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Monday, February 15, 2010

Help!

So, the wife has me slow cooking. I'm not a fan- I must admit. By nature, I am an absolute classicist. Cheat sheets and corner cutting have never done it for me. Plain and simple, I'm a work hard and earn your keep kind of guy...And so with food, if I want a braised beef, I'll use a Creuset and braise the brisket for 5 hours or so the old fashioned way.

So, I slow cooked some chicken. It came out bland, but I did make the huge mistake of not browning it first. Hey, you learn.

But, I guess my big problem with the slow cooker is the loss of the relationship between dish and cook. You stick all of the ingredients in the pot. You close the lid. You open the lid 4 or 9 hours later. Voila. Cooked food. Sorry, but for me the creation of a dish- watching it progress into something- has always been a big part of what the enjoyment of food is all about. Carmelizing the meat. Seeing the sofrito come together. The deglaze. The seasoning. The finishing fat. These decisions and others are for me what make cooking an art, and to take that away- or maybe more accurately minimize them, simplify them- I don't know...

I guess its better than microwaving, yes?

So, I toss it back to the reader. Slow cooking. You a fan? If you are, tips on keeping some soul in the food?

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

honey that chicken in the slow cooker was awesome and you ate two helpings! ...dont be such a food snob!

Unknown said...

Sorry my good man...I have to strongly disagree. There is something to me about the magic of the braising process that is so appealing, never mind the cost. Veal osso bucco? Use pork shoulder at $1/pound. And after the vegetable and meats are braised, the leftover juice, skimmed of fat and reduced, it heavenly. Day 1 is good...day 2 is usually better.