DES MOINES, Iowa — More than half of women spend less time cooking in the kitchen than their moms did years ago(1), according to a recent survey conducted by the National Pork Board (NPB). This fall, the NPB is encouraging parents to take advantage of cooking short cuts with a tasty, time-saving technique that practically does the work for you – slow cooking. To help spread the word and bring families to the table, America's pork producers have partnered with actress and mother of three, Candace Cameron Bure of ABC Family Network's hit show "Make It or Break It," and Chef Hosea Rosenberg , winner of "Top Chef" (Season 5).
"Making sure my family gets together around the table at mealtime is important but sometimes hard to do," says Bure. "When the end result is less time in the kitchen and more time with my family – what better way to cook pork than with a slow cooker?"
American women agree with Bure, placing time-saving tips high on their list of needs for mealtime preparation. In fact, survey results show that three in four women say it's important to have recipes that can be prepared in 30 minutes or less(2). Many pork cuts like pork chops, brats and other dinner sausages require minimal prep time while the slow cooker makes delicious dinners easy when busy schedules demand low-maintenance options with tasty cuts like pork shoulder and roasts.
Slow Cooking Tips for National Eat Together Week
To support family mealtime, Bure and Rosenberg have developed expert tips and exclusive slow cooking recipes like "Sweet and Spicy Thai Pork Loin" for TheOtherWhiteMeat.com.
"The slow cooker allows food to be uncomplicated and pork's versatility makes it easy to experiment with an array of flavor combinations," says Rosenberg.
With the right recipes and tools, it's easy to shave time off preparation and clean up. For example, pork shoulder or country-style ribs become easy, one-pot wonders when cooked in a Crock-Pot® Slow Cooker, the original slow cooker. By inserting a Reynolds® Slow Cooker Liner before adding ingredients, there is no soaking or scrubbing involved with post-meal cleanup.
First-Ever Crocktoberfest
In a search for the savviest slow cooker of them all, America's pork producers asked "Crock-Stars" of home kitchens across the country to submit an original slow-cooked pork recipe on TheOtherWhiteMeat.com in the first-ever "Search for America's Pork 'Crock-Star'" contest. Contestants were eligible for a chance to win one of five finalist spots for a trip to New York City to compete at Crocktoberfest on Thursday, Oct. 21, 2010. The competition was stiff, but Crocktoberfest attendees and judges Bure and Rosenberg crowned Linda Cifuentes of Mahomet, IL, "America's Pork 'Crock-Star'" for her original "Kapusta Pork" recipe. Cifuentes walked away with the $5,000 grand prize, a year's worth of Reynolds® Slow Cooker Liners and $500 worth of pork to be donated to in her name to a food bank of her choice.
For More Information
Inspired to save time with the slow cooker and spend more mealtimes together as a family? TheOtherWhiteMeat.com is a great go-to resource packed with recipes, instructional videos, tips and tools to help make dinner a cinch! Be sure to check out Bure, Rosenberg and the top five finalists' recipes in the "Search for America's Pork 'Crock-Star'" contest as well.
(1,2) National Pork Board Survey. The survey was conducted online with a random sample of 1,003 U.S. women ages 25-45 conducted by KRC Research in December 2009. The overall sampling error for this survey is +/- 3.1 percent points at the 95% level of confidence.
About The National Pork Board
The National Pork Board has responsibility for Checkoff-funded research, promotion and consumer information projects and for communicating with pork producers and the public. Through a legislative national Pork Checkoff, pork producers invest $0.40 for each $100 value of hogs sold. The Pork Checkoff funds national and state programs in advertising, consumer information, retail and foodservice marketing, export market promotion, production improvement, technology, swine health, pork safety and environmental management.
Source: National Pork Board