Softening tough meat through cooking is the simplest thing in the world if you use a crockpot (slow cooker). This is one of the best appliances you can have in your kitchen, especially if you're working away from home during the day, because you can pack it with meat and vegetables in the morning before you leave for work, and then come home to a delicious, nutritious meal cooked and ready to eat. The cooking is long and slow, which means you can use the cheapest, toughest cuts of meat.

To soften the tough meat, simply brown it first by frying in olive oil or other oil or fat, then place it in the crockpot along with vegetables, or whatever else you are going to use for the dish. (Actually, the browning is optional, but I prefer to brown the meat first.)

Place hard vegetables such as potatoes at the bottom of the crockpot dish, then add the meat, and follow that with any other vegetables you are using. Add salt, pepper, and any other herbs or spices, and then add a small amount of liquid. A cup is usually enough. You can use water, stock, wine, or perhaps a can of chopped tomatoes with the juice and a half cup of water. A bay leaf is a good addition to almost any meat recipe.

The crockpot cooks the meat very slowly without drying the food, without heating up the kitchen, and without using much electricity. It is a very energy-efficient way to cook, and because the cooking is slow (taking six to eight hours or more), even the toughest cuts of meats such as mutton become tender and moist. There is no need to stir the pot, and it does not dry out, even if you leave it on overnight.

There are thousands of crockpot (slow cooker) recipes available on the Internet. One source to get you started is at: http://www.a-crock-cook.com/ea sy-crock-pot-recipes.html.

You will soon find out that the cheap, tough meats are in fact the tastiest of all. Like me, you might find that after tasting real mutton, you will never want to bother with bland old lamb again. Forget fast food - slow cooking is definitely the way to go!

Learn more about this author, Lin Edwards.
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