The cold season is nearly upon us. One of the easiest and most loved meals for these winter months are made possible because of the use of a slow cooker. Let’s go into why slow cooking is perfect this winter.

What is Slow Cooking?

Slow cooking is a method used to cook food over a long period of time. Usually, the cooking technique involves using a large lidded pot on the stove or in the oven. Some households may have even invested in a slow cooker, to get the perfect stew, soup or casserole.

Slow cooking gradually infuses flavours. By simmering food on a low heat, you’re left with a dish that’s evenly cooked and has a great taste every time. Plus, it’s so easy!

Benefits of Slow Cooking

The biggest attraction of slow cooking is the ease of use. It’s very much a prep-and-forget. Once all of your ingredients have been prepared, it’s as easy as leaving it to cook. If you’re an organised person, you can prepare a pot the night before so when you return home from work you have a steaming hot casserole or soup waiting for you!

People wouldn’t be so fond of slow cooking if it wasn’t delicious. The end result always leaves you with a flavourful dish with tender and succulent meat. The beauty of it is that it’s incredibly hard to make an unpleasant stew, just add the flavours you think would work well together; and chances are it’ll work.

Additionally, slow cookers are also much more efficient than conventional electric ovens. This makes them the more economical choice, which is becoming a significant factor for many people.

Why Winter?

In the winter months, there’s no better feeling than tucking into a nice warm stew or soup. A hearty stew will warm you up very nicely. We all want that feeling of having had some wonderful comfort food.

Take Your Stew to The Next Level

Most of the people that have served us a stew over the years have told us that theirs had a secret ingredient. It’s not a secret, it’s Marmite. It’s always Marmite. This is because yeast is umami. Umami is one of the five basic tastes, along with sweet, sour, salty and bitter taste sensations. It is essentially enriching the depth of flavour in your stew. Add a teaspoon at a time, stir and taste.

Just make sure, if you use a slow cooker that your sauce is thick enough. Start it off with plenty of liquid, but make sure you thicken it up sufficiently and turn the heat up a bit to give you that rich and thickened gravy in your food.

Try a Joint of Meat

Some meats are always better when cooked for a long time on a really low heat. Take beef brisket for example – have you ever tried cooking a piece of beef brisket in water? On a very low heat for quite a few hours. The taste is amazing and it is really really tender. Then you also get this rich beef stock to make your gravy which is just wonderful.

Where to Source Your Meat

We always recommend sourcing your meat from a butcher. Whether that butcher is us or one more local to you. We offer a home delivery service by which we deliver your order of fresh meats directly to your door!

Get in Touch

Looking to order a high-quality cut of meat that you can be confident in? Feel free to place an order with us. Alternatively, if you’re looking to find out some more information about Burts Catering Butcher and how we work, don’t hesitate to get in touch. Give us a call on 01424 730417 or contact us here.