Guest Author - Cate Brizzell

I recently re-discovered a wedding shower gift, one that had languished in the basement, used only for special occasions. I bet you have one in your kitchen, too. It's a crock pot!

This fall I had a new challenge when it came to cooking and our grocery bill. Homeschooling for the first time, my daily schedule was a bit tighter in the afternoons. I also had to quit my part-time job in order to homeschool, so our food budget was tighter as well. All three of our children are involved in year-round sports and activities that take up anywhere from two to four nights a week. Wanting to provide healthy, home-cooked but inexpensive meals--and not a great fan of cooking to begin with--I decided to start planning two-week menus and shopping lists.

As I perused my favorite cookbooks for recipes that would work, I kept coming across slow-cooker meals and recommendations. I decided to try a few. What success!

What are the benefits to using your slow cooker? Let me list just a few:

• takes only a few minutes to prepare ingredients and set up cooker


• most recipes use inexpensive cuts of meat


• meals can cook while you're out of the house


• families can eat in shifts, if ncessary, and meals remain hot and yummmy


• convenience helps you save money by eating out less often


• you can cook in bulk, freezing extra portions for future meals

I've set up a weekly rotation for our crock pot, making sauce and meatballs every Tuesday and a variety meal every Thursday. Thursday's meal uses whichever meat was on sale this week. I like to call it "mystery meal Thursday".

I had no idea how much stress meal planning and grocery shopping produced when I tried to do it on the fly every week. Now, I shop every two weeks--sometimes less often--and I'm much more relaxed during the day, knowing exactly what's for dinner and knowing I don't have to spend a lot of time preparing it.

The only drawback is trying to concentrate while mouth-watering smells fill your home. Yum!

You don't have to be a cooking expert to use your crock pot effectively. While I'm not a Rachel Ray or Martha Stewart (in fact, I like to joke I'm the "anti-Martha"), I can offer a few tips to keep in mind when you use a crock pot to adapt your favorite recipes:

• use one-half water or liquids usually called for--you can always add more later if you like


• you may need more than one-sized crock pot, as your recipe needs to fill the pot at least 2/3 to cook effectively, without burning


• trim fat from meats before cooking


• don't overdo spices, as the crock pot enhances them while cooking

Which crock pot is best? There are two main brands, Rival and Hamilton Beach. I have one of each. I prefer the Hamilton Beach crock pot, as it cooks from the bottom and sides, which produces more even heating. However, this also means you need to cook on low more often, as the high temperatures will work quite quickly and could overdo meals if you aren't careful.

There are also two main shapes, round and oval. The round works best for most recipes but the oval is best if you'll use your pot to roast chickens or large cuts of meat on a regular basis.

Which sizes to own? I regularly use a 4-quart round and a 7-quart oval. If you're feeding a family of four or more, these two sizes should do the trick for the vast majority of recipes you'd try. If you're single or cooking for less than four, you could probably get away with a 2-quart and a 4-quart in your pantry.

What about extra gizmos and features? Personally, I don't need to pay the extra money for these. But if you're asking for a crock pot as a gift, go for it! A programmable option would be nice, but it's not something I find myself absolutely needing. However, if you work outside your home, I think it's a must-have. Most crock-pot meals cook on low for 6-7 hours or high 3-4 hours, so if you're gone longer than that, you would want to set your meal to start cooking a few hours after you leave the house.

Most crock pots now come in different colors and decorator options, which is also a nice "extra". I prefer the stainless steel exteriors, since they match my kitchen appliances. I've read online that knobs as aren't very sturdy and may break with rough and regular use, so beware and treat your crock pot accordingly.

You may already own a crock pot and are just wondering where to find good recipes, in addition to adapting ones you already use. Most times I use recipes in my Gooseberry Patch cookbooks (www.gooseberrypatch.com) or ones I find online at www.a-crock-cook.com. I also use the Fix-it And Forget-it Cookbook.

Sometimes the best things are right under our nose, cheap and easy-to-use. This year, I nominate my crock pot for 2007 Appliance MVP. If you haven't used yours lately, pull it out and give it a try!

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Best Crock Pot To Buy by Cate Brizzell Home Finance Editor Get three different-sized crock pots with just one purchase. More bang for your buck! Hamilton Beach brand cooks evenly using the sides and not just the bottom, but watch out for knobs that can break easily.