The idea is perfect: throw a few ingredients into a stoneware crock, turn it on and voila! At the end of the day, you walk in the kitchen and there waits a richly aromatic meal, all cooked and ready to go.

For a lot of people, the great crockpot dream comes true all the time. But it seems that for an equally good number of us, it’s more dream than reality. Of course we all have crockpots, we clearly see their advantages, we want to use them, but we don’t. Hopefully, this blog series will be of some help.

Crockpot or slow cooker?

First off, let’s get the terminology right: “Crock-Pot” is actually the brand name for the slow cooker created by the Rival Company. “Slow cooker” is the correct generic term for these devices. It’s kind of like “Kleenex” and “facial tissues.” So in fairness to the Rival folks, we’ll use the correct generic name.

Isn’t the middle of summer the wrong time to talk about slow cookers?

Seems like it, but one of my clients alerted me otherwise. She loves her slow cooker in the summer because it doesn’t heat up the house. The fact is, even in summer we eat hot cooked meals, so what if they’ve been cooked in a slow cooker instead of a sauté pan?

Also, if you’re serious about taking advantage of your slow cooker, there’s some getting ready to be done. Start gravitating that way now and there’s a good chance you’ll be ready when the weather begins to cool. The next blog will talk about getting ready for slow cooking. . . .