{"id":1874,"date":"2013-10-12T16:23:10","date_gmt":"2013-10-12T22:23:10","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/cooking.pfeist.net\/?p=1874"},"modified":"2025-03-21T09:59:45","modified_gmt":"2025-03-21T15:59:45","slug":"250-cookbooks-crock-pot-cookbook","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/cooking.pfeist.net\/?p=1874","title":{"rendered":"250 Cookbooks: Crock-Pot Cookbook"},"content":{"rendered":"

Cookbook #47: Crock-Pot Slow Electric Stoneware Cooker Cookbook<\/em>. Rival, Kansas City, Missouri. No publication date given.<\/p>\n

\"Crock-Pot<\/a>This small pamphlet is the original instruction book that came with my mother\u2019s first Crock-Pot. My guess is that it was published about 1972, based on the research I did on Crock-Pots for my Electric Slow Cooker Cookbook post<\/a> on slow cooker apple butter. Rival Crock-Pots were first introduced to the American public in the early 1970s.<\/p>\n

I enjoy this passage entitled \u201cA note from our Rival Home Economist\u201d, on the inside cover of the booklet:<\/p>\n

\u201cIn all my years of experience I have never enjoyed such interesting and rewarding months as those spent testing this revolutionary slow cooker!<\/p>\n

All of us are mighty interested in nutrition, flavor and economy. Well, you\u2019ll certainly get the best of all three with your Rival \u201cCrock-Pot.\u201d Better flavor than you could ever get by boiling or frying. Slow \u201cCrock-Pot\u201d cooking is an excellent way to retain more vitamins, juices and minerals. You\u2019ll be thrilled at the tender, tasty meals you can serve, using less expensive meats. \u201cCrock-Pot\u201d cooks all day for about 3 cents. What better way to conserve electricity – and save food money, too!<\/p>\n

Forget about watching meals as they cook. Forget about that little question: \u201cWill everything and everybody be ready at the same time?\u201d Enjoy yourself while your \u201cCrock-Pot\u201d turns out perfect meals – unattended. Imagine this: during tests I actually simmered chicken and vegetables continuously for 30 hours – of course, far longer than necessary – yet they were still intact and actually good.<\/p>\n

You will love having the \u201cCrock-Pot\u201d in your kitchen. It promises to be quite a change from what you\u2019re used to. For enjoyment at its best, as a starter, may I suggest pot roast or Swiss steak. Just don\u2019t be afraid to leave it alone for 10 hours. With the \u201cCrock-Pot\u201d in the kitchen, you don\u2019t have to be there.<\/p>\n

The recipes in this book represent the many categories of foods you can prepare with ease and confidence. Because the \u201cCrock-Pot\u201d is so versatile, you\u2019ll want to adapt some of your own favorite recipes. I\u2019ve prepared a guide to make things simpler for you.<\/p>\n

Have fun cooking with your \u201cCrock-Pot\u201d Slow Cooker! For whatever you use it, it will save you time and give you better flavor.\u201d<\/p>\n

-Marilyn Neill, Home Economist, Rival Manufacturing Co.<\/p>\n

The whole pamphlet is written in this friendly style: it was fun to read! When I first retrieved it from my bookshelf, I thought I\u2019d try a recipe and then recycle it, but in the end I decided it was interesting, friendly, nostalgic, and useful enough to keep. It has a still-useful guide for adapting your current recipes to slow-cooker versions, and several interesting recipes. My mother made notes on the Boeuf Bourguignon recipe, Coq au Vin, and Pot Roast of Beef recipes. Currently, my \u201cgo-to\u201d cookbook for slow-cooking is Cover and Bake<\/em> (from Cooks Illustrated); I will tuck this little cookbook-pamphlet inside that book and enjoy it again.<\/p>\n

I decided to try \u201cBoeuf a la Flamade\u201d, or \u201cBeer Braised Beef. Briefly, a beef stew. I have been making beef stews for years, sometimes on the stove top, sometimes in a covered casserole, sometimes in a slow cooker. I generally brown the meat first, to add flavor. This recipe does not call for a browning step. What the heck, it\u2019s worth a try, and saves time and a messy pan. I like the inclusion of bacon and beer: how can you go wrong with that combination?<\/p>\n

Here is the original recipe:<\/p>\n

\"Beer<\/a>I think that a pound of mushrooms is overkill, so I will use only the 8-ounce package that I have in the refrigerator. I like to use a cross-rib roast for stew meat, and the one I bought is only 3 pounds, so my version of the recipe (below) reflects this change. I\u2019ll use less salt, too.<\/p>\n

Beer Braised Beef<\/strong><\/a>
\nserves about 4<\/em><\/p>\n