from
Anita Francesca Claverie of Davis, Calif.
Ingredients
4 cups black
beans
10 cups water
1 jar La
Costena mole
5 vegetable
boullion cubes
However many
triangles of Abuelita Marqueta Mexican chocolate cubes to
suit your fancy
2 onions
Pinch of
cumin
Pinch of
nutritional yeast
A couple
sprigs of cilantro
Instructions
Put the
beans, water, mole, boullion cubes and chocolate in the
crockpot (on high) and stir as thoroughly as possible. Peel
and chop the onions in half and add the four pieces to the
pot. Now either keep the crockpot on high or turn to low and
let sit (3-4 hours on high, a lot longer on low).
One hour and
15 minutes before you serve, add the cumin and nutritional
yeast. Fifteen minutes before serving, add the cilantro.