 [ Symptoms ] how can my crock pot help me make fast healthy food [ Disease ] it is starting to come back in vogue to utilize a slow cooker or crock pot in general i am someone who likes to get great healthy food on the table fast i do not always do well with things that are slow however the amount of time it takes to prepare ingredients for the slow cooker is fast and i like that you do not have to think about it again until it is time to eat here are some tips on ways to revitalize flavor reverse bad past crock pot experiences and have a healthy savory meal that is not an overcooked pile of mush the first and most important tip to having a delicious crock pot meal is to choose the right type of ingredients this is where you should utilize ingredients that take longer to cook like traditionally tough cuts of meat these include brisket pork butt or an entire chicken by the way these are traditionally less expensive meats so if you are trying to budget for meals this is a great way to help with that — or if you are trying to budget for organic ingredients this is where you can upgrade to organic or natural cuts of meat  when cooked for so many hours these tougher meats taste great and fall off the bone easily and you get the added benefit of pulling nutrients from the bone if you have had a bad experience with a crock pot most likely you have participated in the biggest mistake do not use canned vegetables in a slow cooker period ever using canned vegetables in a crock pot recipe will simply turn your meal into a vegetable smoothie canned vegetables are already overcooked when they are put in the can cooking them for another 6 8 hours will disintegrate them potatoes carrot onions and other firm veggies do well in a slow cooker using canned tomatoes is fine — mostly because you will probably be using them in a sauce so they hold up well absolute no nos canned green beans canned corn and canned peas actually let me go ahead and advise you to never use these canned vegetables if you can help it under seasoning is another mistake i see people make all the time since the food is cooking there for so long — the equivalent of a long slow boil — there needs to be a few levels of flavors there are a couple ways to do this if you are making a meat or bean dish i suggest sautéing savories like onions shallots or garlic in extra virgin olive oil first before you put in the crock pot the flavors seep into the oil better if you take this extra step also add fresh cut herbs at the very end or a squeeze of lemon or lime to brighten up the dish and give fresh flavor quickly add ingredients that are high in flavor for example fire roasted tomatoes