Slow-cooking is the pinnacle of efficiency
Slow-cookers use substantially less energy consuming than a conventional electric oven. And they are a big time saver, too. You don’t have to slave over a pot for hours. Assemble the meal in the morning, put it in the slow cooker, and at the end of the day, dinner is ready. Cooking with a slow cooker can also be an economically smart choice, because you can use cheaper cuts of meat. Condensation acts as a self-baster, so tougher cuts of meat become tender in the slow cooker.
Nutritious and tasty meals with very little effort
Slow-cookers use very low temperatures way below 100°C (212 F) which allows the finished meals to retain most of their nutrients. Just because you’re saving time and money doesn’t mean you’re sacrificing taste. Vegetables cooked in a slow cooker can absorb stocks and spices, giving them fuller flavors and meats retain their tenderness.
Recipe: Crock-Pot Carne Guisada
This recipe shows another advantage of slow-cooking. Crock-pots are usually large so you can make a lot of food at once. This recipe serves eight people and each serving has 33 g of fat, 6 g of carbs, and 31 g of protein. It’s super tasty and you don’t have to be an experienced cook to make it. Try it!
Ingredients
• 900 g beef chuck roast, cut into cubes
• 1 medium onion, finely chopped
• 3 tablespoons arrowroot powder or cornstarch
• 400 ml chicken broth
• 1 can (400 g) diced tomatoes
• 1 jalapeno, seeded and diced
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 teaspoon fine grain sea salt and ground cumin each
• ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
• ¾ teaspoon chili powder and dried oregano each
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 bay leaves
• Fresh chopped cilantro and grated cheese, for serving
Directions
1. In a large dish, season beef cubes with salt and pepper. Set aside
2. Heat one tablespoon of olive oil in a large skillet over high heat. Cook beef until browned on all sides, about 5 minutes.
3. Transfer browned beef to a slow cooker.
4. In the same skillet, heat remaining tablespoon of olive oil. Add onion, bell pepper, jalapeno, and garlic, and stir cook until vegetables are tender, about 5 minutes.
5. Add cumin, chili powder, and arrowroot powder and cook for 1 more minute.
6. Slowly pour broth into the skillet, stirring until the liquid is smooth and then transfer to Crock-Pot, along with tomatoes and bay leaves.
7. Cover and cook on medium-high for 6 hours.
8. Serve sprinkled with chopped cilantro and with grated cheese.
