Or : How to receive a standing ovation for dinner whilst barely lifting a finger.

First, get thee to a second-hand store, market or garage sale, and pick yourself up a vintage slow cooker. I doubt you'll find one as cute as this (she said smugly), but you can always try.


Don't know what I love most - that fabulous 1970s orange and olive green, that wacky typeface (and the fact that they needed to state it was Electric), or those oh-so-Japanesey, totemo kawaii* flowers.
And check out the controls: off, low, high. Trust me, it really is that easy to use these things. No wonder they're making a comeback.
I believe there's been at least one slow cooker recipe book released. But even without benefit of book or instruction manual, my maiden voyage was - well - too easy!
Here's how it panned out:

Guests coming, and the evening promises to be just crisp enough for something hearty.
1. (3pm) Off to the incomparable Eumundi Meats to purchase some (pre-marinated**) lamb shanks.
2. Return home, place shanks in cooker with tinned tomatoes.
3. Turn cooker to high*** and replace lid.
4. Lounge around for four hours or so (okay, I did check them a couple of times - just to feel I was actually doing something).
5. (7pm) Five minutes or so before seating guests, steam up couscous (mmmmmmm ... lamb and couscous - honestly, is there any sweeter food couple?)


Now here's the best bit. Lift out the stylish, honey-glazed inner pot and it's straight to table to serve. The meat is heavenly - succulent and almost dripping from the bone. Dinner conversation fades away. Look proudly round the table. Look at those happy faces, tucking in. Yes Wendy, I think you deserve a second glass of that cheeky Clare Valley shiraz.

I must say I am completely won over. This has to be the ultimate in Slow Fast Food. Or should that be Fast Slow Food? I love cooking from scratch, I really do - but between Eumundi Meats and Electric Slow Cooker, my services could easily be made redundant.

* totemo kawaii = totally cute. And pretty much the limit of my Japanese (thank you Mari!)
** Yes, I have tried marinating my own lamb shanks. I have to admit the butcher does it better. But only until I find out his secret ...
***I have yet to try using "low" - that is, the "turn it on, go to work, and come home to the aroma of dinner cooking" setting. But with winter nights finally setting in here in the subtropics, there's bound to be experimentation aplenty.

And thanks to Oliver (clever chap did all his Christmas shopping at the New Farm Antique Centre) for a gift that just keeps on giving.