Of all the appliances in your kitchen that one can fall in love with, an ever-reliable crockpot will be sure to support the multi-tasking mom’s quest to provide easy meals for loved ones at a slow and steady pace. Different from the recent popularity being enjoyed by other small appliances that pressurize your food and serve it up faster than ever before, the often forgotten slow cooker,is the type of appliance where the tagline “fix it and forget it” is apropos.

Here are three reasons to dust off your crockpot and show her some love, and an easy meal that can be assembled in the morning. By dinner time, the family will have a warm and hearty meal that may even remind you of shopping in the newest giant home store found in MOA.

Slow and steady wins the race

Additional steps are usually taken when preparing your crockpot meal. Sometimes, this includes browning the meat, or sautéing the aromatics before adding them to the mix. Slow cookers take their time bringing your meal together, and this helps the flavors meld like magic. So taking the time to brown your ground meat mix before throwing it in the pot with the beans and spices ensures a tastier chili that is both filling and comforting.

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More than soups and stews

However, cooking in the crockpot doesn’t always mean serving a stew or a soup. In fact, one of our favorite go-to dishes is making pulled pork (with just a rub) for the family. Made in bigger batches, this 1.5-kilo pork shoulder (kasim) usually results in a couple of days worth of BBQ sammies topped with homemade cole slaw. It’s the gift that keeps on giving when served with homemade corn bread and a simple BBQ sauce that can be made with three condiments we all have on hand.

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This copycat recipe needs no browning or sautéing before you mix the ingredients. Mixing the meatballs and adding spices in the meat mixture gives this dish a little “extra.” Making use of pantry staples like condensed mushroom soup is a no-brainer.

Crockpot Swedish Meatballs

Ingredients for the meatballs:

250 g lean ground pork
500 g ground beef
1 egg
1 c grated parmesan cheese
¼ c panko bread crumbs
1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp garlic powder

Ingredients for the gravy:

1 can condensed mushroom soup
1 ½ c beef broth
2 Tbsp dried mixed onion 
1 c sour cream

Directions:

Mix all the meat ingredients together and form 2” balls.
Set aside.
Mix gravy ingredients in the crockpot until well incorporated.
Carefully place the meatballs in the gravy and cook on low for 6 hours.
Serve with buttered egg noodles, mashed potatoes, or rice.
Goes perfectly with lingonberry sauce or cranberry sauce.

Pinching pesos without sacrificing on flavor

Using your crockpot can help make meals a bit more affordable. Utilizing cheaper cuts of meat that take a little longer to cook can pinch pesos without sacrificing on flavor, and while making the most of your time.

Whether it’s chili, pulled pork or chicken, caldereta, or creamy adobo, my crockpot has provided my family with so much comfort and love, while saving me time in the process. This is one appliance that will continue to be on rotation for #TeamGellibean meals and time-saving efforts. – Rappler.com