Lake Neuron

Today, I am trying out a new invention that is remarkable in its gee-I-should-have-thought-of-that usefulness.

The Reynolds Wrap people have introduced something called “Slow Cooker Liners.” We actually got a sample of this at the newspaper a few weeks ago; I brought it home, forgot about it, and then couldn’t remember whether I still had it today and bought another box at the store.

I have an old Crock Pot-brand slow cooker; the liner does not come out, and the cooker cannot be submerged, so it’s a bear to clean. This new product is a sort of heat-safe plastic bag which you use to line your slow cooker before loading it with food. Once the food has been cooked, and then served or removed to another vessel, you simply lift out the empty liner and throw it away, leaving a clean slow cooker. (They caution you not to try to use the liner to transport the food, especially hot food.)

I am making a roast right now, cooking it with green olives, raisins, tomatoes, garlic cloves and cumin. The recipe was inspired by a roast I saw Alton Brown do on “Good Eats,” except he cooked his in foil in the oven, and used tomato juice instead of canned tomatoes. When the roast is done, you use an immersion blender (also called a stick blender) to puree some of the chunky stuff for a thick gravy. I may try to move the liquid to a saucepan before putting the blender to it, in case the stick blender might tear the plastic liner.