8 Reasons to Use Your Slow Cooker in the Summer

Summer is in full swing and the heat is rising rapidly. My slow cooker has been serving up some fabulous food here in our home, keeping our kitchen nice and cool! You know what I mean don't ya?? It's the middle of summer and the last place you want to be is standing in front of a hot stove! Am I right? It's one of the reasons that I love using a slow cooker in the summer time! Read on even for more reasons to use your slow cooker in the summer. You might not have thought of all these yet.

1. Summer Outings - Another great reason to use a slow cooker in the summer is it's a great way to enjoy a summer outing. There are so many BBQ's, picnics, and family gatherings that we have to attend in the summer and the slow cooker is awesome for making, transporting and keeping your food at a safe temperature. This leaves you plenty of time to bond with your friends and family instead of wasting precious time slaving over the stove! I do suggest that when you travel with your slow cooker in the car that you make sure the lid is secure to avoid having to clean up a horrible mess. If you have a great distance to travel make sure you properly cool your food and keep it on ice until you arrive at your outing. Then you can heat it up again when you get there. Unless you’re lucky enough to live close to the event or have an outlet in your car to keep the food warm. The high setting on your slow cooker is great for heating it back up, just be sure and watch it carefully on high as it can scorch around the edges.

2. It's Just Easier - Let's see hmmmm I can stand in front of a stove and cook dinner for an hour and a half with sweat dripping down my back or I can throw it in the slow cooker and forget it. Yes! I'm going with the slow cooker because it's just easier! Often times, like with pot roast, you cook everything in one spot cutting down on your clean up time by a ton.

3. Save on Electricity - Using the slow cooker will greatly reduce the amount of energy you use in the summer. Use it whenever you can instead of the oven and stove top. Not only does it cut down on the amount of energy used by your appliances but your air conditioner will not have to work as hard either. It's a win win!

4. Save Money by Purchasing Less Expensive Cuts of Meat - Often times the cheaper cuts of meat can be tough to eat. Cooking them in the slow cooker can do wonders for turning less expensive cuts into juicy delicious dishes! Sometimes I call it my magic pot. Throw in a cheap cut of roast, add some seasonings and veggies and cook on low for 6-8 hours...mmmmm yummy.

5. At Home Parties - There are a couple reasons to use a slow cooker in the summer at your own party at home. Often time’s party equals tons of people and tons of food. When cooking in mass quantities you may find yourself running out of space on your stove top and oven. Use the slow cooker to cook your chili’s, pulled pork, hot wings, dips and more. If you can plan your meal using only slow cookers even better yet! Who wants to stand over a stove all afternoon when you could be outside making your yard festive and ready for your party goers? Check out these 1 hour party decor ideas too!

6. Cutting out the Fat -You don't have to use oil in the cooking process when cooking with a slow cooker and you can easily trim the fat before cooking and it will still taste scrumptious. Just make sure you keep plenty of liquid in there to keep it from sticking, just another one of the many reasons to use a slow cooker in the summer.

7. Free Up Valuable Time - Instead of standing in the kitchen for hours you can place your food in the slow cooker and walk away. This gives you more free time to do what you want to do like spending time with family, reading, or cleaning somewhere else in your home. You can even leave the house and do a little shopping if you would like. Slow cookers do their best when left alone so place all your ingredients inside, close the lid and walk away!

8. Clean up is a Breeze - My all time favorite reasons to use a slow cooker in the summer is the clean up! If you do any prepping before placing your meal into the slow cooker like cutting onions or browning hamburger for chili you can clean those up immediately leaving you only one dish to clean after you eat dinner. I often have a bunch of energy in the morning but after dinner I am tired and ready to relax. The slow cooker is amazing for cutting down on cleanup in the kitchen.

Slow Cooker Recipes

Check out my all time favorite easy recipe "Fiesta Chicken" for my slow cooker. I make this almost every week and keep a big batch in my refrigerator for easy grabbing.

Here are some HUGE slow cooking recipe resources that I put together. You'll love this!

25 Slow Cooker Recipes with 3 Ingredients or less.

44 Slow Cooker Recipes with 4 Ingredients or less.

45 Slow Cooker Recipes with 5 Ingredients or less.

15 Gluten Free Slow Cooker Recipes.

Of course, no meal is complete without dessert!

12 Delicious Desserts you can make in a Slow Cooker.

Do you have any reasons to use a slow cooker in the summer that I missed?