It’s going
to be 80 degrees all week. The sun will be shining and people will be grilling.
It’s very exciting! People ask me grilling questions all the time, and I love
talking about it. I was fortunate enough to assist Jeff Gabriel with his
grilling classes while I was a student at Schoolcraft, and I picked up endless
tips from him…
Ok, so that was
what I was going to write about today, but then I had dinner J. I was writing away, thinking about
grilling and how I was going to share all my detailed information about making
pizza on the grill – right on the grill, no pans or baskets or other nonsense.
Just directly on the grill. It’s delicious. And I will write about it next
week.
But then I had dinner J.
For Mother’s day I
received a slow cooker from my family. I had been toying with purchasing one,
but just hadn’t taken the plunge. For me, buying a piece of cookware or a
utensil is a big deal, especially since I think most of them are really
unnecessary and are a waste of money. As far as I’m concerned, if you have a
few really good knives, some decent pots and sauté pans, and some good sturdy
sheet trays, you’re all set. So
the idea of a slow cooker seemed a bit frivolous.
I’m sure you know
where this is going. I LOVE my slow cooker. For the convenience, the flavor,
the tenderness, etc. etc. I know these things are not remarkable to those of
you who have had this device for years, but it’s still remarkable. To be able
to put something in a pot, close the lid, and walk away – not just from the
stove, but from the HOUSE - is a really liberating thing.
I am still concerned in the back of my
head that this is not a good idea – a simple short could cause the house to
burn down, after all. But I leave lights on occasionally (by mistake) and leave
the dryer running (to save time) and sometimes even leave the dishwasher
finishing (which really IS a bad idea, but that’s another story). I guess any one
of these things could simply short out and cause a fire. So with some minor
trepidation and a “fireman save my pets” sign in my window I now leave the
house with the slow cooker simmering away.
Tonight I made my
second round of braised chicken, simmered with salsa (from Zumba – yum),
onions, chicken stock, and spices. I used chicken thighs – much more flavorful
and tender than chicken breasts, and after about 3 hours, I shredded it all and
had some of the best chicken tacos ever, with guacamole, crisp lettuce, and
warm flour tortillas (all from Zumba – yum).
Now this is not
revolutionary. It’s a simple technique that yields delicious results. But I
think many folks leave out the most important step. Braising, which is cooking
in a covered vessel with a small amount of liquid, is a TWO part technique.
While you can just throw your ingredients into a slow cooker, snap the lid on,
turn it to low, and leave the house, that is really only half the process for
great flavor.
Braising is
actually a dry AND moist heat cooking method. So if you want incredible flavor,
you must 1) season the meat with salt, pepper, and other spices if you choose,
and 2) BROWN the meat in a sauté pan or other pan over medium-high to high heat
on the stove top (this is the dry heat cooking part). You can’t do this part in the slow cooker – it won’t get hot
enough.
I know this creates
a problem. For many folks, the beauty of the slow cooker is the “one pot meal”
concept. So fine, when you’re cooking for people who don’t really like food, or
people for whom you don’t really care much, then skip the browning and just throw
everything into the slow cooker and head out to face your day.
But if you want to
make something really succulent, then take an additional ten minutes and brown
your food. It will taste so much better – due to the caramelization of the
proteins, blah blah blah. It will
just taste so much better. NO MORE BEIGE FOOD!! It’s just not right.
And after browning
the food, deglaze the pan with chicken stock, or wine, or salsa, or water, and
scrape all the really tasty little browned bits off the bottom of the pan.
THEN, add the meat and the liquid to the slow cooker, with any additional
liquid needed to come about half way up the meat. Cover, check the cord for
frays, make sure the circuit isn’t overloaded, and walk away. It really is
liberating J
Have a great week.
This week’s recipe is (big surprise) Slow Cooker Braised Chicken! Try to serve it with fresh tortillas purchased at Los Galanes Restaurant in Mexican Town, just off Vernor on Bagley. They make them all day and they are incredible. Then top them with guacamole from Zumba Mexican Grille in Royal Oak. Also incredible.
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