I’ll freely admit I’m obsessed with my slow cooker. Sure, I didn’t name my firstborn “Crockpot,” but that’s only because my wife put her foot down. “It’s an old Irish name,” I protested, convincing no-one.
As a time-poor and cash-strapped freelancer, I rely on my Crockpot to transform the cheapest cuts of meat into delectable meals that massage my tastebuds into a blissful sense of euphoria, momentarily distracting me from the unpaid invoices and mounting utility bills. A regular favorite is pulled pork, which involves submerging a pork shoulder into in a seasoned broth of hard cider and barbecue sauce until it disintegrates into a sticky, meaty, tender mess.
And unlike other methods of cooking, slow cookers require the least amount of attention. Most recipes involve chucking your ingredients into a bowl and returning hours later, once the slow cooker has done its magic. This means you can prepare your dinner in the morning, allowing you to return home to the smell of an already-cooked fajita casserole or Lancashire hotpot.
And the best part? They’re cheap. You can easily get a brand-name slow cooker for less than $20, and it’ll do the job.
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