4 Ways to Use Your Slow Cooker You Haven't Thought Of

4 Unexpected Ways to Use your Slow Cooker

        In our opinion, Slow Cookers are some of the most underutilized appliances in the kitchen. Many people only pull them out for the traditional soups, stews and cheesy potatoes (unless you are a regular NESCO Blog reader, then you know how to spice it up). We want you getting the most out of your Slow Cooker, so here are 4 unexpected ways to use yours:

         

     1.Making Candles

Scented candles can make a house feel like a home. With a Slow Cooker you can make your own candles with a unique blend of looks and scents. You can also control what ingredients and chemicals are being released into the air of your home. All you need is soy wax, essential oils and candle wicks. This article from The Kitchn shows how to do it easily.

2.Cleaning Jewelry

Remove tarnish from silver and keep your jewelry clean and sparkly with your Slow Cooker. Warm about 2 cups of white vinegar on HIGH. Add about 2 heaping tablespoons of salt and a half cup of hydrogen peroxide. Turn Slow Cooker to LOW. Add jewelry and let “cook” for about 3 minutes. Remove jewelry with tongs and gently rub with a clean cloth until all remaining dirt is gone and pieces are dry.

           
           3. Air Freshener

There’s nothing better than your house being filled with warm fragrance. You can turn your kitchen scraps into a wonderful potpourri by filling your Slow Cooker halfway with water, then adding orange peels (or apple peels, or any other fruit peels), spices, and/or whatever essential oils you like. Keep uncovered and turn to LOW to fill your house with fragrance.

4.Making Yogurt

Yogurt can be one of the healthiest foods. Unfortunately, many store bought brands of yogurt are packed with artificial sweeteners and sugars. Making your own at home can put your mind at ease of what you will be putting into your body. With a Slow Cooker, all you will need is a gallon of milk, and some starter yogurt for culture. You can read the full how-to here.

Recipe of the Week: Spicy Pumpkin Soup

You voted, we listened. Here's your Spicy Pumpkin Soup with Bacon. 

For the Soup:

·         1 tablespoon oil

·         1 large onion, peeled and chopped

·         5 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped

·         1 jalapeno, seeded and chopped

·         1 1/2 tablespoons ground cumin

·         1 1/2 tablespoons dried oregano

·         1 1/2 teaspoons salt

·         4 cups vegetable stock

·         4 cups heavy cream

·         29 ounces can pure pumpkin puree

·         1 lb.  bacon, cooked and chopped

·         2 tablespoons red wine vinegar

·         2 tablespoons honey

For the Seed Topping:

·         1/2 cup pumpkin seeds

·         1 cup french fried onions

·         1 teaspoon Cayenne

Set Pressure Cooker to “Sauté” and add oil, onion, garlic and jalapeno. Saute for about 3-5 minutes, or until soft. Add cumin, oregano and salt, sautéing for another 3 minutes to release flavors. 

Stir in stock, pumpkin and cream.  Lock lid in Place and set to “High Pressure” for 15 minutes. After cooking, add honey and vinegar and cook on “High Pressure” for another 5 minutes.

Use an immersion blender to blend until smooth. (We used a Hand Mixer, but it got a little messy). Add bacon and set Pressure Cooker to "Keep Warm".

In a small skillet over medium heat, toast the pumpkin seeds, fried onions and cayenne pepper for about 5 minutes.

Serve soup warm with pumpkin seed and fried onions on top as a garnish.