By Amanda, Blogger at Coupons and Lesson Plans
I don’t know what it is about fall that has me reaching for the slow cooker, but I do this every year. Our family menu transitions to dishes like stews with dumplings, appetizers, and other recipes made in a slow cooker a few times a week. I really like to take items to holiday dinners and get together’s in our slow cooker too, but I didn’t have a travel case. Keeping that lid on the slow cooker while traveling was such a hassle in a vehicle filled with rowdy kiddos, as you can imagine. BrylaneHome has shown me the perfect solution by opening my eyes to a wonderful kitchen must have – the WestBend 5 Qt. Versatility Cooker.
Versatility was a perfect name choice for this cooker! Let me explain why. The WestBend 5 Qt. Versatility Cooker from BrylaneHome comes with 5 different pieces a cooking vessel, glass lid, non-stick griddle, travel lid, and an Insulated Tote, and has multiple ways to cook for your family using it.
First of all, if you are used to a standard slow cooker, you know that it is usually two pieces sometimes three when the cooking vessel can come out for cleaning. You can use it to slow cook and that is all. With the Versatility Cooker you are able to use the cooking vessel with the heating base as the heating source or heat your food directly on the stove top or in the oven! This gives you flexibility in dinner choices and how long it takes for your meals to be table ready. You can even use it to cook breads, cakes and desserts! I personally haven’t tried this option yet, but was so surprised when I read this I wanted to make sure and share.
Besides use with the cooking vessel, the heating base can be used as a non-stick griddle. It has double duty ability, and with that the ways to cook using it are numerous with the five different temperature settings, simply numbered 1-5. Just a few examples are that can be used on the lowest setting to keep rolls warm, or as we have been using it, on a higher setting to cook bacon, eggs or pancakes. I enjoy that it is smaller than our large family sized griddle because when I cook breakfast for our two older kiddos it is the perfect size, easier to clean, and just makes the whole process of a hot breakfast simple. Plus the electrical cord is detachable, and that means no more trying to keep the cord dry since I don’t have to fuss with keeping it out of the water when I wipe it down and rinse.
We live about an hour away from our closest relative, so for every holiday, birthday, or family event we are loading up for a short day trip. Taking a dish can be a small hassle, but when traveling the 5qt. Versatility Cooker is awesome! You can cook it up, change to the travel lid if you like, and strap it in the insulated tote with handles. Boom… good to go with a hot dish ready to serve. As long as you keep the travel tote level, and do not over fill the cooking vessel you shouldn’t have to worry about any spills. Nice!
Clean up after using this cooker is very easy. All of the pieces except for the non-stick griddle are dishwasher safe. I do want to mention that if you choose to clean the cooking vessel in a dishwasher that you need to recondition the non-stick finish with a vegetable oil, which you have to do before the first use as well. The included instructions tell you exactly how to do this, and all it requires is a tiny bit of oil and paper towel to wipe it on.The 5qt. Versatility Slow Cooker is available in both green and silver (pictured), and has quickly become one of my favorite ways to cook meals this fall. I am enjoying it’s multiple uses, and especially that it is easy to clean. Who has time from scrubbing after every meal… not this Mom right here! If you have travel plans for the holidays, and like to use a slow cooker, I highly recommend this cooker from BrylaneHome! We are definitely cooking up those fall foods here are our home, and in my opinion it is a wonderful choice for a slow cooker and more!
