Not owning a slow cooker and not wanting to make a rash purchase, I decided to do a small experiment with my regular steel pot. I cooked my usual evening meal (vegetarian), but instead of cooking it through, I just kept it on the stove for 5 minutes (induction, high setting). I then removed it from the stove, taped over the steam vent, and immediately wrapped it in 2 tea towels, and placed it in a small zippable cooler bag which I zipped tight. I then went out to run a few errands and returned 3 hours later.
After retrieving the pot from the bag, the meal was perfectly cooked and ready to eat!
How did I live 30-something years old and never try this? Slow cooking is awesome!
To begin to list some of the pro's:
- Less time spent cooking - just 5 minutes chopping the vegetables, 5 minutes cooking, then place in the towels and bag - done!
- Convenient when kitchen time is at a premium - e.g. at when travelling and staying in shared accommodation, busy hostel kitchens, etc.
- No burning - when "fast cooking" I often accidentally burned food because I got distracted doing other stuff while waiting for it to cook.
- Easier cleanup - with the right amount of water added during the stove heating up period, the food doesn't stick to the base at all and easily washes off. No more awful scrubbing with steel wool as I used to have to do.
- Less energy required - potential cost savings!
- Portable solution - just a small steel pot, 2 tea towels and a cooler bag. Easily fits in a backpack. Great for a travel / minimalist lifestyle.
- Less steam - meaning less chance for mould to grow, less strong food smell throughout the home, etc.
- Good for off-grid lifestyle - imagine how little gas/electricity you need when you only need to use the stove 5 minutes per day
Credit to Jacob – slow cooking is mentioned in Early Retirement Extreme under Health.