Beat the Summer Heat with Crock Pot Cooking

Most areas of the country this summer are experiencing record-breaking heat - including here in Ohio. On days like these, there are few places you'd rather be than in a hot kitchen! There are many things you can do however, when it comes to cooking a nice home made meal that don't require traditional stove top or oven cooking. Learn to utilize some creative ways of cooking that don't heat up the house, such grilling out, or using the crock pot, in order to truly beat the summer heat and keep your cool while preparing a nice home-cooked meal for friends and family.

Oval Crock Pot (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

So, how does crock pot cooking really help beat the heat? Simply put, the crock pot in and of itself puts off far less heat when cooking than an oven or stove top. This is the first and possibly the best reason to utilize the crock pot in your summer meal planning. You should also consider the fact that by not heating the house by using your stove top or oven you are also preventing your air conditioning (or other cooling methods) from working overtime in order to compensate for the additional heat that other cooking methods introduce.

This makes crock pot cooking a win-win situation as the costs involved in operating a crock pot are far less than the costs involved in operating a stove or oven in general. Whether electric or gas, your stove and oven are often serious energy hogs. Add to that the fact that you are not raising the temperature in your home by traditional means of cooking and you are using even less electricity.

In general most people think of crock pots as designed for comfort foods and hearty winter meals. The truth is that the crock pot should be one of your best loved and most often utilized cooking methods if you can manage it. When it comes to cooking with a crock pot, the options are almost limitless. Almost anything that can be baked can be made in the crock pot and many, many more wonderful and enticing meals and treats as well.

The Benefits of Crock Pot Cooking

In addition to the cost benefits mentioned above, when it comes to crock pot cooking there are several other benefits that are well worth mentioning. First of all, the bulk of the work involved in crock pot cooking takes place early in the day when you are refreshed rather than at the end of a hectic work or play day. This means that you are less likely to forget an ingredient or make other mistakes that often occur as we hurriedly prepare a dinner when we are exhausted from the activities of our day.

Mongolian Beef with rice and noodles (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Second, many great crock pot recipes include vegetables to insure we are getting the nutrients we need. So often, when preparing a meal at the last minute, vegetables and other side dishes are left out in favor of expedience. Crock pot cooking in many instances is a complete meal in one dish. Also, several recent studies have shown that meats cooked using slow, moist heat (like in a crock pot) are much healthier for you than grilled or fried meats. So using a crock pot to prepare meals may be a healthier way to go in general.

Another great reason to use a crock pot for your summertime cooking is the ease of clean up. Unlike pots and pans, most crock pot meals are made in one dish. This means that there will not be as many dishes to be either hand washed or loaded into the dishwasher (or if you are like me-both) afterwards. You can spend less time cleaning just as you spent less time slaving over a hot stove. Oh wait! Make that no time slaving over a hot stove.... Once clean up is complete you can get back to enjoying the sun set, chasing the lightening bugs with your little ones, or just waiting for the first star.

While there will never be a one-size-fits-all best cooking method, crock pot cooking comes very close. If you have a crock pot collecting dust somewhere in the back of your pantry it is time to get it out, dust if off, and dig up some great summertime crock pot cooking recipes. (Check back later this week for some ideas.)


Crock Pots Are Available in Many Different Sizes to Suit Your Family: