Wednesday, April 9, 2008

Easy Dinner at Home: Slow Cooker

My favorite tip on Bankrate's Frugal Sense contest this month is Dinner's Done from Melissa Yau of Birdsboro. A slow cooker (Crock Pot) is a great, easy way to make a good dinner. Just dump the ingredients into the pot, and give it 4 to 8 hours (depending on the recipe) and there you have it: a yummy dinner!

However, I'm not sure if I'd leave mine on while I'm out of the house as she suggests. We turn ours on overnight. Then, reheat the cooked food for dinner that the next night. When we were kids (but old enough to stay home alone, follow instructions, and plug in an appliance), Mom would have us start the slow cooker when we got home from school. She put all of the ingredients in the pot and put it in the refrigerator the previous night or that morning. Then, she'd leave us a note as to what time to put it on the base and plug it in. When she would get home from work, dinner would already be ready.

Like Melissa says in her tip, the slower cooker liners are awesome. Reynold's makes them, and they aren't too expensive -- especially if you can get them on sale and with a coupon. You just line the pot with one of the bags and then put the food in. When you are done and have removed the food, throw away the liner and quickly wipe down the pot.

If you are like me, you'll eat more at home (and save!) if it's quick and easy. This is one great way to make cooking and cleaning a snap.

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