There are more than six hundred thousand Google searches involving the words, “slow cooker,” every month. You’re sure to find a great recipe to put your crock pot to work.
By Alison Crane
Chances are there is a slow cooker in your house. Many might wonder, “what is so great about a slow cooker?” Let’s celebrate Slow Cooking Month with some Slow Cooking Trivia. Did you know?
- 1940 – Irving Naxon receives his U.S. patent for a slow bean cooker which was inspired by his grandmother’s cooking in Lithuania.
- 1972 – Naxon’s product, called “The Beanery,” is rebranded as the “Crock Pot.”
- Slow cookers were first created with religious days in mind so that families could still eat a warm meal during those days.
- Over eighty percent of American households own a slow cooker.
- One of the most memorable slow cooker slogans in the twentieth century was, “Cooks all day while the cook’s away.”
- There are more than six hundred thousand Google searches involving the words, “slow cooker,” every month.
- January is considered “Slow Cooker Month” because it aligns with the New Year’s resolution period when people often focus on healthier eating and convenient cooking methods, plus it is just nice to come home to a hot meal on a cold evening.
Research by USDA FSIS indicates it is safe to cook large cuts of meat and poultry in slow cookers. When cooking meat or poultry always cover it with water or some type of liquid to create the necessary steam for cooking. Slow cookers cook the food slowly at a low temperature, generally between 170 to 280 degrees F, over several hours. The combination of the lengthy cooking time, steam, and direct heat from the pot destroys bacteria making it a safe cooking method.
Slow cooking saves time, money, and energy, and as long as you observe food safety guidelines keeps food safe. Your meal can be cooked all day while you are away and is ready when you want it.
For more information on slow cooking, contact the Garland County Extension at 501-623-6841, come by 210 Woodbine St, Hot Springs, Arkansas 71901, or visit our UAEX website.
Alison Crane is a Family and Consumer Science Agent with the Garland County Extension Service. The Arkansas Cooperative Extension Service offers its programs to all eligible persons regardless of race, color, national origin, religion, gender, age, disability, marital or veteran status, or any other legally protected status, and is an Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity Employer.
