Kitchenware manufacturers—like pharmaceutical companies—have a vested interest in making us believe that we need what they are selling. Like designer cold remedies, kitchen gadget companies gin up the urge to buy by convincing us that all will go well with the food we prepare if we just purchase one of their gadgets.
Remember when everyone had a wok? How about upscale mixers for bread dough or cake pans you would use only once, maybe, in a lifetime?
Personally, I think the same can be said about crockpots. It always fascinated me how instructions for cooking in these items were accompanied by preparation instructions that used every other pan in the house, and in the end, the carrots retained their crunchiness while the potatoes lost their desire to be anything more than paste.
But at this time of year—apple season—I wouldn't trade my crockpot for a new blender, even if it worked the way the marketers claim. Why? Because crockpots make the best applesauce you've ever had.
The recipe is very simple. Wash the apples then quarter them, removing stems and seeds. Cut the quarters in half again so you have eight pieces from each fruit.
Fill the crockpot to the top. Sprinkle about a teaspoon or so of cinnamon on top of the fruit, add a quarter cup of water, put the lid on and turn the pot to high.
In approximately 2 to 3 hours, the fruit will look puffy. Stir it down to make sure it's all soft. Turn off the pot and let the mixture cool.
Run the sauce through a food mill to take out the skins and you will have the smoothest, most sumptuous applesauce ever.
And nope, I never put sugar in my sauce. Why would you?
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