Crock-Pot or Slow Cooker, It’s All Good

There are certain products whose trademarked names have become synonymous with similar items on the market. Think Kleenex, Jell-O, ChapStick and yes, even Popsicles. Although all these products are different, they are all proprietary eponyms: a successful brand name that has come into general use to refer to a generic class of objects that are similar.

With the chill of winter upon us, it’s time to pull out one of my favorite proprietary eponyms: the Crock-Pot, or slow cooker for those not using the trademarked version.

IT STARTED WITH GRANDMA’S STEW

The Crock-Pot as we know it today evolved from a cooking device invented by Irving Nachumsoh. Inspired by his grandmother’s stew called cholent, a Jewish slow-cooking recipe that required hours of slow cooking in the oven, Nachumsoh developed an all-in-one electric cooker. Nachumsoh eventually shortened his name and attached it to his invention: He patented the Naxon Beanery All-Purpose Cooker on Jan. 23, 1940. In 1970, Naxon sold his Beanery Cooker to The Rival Co. Rival reintroduced the cooker in 1971 under a more consumer-friendly name: the Crock-Pot. With many women entering the job market, the Crock-Pot became an instant hit.

Other appliance companies began to develop slow cookers, and like Kleenex and Band-Aids, the name Crock-Pot became synonymous with any slow cooker. But it is the Crock-Pot brand that still rules the market. Now owned by the Jarden Corp., a division of Newell Brands, the Crock- Pot is a billion-dollar brand, selling over 4 million annually.

A WEDDING GIFT STAPLE

The Crock-Pot, and now its reincarnation the turbo-charged Instant-Pot, is a wedding gift staple. I can recall receiving my first Crock-Pot 35 years ago. Deciding to test out the Harvest Gold Crock-Pot, my husband and I had just received as a wedding gift, I carefully decided on my first recipe.

With a limited budget, I selected my recipe, gathered the necessary ingredients and set up the slow cooker. Closing the door behind me, my husband and I headed to our respective jobs, optimistic that a delicious slow-cooked concoction would be waiting to warm our bellies upon our return that evening.

As soon as I opened the door to our condo, I knew it wasn’t going to be a good scene. What did I learn from my early attempt at using a slow cooker? Some foods just don’t belong in them. Witness my failed attempt at slow cooker tuna noodle casserole. Let’s just say excessive slow cooking of canned tuna is definitely not a “good thing.” Luckily, I had a forgiving husband who helped to promptly discard my fishy stew and proceeded to treat me to a cold beer and pizza.

Let’s just say excessive, though slow, cooking of
canned tuna is definitely not a ‘good thing.’

SLOW COOK A STEW

As the years passed and my cooking skill luckily improved, I began creating slow cooker recipes that could actually be eaten. One of my favorite things to make is stew. What better way to enjoy a chilly winter day than to fill up that Crock-Pot with a delicious jumble of ingredients and let it simmer all day? Although beef is the usual protein in a stew, venison makes a terrific alternative.

Cooking venison can be intimidating. The meat is very low in fat and lacks the marbling found in beef. A moist, slow braise in a slow cooker is the perfect method to enjoy the less tender cuts of venison.

Venison stew meat is made from what is referred to as working cuts. These cuts of meat come from muscles that were used vigorously by the animal and contain a lot of connective tissue. Though less tender than some of the other venison cuts, the working cuts tend to have more flavor. With a long slow cook, the meat becomes fork-tender and packed full of flavor.

SIMMER A FRUIT BUTTER

Fruit butters are traditionally simmered on a stove burner in a heavy pot. But who wants to spend their day stirring and watching a simmering pot when you have a slow cooker around? Combine our state fruit, the cranberry, with your favorite cooking apples, along with sugar and a blend of winter spices to create a colorful fruit butter. You’ll have enough for yourself and some friends.

DON’T FORGET DESSERT

From cakes and crisps to puddings and poached fruit, the slow cooker makes dessert preparation a snap.

Wouldn’t it be nice to have a warm, stuffed baked apple waiting for you after a day of cross-country skiing or snowshoeing? Top with creamy vanilla ice cream and drizzle with some pure maple syrup or caramel sauce, and you have a restaurant-quality dessert presentation.

Call it a slow cooker or a Crock-Pot. It’s not the name that matters. It’s what comes out of that slow cooking machine that makes you want to rediscover the benefits of what started out as a simple invention created by Irving Naxon to recreate his grandmother’s stew. Just stay away from that canned tuna.