Using Crock Pots For Healthy Cooking: A Beginner’s Guide
If you’re looking for a new healthy way to cook, why not try Asian-style crock pot cooking?
Clay pot cooking is an ancient technique in many cultures from the Romans, Etruscans, Chinese, Indians, Mexicans and Moroccans. In Asia, clay pots have been widely used as a cooking style for centuries. From China, Vietnam, Thailand, Southeast Asia to the Indian subcontinent, clay pots are an essential item in any well-appointed kitchen. In fact, food is often served in clay pots to inform people about the way it is cooked.
Clay pots are used to boil soups, noodles, and porridge, make stews, and steam meats and vegetables. With the crock pot uncovered, the crock pots can also be used to fry and grill meats, vegetables, tofu, rice, and noodles. Many dishes are appropriately named after this unique cooking style: rice in a clay pot, chicken in a clay pot, etc.
The porous quality of clay as a cookware creates a moist, sealed environment. When the crock pot is soaked in water and heated in an oven, it is ideal for cooking healthier foods with less oil and without losing any nutrients. In today’s health conscious world, using crock pots for cooking is a wonderful way to reduce fat content while preserving the natural flavors of food.
Clay pots are placed in direct contact with the heat source, be it a stove, hot plate, charcoal, microwave oven, or grill. Clay pots distribute heat evenly and much faster, thus bringing out the natural flavors of food and using less energy. The juices released by the food cannot escape and are therefore sealed in the crock pot. There is no need to add extra oils or fats and the food does not dry out.
How to start
The careful selection and choice of a good quality clay pot is important. Claypots come in various diameters and volume. Select a size that suits your purpose and anticipated number of servings. Brown and black are the typical colors of clay pots. There are pots, casseroles and all kinds of accessories for clay pots such as hot plates and teapots.
To get started it is wise to spend some time identifying a supplier of a good range of high quality authentic clay pots. There are certain handling instructions related to washing a clay pot. Generally speaking, a good quality crock pot does not need to be soaked.
Next, one should learn how to cook properly using a crock pot by attending a crock pot cooking class near where they live, or by watching a demonstration by an experienced chef, or by following a cookbook. Combining the correct amount of ingredients and water in a crock pot is crucial to the cooking process. This is best learned from an expert.
Finally, some maintenance is required. Claypots must be handled carefully to preserve their unique material for their next use.
Crock pot cooking can be an enjoyable culinary experience, not to mention its health benefits. Once you start, a whole new world of crock pot recipes opens up before you.