No-fuss meals - Slow cooker makes the most of time, budget

When times are tough, dinner doesn't have to be.

Once again, Americans are turning to slow cookers to deliver home-cooked meals that can save them money and minutes. The iconic appliance can transform budget cuts of beef, pork or poultry into succulent, one-pot dishes that are ready at day's end, when the clock is ticking down and nobody feels like cooking.

Louise Turrentine, 48, of Johns Island recently purchased her first slow cooker.

"Everybody I work with and my entire family has one, so I thought it was time for me to join the slow-cooker crowd," she says with a laugh.

Still, she saw it as a wise move for several reasons.

"I wanted an avenue to prepare a healthy meal and I love the hands-off approach. I love roasting foods, and I thought it would be great for soups."

The original and best-known brand of slow cooker is the Crock-Pot, rolled out by Rival in the early 1970s with the advertising jingle, "It cooks all day while the cook's away." That idea resonated with a generation of women who were entering the work force en masse.

The appeal endures, says Matt Ragland, vice president of marketing for Jarden Consumer Solutions, parent company to Rival and about 20 other brands.

"As a category, it's one of the Top 10 kitchen appliances, year in and year out," says Ragland. "So it never really falls off big time, but it certainly sees stronger sales trends in tougher economic times."

That's because people can save money in two ways, he says: by not eating out and by cooking with less-expensive cuts of meat.

Phyllis Pellman Good, author of the newly published "Fix It and Forget It Big Cookbook: 1400 Best Slow Cooker Recipes" (Good Books, $29.95), says slow cooking has come a long way in 35 years.

When she began gathering recipes for the new book, drawn from five of her previous, best-selling slow-cooker books, even she was surprised.

"What startled me was the extraordinary breadth of food and cooking that you can be successful with in a slow cooker," says Good of Lancaster, Pa. "I think you weren't always able to, but I think with the 'reinvention' of slow cookers so there is a little more modulation of temperature, certainly the shape (oval versus cylindrical) ... has contributed to more experimentation."

That being said, "a lot of people think you can throw anything in there (a slow cooker) and it will turn out great," says author Natalie Haughton, whose "Slow & Easy Cookbook" has just hit the shelves (Wiley, $22.95). Not true, she says; you have to pick and choose what works based on the cook's schedule.

"One thing I warn, not everything needs to cook 8-10 hours," says Haughton, longtime food editor of the Los Angeles Daily News. Seafood and chicken breasts are two prime examples.

Even with newer, programmable models that can be set to go on and off at certain times, or switch to a warm mode, Haughton says food safety concerns shouldn't be dismissed.

"I personally think you should not leave it on warm for more than two hours," she says.

Furthermore, food that sits for a long time over very low heat will deteriorate in flavor and texture, Haughton adds.

Good wants to dispel the notion of slow cookers as a "winter" appliance best for stout dishes such as beef stew and chili.

"I love to use mine in the summertime because it doesn't heat up the kitchen and I can put mine on and leave for the day. Whether it's going to the pool or working on the lawn, whatever summertime activity you want to do outside of the house, make your slow cooker work for you."

Slow cookers also are ideal for potluck dinners, tailgating and come-and-go family life, she says.

"They allow us to continue our social lives, to eat at home despite the fact we're all on a different schedule."

Recipes

Lasagna in a slow cooker is terrific, says Good. The secret is using uncooked noodles, which saves time, leaves no pan to wash and "allows the pasta to hold up better," she says. This recipe is adapted from the "Fix-It-and-Forget-It Big Cookbook":

Convenient Slow Cooker Lasagna

Makes 6-8 servings

Prep time: 30-45 minutes

Cooking time: 4 hours

Ideal cooker size: 6-quart

1 pound ground beef

2 (29-ounce) cans tomato sauce

8-ounce package lasagna noodles, uncooked

4 cups shredded mozzarella cheese

1 1/2 cups cottage cheese

1. Spray the interior of the cooker with nonstick cooking spray.

2. Brown the ground beef in a large nonstick skillet. Drain off drippings.

3. Stir in tomato sauce. Mix well.

4. Spread one-fourth of the meat sauce on the bottom of the slow cooker.

5. Arrange one-third of the uncooked noodles over the sauce. Break them up if needed to make them fit better.

6. Combine the cheeses in a bowl. Spoon one-third of the cheeses over the noodles.

7. Repeat these layers twice.

8. Top with remaining sauce.

9. Cover and cook on low 4 hours.

Variations:

--Add 1 chopped onion to the ground beef in Step 2.

--Add 1 teaspoon salt to the tomato sauce and beef in Step. 3.

--Add 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese to the mozzarella and cottage cheeses in Step 6.

--Add 1/2 cup additional shredded mozzarella cheese to the top of the lasagna 5 minutes before serving.

Good also recommends the following two recipes from her book:

Barbecued Black Beans With Sweet Potatoes

Makes: 4-6 servings.

Prep time: 15 minutes.

Cooking time: 2-4 hours.

Ideal cooker size: 3-quart.

4 large sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 8 chunks each

1 (15-ounce) can black beans, rinsed and drained

1 medium onion, diced

2 ribs celery, sliced

9 ounces Sweet Baby Ray's Barbecue Sauce

Place sweet potatoes in slow cooker. Combine remaining ingredients. Pour over sweet potatoes. Cover. Cook on High 2-3 hours or on Low 4 hours.

Raspberried Chicken Drumsticks

Makes: 3 servings.

Prep time: 10 minutes.

Cooking time: 5 1/4-6 1/4 hours.

Ideal cooker size: 3 1/2-quart.

3 tablespoons soy sauce

1/3 cup red raspberry fruit spread or jam

5 chicken drumsticks or chicken thighs

2 tablespoons cornstarch

2 tablespoons cold water

Mix soy sauce and raspberry spread or jam together in a small bowl until well-blended.

Brush chicken with the sauce and place in slow cooker. Spoon remainder of the sauce over top.

Cook on Low 5-6 hours, or until chicken is tender but not dry.

Mix together cornstarch and cold water in a small bowl until smooth. Then remove chicken to a serving platter and keep warm.

Turn slow cooker to High and stir in cornstarch and water to thicken.

When thickened and bubbly, after about 10-15 minutes, spoon sauce over chicken before serving.

For a lighter take on the Carolinas' beloved pulled pork barbecue, try chicken instead. This recipe is adapted from Haughton's "Slow & Easy" cookbook.

Pulled Barbecued Chicken

Makes 6 servings

2 pounds skinless, boneless chicken breasts

1 large onion, chopped

1 can (6 ounces) tomato paste

1/4 cup red or white wine vinegar

1/3 cup packed brown sugar

1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

1/4 teaspoon ground chipotle chile

1/2 cup ketchup

1 teaspoon smoked paprika

Seasoned salt and freshly ground black pepper

Toasted sourdough rolls or hamburger buns

Trim any visible fat from the chicken breasts and cut the meat into thin strips. Place the chicken strips in a 5-quart electric slow cooker. Toss with the onion.

In a small bowl, stir together the tomato paste, vinegar, brown sugar, Worcestershire sauce, chipotle chile, and 1/2 cup of water until well-blended.

Add to the pot and stir to mix with the chicken and onion.

Cover and cook on the low heat setting for 4-5 hours, or until the chicken is falling apart. Pull the chicken apart into large shreds with two forks.

Stir in the ketchup and smoked paprika. Add seasoned salt and black pepper to taste. Serve over toasted split buns.

Here's is another recipe adapted from "Slow & Easy." The author says red bell pepper is a must for color in this dish.

She also suggests adding a cup or so of trimmed fresh snow peas during the last 30-45 minutes of cooking time. Serve over steamed rice and top with chopped scallions and peanuts.

Thai-Style Beef With Peanut Sauce

Makes 5-6 servings

2 pounds lean boneless beef top round steak

1 medium onion, chopped

1 large red bell pepper, cut into strips

1 can (8 ounces) sliced water chestnuts, rinsed well and drained

1 jar (7 ounces) Thai peanut satay sauce or 3/4 cup Asian peanut sauce

1 1/2 tablespoons soy sauce

1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar

1/2 teaspoon ground ginger

3 tablespoons instant-blending flour, such as Wondra

2 tablespoons peanut butter, crunchy or smooth

Trim all excess fat from the beef. Cut the meat into thin strips. In a 4-quart electric slow cooker, combine the beef, onion, bell pepper and water chestnuts.

In a bowl, blend together the peanut sauce, soy sauce, vinegar, ginger and flour. Pour over the beef and vegetables in the slow cooker and mix well.

Cover and cook on the low heat setting for about 7 hours, until the beef is tender. Stir in the peanut butter.

Cooking tips

Cookbooks authors Phyllis Pellman Good and Natalie Haughton offer several tips for better slow cooking.

Among Good's:

--Prepare foods for the slow cooker the night before when you're winding down but not yet ready for bed. Refrigerate and the dish will be ready for cooking the next day.

--Fill the slow cooker about 2/3 full.

--Don't peek. If you lift the lid, the common wisdom is that you have to increase your cooking time by about 20 minutes. (If you do peek, do it quickly.)

--Make chopped foods about equal in size so they will finish cooking about the same time.

--If a dish seems too juicy, take the lid off the last half hour of cooking or cock the lid a little bit to allow steam and liquid to escape.

Among Haughton's tips:

--Get to know your pot. Some cook hotter than others; some have hot spots.

--Check for doneness about 30 minutes before the end of the shortest suggested cooking time.

--Brighten up the finished dish with a colorful garnish of citrus twists, shredded or chopped vegetables, fresh herbs, or toasted nuts.

--Choose a wrap-around coil, continuous heat-style cooker over an intermittent type (cycles on and off).

--When adapting a recipe to a slow cooker, figure on reducing the liquid by half or more, except for soups.

Teresa Taylor is the food editor. Reach her at food@postandcourier.com or 937-4886.