You’re too tired and busy to cook. Cooking can be a chore, even if you’re a pro. It would be nice to have a personal chef who could do all the cooking. If we only had a great spouse who would surprise us with tasty dishes when we return home from the office. We wish our children knew how to cook. But, alas, times are tough and we have to turn to frozen meal or processed food, takeouts and fast food. But this can be a curse – it takes money out of your wallet, expands your belly and puts you at risk of a heart attack.

There is hope. You don’t have to rush to cook at home just because you are rushing home after work. Prepare the food before the workday or at night. While we’re at work, prepare the meals and put them in the fridge. When we arrive at home, we can use the microwave to reheat and enjoy a delicious pasta dish or casserole. A Dutch oven or Crock Pot is a great way to store ingredients for later cooking.

Dutch ovens can be made from cast iron. Although it comes in a variety of sizes, it’s easy to transport. Dutch ovens may seem like they are only good for cooking stews. But avid campers can use them to prepare a wide variety of foods, including soup, stew, noodles, and even chicken and biscuits. In it, you can cook food by boiling, roasting, frying, or steaming. Dutch ovens and crock pots are excellent for slow-cooking. We can slow cook frozen meat and poultry that needs to be softened for four to five hours. For some recipes, the slow cooking time is only 12 hours. This means we can store all the ingredients before we start and cook them later, when we are busy at work or in church.