10 September 2014

Kitchen news, retro-style

Yesterday I ordered a piece of kitchen equipment of a kind that I have never before owned and never before used. Decades ago these devices became popular in America. Back then, I viewed them as a ridiculous fad of little utility or interest. Times and tastes do change. In fact, whole countries and cultures change noticeably over just a few decades. I've seen it happen.

A new kitchen appliance

The thing I'm talking about is called a cuiseur or mijoteuse électrique in French. When I tell you that my favorite kind of French cooking is preparing what are called plats mijotés, you'll wonder why it took me four decades to decide to acquire a mijoteuse. Some of the most famous plats mijotés are coq au vin, blanquette de veau, and bœuf bourguignon — not to mention la poule au pot and le pot-au-feu.

So if you know what the verb mijoter means, you've figured out what appliance I'm talking about. The next time I decide to make a daube de bœuf, lapin en gibelotte, or choucroute garnie, it will be just the the kitchen appliance to have at the ready.

Here's an American slow-cooker that resembles the one I've ordered.

Mijoter means « faire cuire ou bouillir lentement, à petit feu » and, more figuratively, « préparer un plat avec soin, avec amour ». It means "to simmer", in other words. The device is a "simmerer" or, as it's known nowadays, a slow-cooker. A crock pot. I'm jumping feet-first into the '70s!

The one I've ordered from amazon.fr has a removable oval-shaped stoneware cooking dish that you can put on the table to serve the meal from. And then you can run it through the dishwasher. It holds 6.5 liters if filled to the brim, for about 5 liters of usable volume.

 The removable stoneware cooking vessel

With that shape and size, it can accommodate a small poulet, canard, or pintade, not to mention a small rôti de bœuf, de veau, or de porc that you want to braise slowly for several hours. I can see some good NC-style pulled pork or a batch of chili con carne coming out of it... not to mention all my favorite French plats mijotés listed above.

23 comments:

  1. I have used my crock pot for over 30 years now. I have even made lasagna in it - deeeeelish! best appliance you can own; good luck cooking up new things!

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    1. The fancy gas cooktop we had in California had a thermostatic simmer feature that would automatically turn a burner on and off to keep a pot just hot enough to do slow cooking. Our new Italian stove doesn't have that kind of thermostatic control for low temp. simmering. And besides, the gas here comes in a bottle which can run out at any moment. We don't have piped-in natural gas out here in the country, so electric cooking is handy from that point of view too. I'll have to try the lasagne — I had already thought of all the tomato / bolognese sauce we make year-round. And soups.

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  2. I have a 'slow cooker' in the UK and in France. When I was working I probably used it 2-3 times a week in the winter, but less in the summer. It was so easy to load up before I went to work. I think it will be a good investment for you, a time saver and the best part will be the range of delicious meals you'll be able to cook.

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    1. Gaynor, hearing from you made me think of all the curries we can make in the mijoteuse.

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  3. We have a "slow cooker" and use it a lot. It makes great casseroles, curries and steamed puddings. In fact I made beef stew in it yesterday.
    It's brilliant for having a hot meal ready in the evening if you're out or busy all day, and very economical too. The amount of preparation time is the same but once everything is in the pot you can just forget about it - no complicated oven timing or standing over the stove. I'm sure you will love yours once you get started with it!

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  4. I love that they now have the removable ceramic liner dish -- it makes it infinitely more easy to clean. However, I have never had much luck with my crock-pot meals! Yet, I know that other people swear by them. Mine always seem to end up with a funny flavor, and too much liquid. I guess I just don't have the right "feel" for how to use it. I'll be interested to see how it works for you. Seems like a great idea for you, since it allows you to cook off of the stove, and avoid burning up all of that propane, or dealing with a level of heat that is too high. Keep us posted!

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    1. Judy, I may be disappointed, but buying a mijoteuse is not a big investment. If the dishes turn out to be too full of liquid, it sounds like putting in less liquid at the beginning would be a good idea. I'll try that. As for the funny taste, well... we'll see.

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  5. are you kidding!??!? i couldnt survive without my "pokey pot!" yay - it's life changing...seriously.
    :-)

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    1. Thanks for the encouragement. I can't wait to try "pokey" cooking.

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  6. I may ask for one for my birthday. Keep us posted on what you make. I will need recipes.

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    1. Will do, E. I bet there are tons of recipes on the 'net, but I haven't looked for them yet.

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  7. i have never had one....or really seen the point, when u can do the same thing on the stovetop or in the oven, but i understand it is beneficial for working people who arent around to check on things.......I am intrested to see how u like it

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  8. Melinda, I never saw the point of crock pots either. I may be disappointed. I agree about slow-cooking in the oven, except that it seems like an extravagant use of energy to heat up a big oven just to cook a small dish. I may be wrong about that. On the stovetop, if you have an electric burner that you can turn on very low, or the kind of thermostatically controlled gas burner I mentioned earlier, great. Otherwise, it's time, for me, at my age, to finally try a mijoteuse.

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  9. A friend of mine (who clearly knows me well) gave me one of these for Christmas. I cannot tell you how many times I used it. I have used it for many things, but my favorite meal was Confit de Canard--which I made into pot pies. And the way it makes the house smell when you are cooking things like chicken, so amazing to come home to that smell. Enjoy it--I know you will be happy with the purchase.

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    1. Oh yes, confit de canard. And autumn is the season. Thanks.

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  10. I think you could try it with the carottes bourguignonnes.

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    1. I will try it -- or bœuf aux carottes. Good idea.

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  11. I've had my crockpot since the early 70s. Still love it.

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    1. Thanks, Barbara. Sometimes I wonder why I am so far behind the times.

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  12. Hi Ken,
    You will love your slow cooker. I get wonderful results making cassoulet au canard in my slow cooker. Any type of dish requiring braising. Chili and stews are easy to make in slow cookers. Have fun!
    Jean (from Seattle)

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    1. Hello Jean in Seattle, I hadn't yet thought of cassoulet! I can see now what kinds of meals Walt and I will be fixing this fall and winter. Thanks for the guidance...

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  13. And just the time of year when thoughts turn to coming out of the weather to something cooked, comforting and just waiting to be eaten.

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