Quote:
Originally Posted by Ea
But why on earth go to all that trouble of measuring out vinegar and hurrying the meat, and starting over with the liquid part, when you can just dump meat, home-made frozen stock, and spices in a slow cooker and just let it take care of itself. Add vegetable and herbs a little closer to dinner time. Much less fuss 
(If you want a nicer looking sauce, you may have to sauté the meat, but I find the difference is negligible taste-wise).
Seriously, I really like slow cookers because 80% of the work is done well in advance and there's no rush to finish everything right before dinner-time. |
I don't really measure the vinegar. Just a guess as to how much I put in. If you put in too little and cook for a short time = tough meat.
Put in too much vinegar and no problem, you throw away the water anyway.
In total it's not much work at all. You still have to cut the meat and veggies for either one. The simmering pot needs no attention. The vegetables can be cut up at any time and when ready to cook take little time.
Crock pot vs. simmer- I find that the Crockpot is often too hot. The meat can come out falling apart, but still be stringy. The only flavor in the meat is the flavor in the liquid. This way the meat has a more concentrated flavor.
Here's something that I tried a log time ago. Divide a small amount of meat into 3 parts. Cook with no spices. One part just boil rapidly and set aside for later. One part simmer for 2 hours. The last one cook on a low boil for 3 or more hours. Maybe put them in, marked, separate containers in the fridge.
Heat all three up to the same temp. and test each, one at a time.
After this test I made chili with the rest.
Alternately try making a small amount my way and test the flavor.
Key to this is the simmering. Drop it into the boiling water, bring it to a boil, and then reduce the heat to a simmer. Again a simmer is below a slow boil. The meat will be different.
Needless to say, you don't have to do this with chicken.