Tuesday, October 06, 2009

Buy One Get One Free...Sort Of

Last week, I made a mistake. One of those mistakes where even in the split-second that the decision is made, you know it won't turn out the way you envisioned it.

Do we all remember the crockpot I got off Asian E-Bay? The one who came to my stove's aid in its hour of need during its convalescence? To refresh your memory, read here. So needless to say, my dear crockpot and I have a long, happy history together.

Until recently.

It often happens that when our househelper buys chicken, she puts it all in one plastic bag and sticks it in the freezer, creating one big chicken ice cube. When I set out to make some BBQ chicken for dinner, this is exactly what I found. So here was my train of thought...

Chicken.
Frozen.
Too big to fit in crockpot.
Must break apart chicken.
Smash it apart. Yes, that sounds fun.
Use the floor? Use the countertop? No...
Wouldn't it be convenient when the chicken breaks apart for it to already be in the crockpot?
Yes, most definitely convenient.

So I lift the chicken brick about a foot above the crockpot (glass mind you) and let it fly. It was during the chicken's air time that I realized that this was not going to turn out well in the end.

Exhibit A:





Exhibit B:



A few days later, my friend found the exact same crockpot on Asian E-bay. A few days after that, a huge box arrived at my door. Way too big just to be a crockpot. Upon opening the box, I found that the shipper had included a pressure cooker as well. (Oversights like that are pretty common on our side of the world.) I have no clue how to use a pressure cooker but I find it pretty ironic that my blunder was rewarded with a most useful cooking gadget that I'm sure I need and will grow to love.

Once I figure out what it does. Does anyone have a clue?

8 comments:

Shannon said...

Oh Lucy... I mean, Becky! What are we going to do with you!

Leah said...

so funny becky! love hearing about your adventures. :)

jscorbin said...

Hilarious, Beck! Been there, done that.

A pressures cooker is like a big crock pot, except it's usually made out of iron and has a locking lid that seals. Put stuff in it, and turn up the heat. Pressure builds up inside that hastens the cooking process ... unless the pressure relief valve is defective and the whole thing explodes. A bad cooking experience indeed.

Chris & Sarah Peek said...

That's hilarious B! I'm sorry that your crockpot had to bite the dust, but I'm so glad that you made such a funny blunder to share! Miss you heaps. S

Aalderinks said...

My mom always made bean soups in the pressure cooker--her dry beans always turned out better in there than in the crock pot.

Erin said...

Well, you gave our whole little house a good laugh this morning. We love your sad little face peeking through the bottom of your sad crockpot.
Glad you found a new one. And a bonus pressure cooker. Wow. I've been wanting a pressure cooker. You can cook all sorts of things in a fraction of the time. The main thing I want it for is beans. You can cook a whole pot of beans in like 10 minutes instead of all day. I don't know how to do it...sorry...but I'm sure you can find a video on youtube.
Best of luck!

Matt and Sarah Pitts said...

You can also use the pressure cooker to "can" things, like we do in the country. Of course, you would have to find glass jars, lids, etc. But that would be cool if you did!!

becky marshall said...

Hi little Becky,
I have heard that Chick-fil-a chicken is not fried, but pressure cooked (being that is why it is so good for us!) Maybe they have a recipe you could borrow.