Slow Cook Economical Beef Cuts for Speedy Suppers
"Slow cookers are a great way to transform a non-cooking male, or any neophyte meal preparer, into a family hero," says Pye. "I always tell people to start out with a beef stew or basic pot roast. They can't go wrong. Low and slow is the ideal way to cook less expensive cuts of beef, such as boneless beef cross rib, blade roast or brisket. Just put in the ingredients in the recipe, turn the slow cooker to high and in four hours you'll have fork-tender meat."
If you're heading out for the day and want a nutritious, mouth-watering meal when you return in nine or ten hours, Pye recommends a beef stew cooked on the Low setting. "You can't overcook stewing beef in a slow cooker and with so many pre-prepared vegetables - tiny new potatoes, baby carrots, turnip cubes and broccoli flowerettes - assembling the ingredients is a breeze."
The first electric slow cookers were extremely popular in the 70s. "After that, sales in North American leveled off at a relatively constant 6 million units per year," says Bob Dees, President of Robert Rose Inc. publisher of five slow cooker books, including Pye's books. "In the late 90s, with the launch of machines with a sexier-look and programmable thermostats, people started to rediscover everything slow cookers could do. They're perfect for any family with too many things to do and staggered meal times."
Sales of Robert Rose books have climbed along with sales of the appliance. "Slow cooker recipes are some of the hardest recipes to develop as you need the right balance of main ingredients, liquid and spices," says Dees. "But when our authors get it right, the taste is fabulous."
When it comes to beef recipes, Pye's imagination never stops. "The slow cooker opens up so many options for easy-to-prepare, great-tasting, economical suppers. With the current trade restriction for beef, enjoying these value cuts more often, really helps our Canadian beef farmers."
Pye's latest book, The best family slow cooker recipes (2003) has recipes for meatloaf, ragout, short ribs, curry, chili, lasagna - to name just a few. To meet the demand for a wider range of slow cooker recipes on the Recipe Centre the Beef Information Centre has made arrangements with Robert Rose Inc. and its cookbook authors to adapt and post a number of these recipes.
