Picture of colorful bell peppers. FreeQuickRecipes .com
Easy Meal Ideas for Mothers ... & Others

Book Picture
Rachael Ray's 30-Minute Healthy Recipes

History of the Crock Pot

With the popularity of the crock pot, do you ever wonder where this handy kitchen appliance came from? Believe it or not the slow cooker has been around since ancient times.


The Origin of the Slow Cooker

It started when ancient cooks would prepare root plants in large pots for at least twenty four hours. This slow cooking process released nutrients and made the bulb of vegetable tender enough to eat.

Farming days came and the slow cooking process continued when farmers cooked old hens, making them tender enough to eat. Hunting was the primary source of food and chewing it would have been extremely difficult had they merely fried or boiled it over heat. Fresh meat is tough which makes the slow cooking process essential for consuming these types of meats.

Big pots have been used throughout history for cooking. If you look back you'll notice in many books and encyclopedias that pots were widely used for many things. They were mainly used to cook food over a long period of time.

These same pots were also used for more than just cooking. Back then the pots were used to heat up water and use it for bathing and washing of clothes since the large size made them perfect for both.

These large pots were made out of cast iron, sometimes stone and even pottery. They were extremely heavy and hung on a large hook with the heat source coming from a fire burning below the pot. This is how the food remained warm at all times and the food would actually be cooked. Slow cooking is still performed over an open fire in some instances. For example, camping. Nothing beats a hot dog or marshmallow roasted over an open fire.

Eventually cast iron evolved into frying pans, yet they still took time to cook the foods, they were heavy and cleaning was a bear.

Unlike modern times, cooks of the past had to pay close attention to their slow cookers so that the food wouldn't scorch. The slow cookers of old cook just as slow, but due to the fact they were used over open flame it was a necessity to keep a close eye on the cooking process and to keep the fire burning underneath.

Then in the 1960's a company called West Bend created a bean pot for cooking...you guessed it, beans. Next came the original Beanery that was created in Chicago, Illinois by the Naxon Utilities Corporation.

Moving to 1970, a company by the name of Rival took over and refined the look of those early slow cookers and later introduced the Rival Crock-Pot slow cooker in 1971. Women were going to work in the corporate world and having this revolutionary chef of sorts cook for them all day was a working girl's dream come true. As they say, the rest is history!


Freezer Cooking Made Simple
Share a Recipe

Got a recipe that you love? Why not let others love it too?

Search This Site
 
Recipe Categories
Appetizer - 166
Bread - 99
Breakfast - 138
Candy - 16
Cookies - 45
Crock Pot - 451
Dessert - 322
Drink - 60
Main Course - 708
Muffins - 22
Pressure Cooker - 3
Salad - 325
Sandwich - 113
Sauce - 68
Side Dish - 335
Smoothie - 75
Snack - 194
Soup - 176
Video - 48
 
More Resources

Other Sites you May Enjoy:

Start your own Food Business

Food Direct Sales Home Business Opportunities

Kitchen Organization

What Can I Make with This Food?

Kitchen Cleaning Tips

Beauty Recipes

Diet Plans

Copyright © FreeQuickRecipes.com. All rights reserved.

Contact Us | Easy Free Recipes