Cool Tools: Slow Cooker

I researched slow cookers for several weeks before settling on the Versaware Pro made by Rival, the original "crock pot" company.

Though I'm definitely an "eat-as-much-raw-as-you-can" vegan, there are times when heating food, like beans, is required. Plus the "slow" aspect of leaving a soup or stew unattended for a few hours is a great benefit.

I discovered that two-piece slow cookers have this advantage: the interior "crock" comes out of the base and can be used for sautéing on the stove stop. It is then set back in the base, other ingredients are added, and the timer set for the slow cooking process. I could only find two slow cookers with the two-piece advantage. One is an All-Clad model that sells for $249 exclusively at Williams-Sonoma. The other is the one I bought -- the Versaware Pro which I got at Amazon.com for $69.95 (the lowest price I could find; and if you're an Amazon Prime member you get it in two days with free shipping). The All-Clad model is great, of course, All-Clad being a high-end line of kitchen cookware. The only visible advantage I could see when I looked at the All-Clad at Williams-Sonoma is the crock being slightly larger. I couldn't see that being worth an additional $170.

The advantage of the two-piece cooker is not having to sauté in a separate skillet, then transfer those items to the crock at the start of cooking. Sautéing releases the flavor of garlic, onions, peppers, etc., so it helps to cook those over higher heat than the slow cooker will generate. You can then add the rest of the items directly to the sautéed items without losing any flavor in a separate skillet.

Here's the Versaware Pro cooker:



The controls are simple: Low, High, and Warm temp controls. The timer can be set for up to 20+ hours. The digital display counts down so you always know how much time remains. When it gets to zero the temp automatically shifts to Warm for four hours before shutting off.



I had some guys over for supper last night and use the Versaware cooker in the following manner:

I sautéed garlic, green onions, eggplant, and tempeh in the crock directly over a low-medium gas flame. The cooker comes with a small heat diffuser to use with electric ranges which lifts the cooker about an inch above the electric range eye.





I had cooked pasta in a separate pot, and when the sautéing was finished added the pasta, pesto, tomatoes, and broccoli (picture taken before tomatoes and broccoli were added) directly to the still-warm crock, mixed everything, put the crock into the base of the cooker, and set the cooker to Warm just to keep everything warm until it was time to serve. Worked great! Four guys almost emptied the crock (after already having big salads), so I gathered it tasted okay, too. :-) We finished off with (vegan) strawberry cream parfaits, which I'm going to post pictures of soon. Some kinda good.



I've only used this cooker one other time so far, to slow-cook bean soup for freezing in containers in the freezer. Worked fine for that application. I gave my daughter-in-law, Jen, one of these for her birthday and plan to compare notes with her on how she likes it. I recommend you read the reviews at Amazon (it gets 4 of 5 stars from 40+ reviews) and see what you think. For me, it seems like a good purchase.