The art of slow cooking

There is something so deliciously comforting about a slow-cooked meal, watching it bubbling away throughout the day and trying to resist the temptation to open the lid as the aroma of an honest-to-goodness meal fills the kitchen. Whether you’re in the mood for sumptuous slow-cooked pulled pork, a comforting curry or even poached fruit, the opportunities are endless.

Slow cooking was big in the ’70s, but it’s enjoying something of a revival due to how easy it makes whipping up healthy and delicious (thanks to the long, slow simmer) meals. Nothing could be better suited to our often chaotic lives than the convenience of slow cooking; prepare the meal in the morning, cook it throughout the day and save valuable time in the evening.

Since slow-cooked meals rarely use oils in the cooking process, they also tend to be much healthier than other cooking alternatives such as pan-frying and oven-roasting. Cooking at low heat also locks in vital vitamins and minerals which can sometimes be lost in other cooking processes.

While it’s a pretty straightforward process — toss your ingredients in on the way out the door and let the hours do the rest — there are some common