I’m sure we all wished we could snap our fingers and….voila your dinner is served! Yet, let’s get realistic because that only occurs in science fiction. In the real world to get that healthy meal you basically have to work hard to get it.

That means after you come home from work (in most cases) you have to labor another hour in the kitchen to get that perfect meal. I’m sure some of you enjoy cooking that fresh meal right after work while others could do without. I would bet though the ones that can’t stand cooking right after work probably have a slow cooker somewhere in that kitchen.

A slow cooker is definitely up there with some of the great inventions. It cuts back on the effort while giving you more time to do something you enjoy like exercising (you knew that one was coming). The question with using slow cookers is the health factor. Are they healthier, the same, or inferior to conventional cooking? Well let’s look at nutrition first to see the various ways it can be damaged.

Exposure to any heat (especially high heat) will destroy nutrients and a great example is a well done steak will be a little less nutritious than a medium rare. In addition, light emission breaks down nutrients which is why food left out in a well lit room will break down much quicker than food left in a dark, dry place.

Taking this all into consideration, which would be better: conventional cooking or using a slow cooker? Well if you look at a slow cooker, the food is exposed to heat over a long period of time. With the exposure to heat a decent amount of nutrients are lost. Yet some of the nutrients are saved due to the slow cooker having a lid and not allowing the nutrients to evaporate out.

With conventional cooking food is being cooked at higher heat for a shorter time period. You will lose the nutrients on the surface of the food while retaining the nutrients in the center as long it’s not fully cooked.

Even though there is still some debate, conventional cooking is looking like its edging out using a slow cooker. In the end as long as you are cooking it’s a win win! Do you smell what Im cooking?

-Phil