What a treat it is to walk into the house after a long day at work and smell supper cooking. If you do not have someone to prepare supper for you (my personal favorite choice), using a slow cooker is a good option.

Slow cooking works best with foods with a high water content. The moisture produces steam which helps the cooking process. Meat is tenderized, vegetables retain a desirable consistency and flavors have time to blend with slow cooking. Soups, stews and vegetable dishes all are good choices for preparing in a slow cooker.

It is important to use a slow cooker in a way that the food is not in the “danger zone” of 40 degrees to 140 degrees for more than two hours. To make certain that the food you are preparing is safe, follow these suggestions:

• Fill the slow cooker no more than two-thirds full.

• Do not lift the lid until the end of cooking.

• Start the dish on high for the first hour or start with warm liquid.

• When cooking meat or poultry, cut it into pieces or chunks.

• Do not use frozen ingredients.

• If you prepare ingredients the night before cooking, refrigerate in separate storage containers.

• Do not refrigerate uncooked ingredients in the slow cooker insert because it is unlikely to reach cooking temperature within two hours.

• Do not use the slow cooker to reheat food.

• If you have prepared food in a slow cooker and are serving from it at a buffet, keep it plugged in and limit the serving time to two hours (frequently lifting the lid to serve reduces the heat inside).

Using a slow cooker is good for your health and food budget for several reasons:

• You do not need to stop for takeout food after work.

• The soups and stews that are so good when prepared in a slow cooker usually have more vegetables and less meat per serving than when served separately.

• Less expensive cuts of meat are tenderized by the moisture in slow cooking.

• It is easy to make low fat dishes by browning meat using cooking spray and by removing the fat from the cooking liquid in the prepared dish before serving (pour the liquid into a measuring cup and skim off the fat that rises to the top).

Trying to eat better and stretch your food dollars? The Eat Smart NY program at Cooperative Extension is offering a series of classes about shopping and cooking to benefit your health and food budget. Stop by our table in the lobby of P&C in Auburn from 2:30 to 4:30 p.m. Friday, April 4, or from noon to 2 p.m. Saturday, April 5, to sign up for this program offered at no charge by the nutrition program at Cornell Cooperative Extension of Cayuga County.

Christine Gutelius, MA, RD, CDN, is a nutrition resource educator with the Eat Smart NY program at Cornell Cooperative Extension of Cayuga County.

Pork and Apple Stew

Makes 4 servings

1 pound boneless pork (loin, tenderloin or shoulder roast), cut in 1-inch cubes

1 onion, sliced

2 cloves garlic, minced (or 2 teaspoons bottled minced garlic)

1 teaspoon thyme

1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

1 teaspoon salt

1 cup apple cider or apple juice

1/4 cup cider vinegar

1 bay leaf

1 apple, unpeeled, thinly sliced

2 tablespoons flour

1 red bell pepper, coarsely chopped

Spray a large skillet with cooking oil. Heat the skillet over medium heat, add the pork cubes and cook, stirring frequently, until all sides are browned. Stir in onions, garlic, thyme, pepper, salt, apple cider and vinegar. Heat briefly and then pour into a slow cooker. Add bay leaf and sliced apple. Cover and cook on low for 8 to 10 hours or on high for 3 to 4 hours. In a small bowl, gradually stir 1/4 cup water into 2 tablespoons flour. Stir into stew in slow cooker. Stir in red pepper. Cover and cook on high for 1 hour longer. Remove bay leaf. Serve stew with rice or mashed potatoes.