Using Crock Pots for Healthy Cooking: A Beginner’s Guide
If you’re looking for a healthy new 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, crock pots are an essential utensil in any well-appointed kitchen. In fact, food is often served in clay pots to educate people on the way it is cooked.
Clay pots are used to boil soups, noodles, and porridge, make stews, and steam meats and vegetables. With the clay pot uncovered, the clay pots can also be used to fry and roast meats, vegetables, tofu, rice and noodles. Many dishes are aptly named after this unique cooking style: clay pot rice, clay pot chicken, etc.
The porous quality of clay as a cookware creates a moist and 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 nutrients. In today’s health-conscious world, using crock pots for cooking is a wonderful way to reduce fat content while retaining the natural flavors of food.
Clay pots are placed in direct contact with the heat source, whether it be 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 with 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 the anticipated number of servings. Brown and black are the typical colors of clay pots. There are pots, pans and all kinds of accessories for clay pots such as hotplates and kettles.
To start with, it is wise to spend some time identifying a supplier of a good range of high quality, authentic earthenware. There are certain handling instructions related to washing a clay pot. Generally speaking, it is not necessary to soak a good quality crock pot.
Next, one should learn how to cook properly using a crock pot by attending a crock pot cooking class near where you 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 with care to preserve their unique material for their next use.
Cooking in a crock pot can be an enjoyable culinary experience, not to mention its health benefits. Once you get started, a whole new world of crock pot recipes opens up before you.
