Tools for the job: Crock Pot

On this blog, I post about things that help you out in the kitchen, such as recommendations for good, versatile ingredients to keep on hand.

However, in this post, I want to recommend a great little appliance that is a must-have for anybody that needs to save time and money. I'm talking about the slow-cooker/crock pot.

You have seen crock pots before, I am sure.

I remember my mom used a crock pot to cook many of my childhood meals. The appeal for her was that she could wake up in the morning, throw all the ingredients in the pot, set the temperature, and there would be a fully-cooked meal ready for dinner.

With a crock-pot, you really don't have to stand around in the kitchen and babysit your meal until it is ready. Needless to say, when I moved out, the first thing I bought for my new apartment was a crock pot. I would get up in the morning, start a meal, and by the time I was done with school and my job, I would walk in the door and smell my dinner.

I checked locally and you can get a crock pot like the one pictured above at places like Walmart for around $20. Trust me, it pays for itself. If you are really scraping with your budget, then go ahead and look around online. I found them at places like Best Buy for $15. And if that's still breaking your bank, you could also check craigslist. Good luck! I will be posting some crock pot recipes for you soon!