美国国家公共电台 NPR 'The Chef And The Slow Cooker': An Old Technology That's Newly Relevant

 

SCOTT SIMON, HOST:

You know, we don't do a lot of cookbooks on this show. Hugh Acheson's latest cookbook fits right in. It doesn't show much cooking. The chef is shown reading in a lawn chair, taking a hot bath, even playing the cello¹ - at least holding the bow over one.

It's a book about what you can cook - if that's quite the word - while you do something else, even for hours. "The Chef And The Slow Cooker" is by Hugh Acheson, the acclaimed² Canadian Southern chef who owns big-name restaurants in Georgia and is a judge on "Top Chef." He joins us from WABE in Atlanta.

Chef, thanks so much for being with us.

HUGH ACHESON: It's great to be here, Scott.

SIMON: So the slow cooker is old technology whose time has come?

ACHESON: It's been in your closet for years and - gathering³ dust. And most people have one, and they cooked a pot roast in it and put it away. But what it is is it's really simple technology that really is a gateway⁴ to cooking from scratch again, which I think is the biggest hurdle⁵ that we really have in households in our country, is to get people cooking from scratch and eating well and immersing themselves in good food.

SIMON: What does a slow cooker do that just a pot on the stove doesn't?

ACHESON: Well, the pot on the stove is fine. But we just - I want to keep the house intact and not burn it down.

SIMON: (Laughter).

ACHESON: So a slow cooker is just a - it's a peace of mind. And it's usually simple technology that you all have. They're not very expensive, and they're just rudimentary, basic, two - usually a low and a high setting - and a cover. And it just - it acts as that braising pan but in a safe and contained environment.

SIMON: And it doesn't just make everything taste mushy?

ACHESON: No, you have more control. We've learned so much about food in the last 30 years - so much about technique and transferring of vegetables and keeping things fresh. So it doesn't have to be those slow cooker meals of yore. So that's what the book's really trying to do, is contemporize and make sure it's fresh and it's savoring⁶ all these aspects of global cuisine⁷ that we can put into this pot and have it be really something you'd relish⁸.

SIMON: And you have recipes that are at least flavored, if I might put it that way, from all over the world in this book. Don't you?

ACHESON: Yeah. There's yeast⁹ and miso and kimchi. And I think our palates have gone from a love of continental¹⁰ food to a love of the world now, where our palates really want to be wowed and want to be pushed to a spice and umami and different sensibilities. So that's what the book's bringing into it - that even to the simplest pot roast, you can add a really big flourish at the end of fermented¹¹ chilies¹² and chickpeas and things that are redolent showing off the flavors of the world.

SIMON: Tell me about the recipe - 'cause there's a whole mess of ingredients laid out - chicken country captain.

ACHESON: Well, chicken country captain was - really shows off the true Southern lineage, the - Southern food was brought here in the pockets of slaves. It was brought here in crazy, painful ways. But the spice ports of Charleston and Savannah had a lot of influence. So really, it's a curried¹³ chicken. It's elaborate curried chicken, but that really showed off the diversity of what was bringing in spices and Madeiras and ports. And it was essential port locations in the South. And then you mix that with the influence of Gullah cuisine and West African cuisine and then West Indian food, and this is a timeless recipe that comes out of it.

SIMON: And what kind of spice is in chicken country captain?

ACHESON: Country captain's going to have a lot of chilies in it, a lot of - ton of fresh ginger¹⁴ and curry¹⁵ powder and tomatoes. And I put raisins¹⁶ and almonds and chicken broth¹⁷ and cilantro and mint and scallions. So it does have a lot of things in it, but they just - they amass¹⁸ to this beauteous, beauteous thing in the end.

SIMON: So you have fig¹⁹ trees. And you make jam in the slow cooker?

ACHESON: You know, Athens, Ga., is like the pre-eminent fig climate. For some reason, when I planted a small fig tree years ago not really thinking much about it - and that thing is a magical producer of a gazillion figs²⁰. So we have to figure out something to do with them.

SIMON: A slow cooker does seem to be good for jam - doesn't it? - because it takes...

ACHESON: It is great.

SIMON: ...A lot of the drudgery²¹ out, yeah.

ACHESON: Yeah, it takes a lot of that stirring - and, you know, the worst thing you can do with a jam is spend an arduous²² amount of time cleaning fruit, getting it together and getting it into a pot and then torching and scorching²³ the bottom of it because of an open flame and a little bit too high heat. The slow cooker really just mellows²⁴ that out.

SIMON: If you were going to buy a slow cooker, what should you look for?

ACHESON: There are a lot of them coming out on the market now that are supermodern and have all sorts of gadgets²⁵ and whistles and bells. And I really prefer a really, really simple one. But the insert pan is really the important part. So I look for one that's pretty heavy, that's going to have really good heat distribution. A thin aluminum²⁶ thin one is not going to do much. So you just want something relatively²⁷ heavy. Often they're porcelain²⁸ or enameled²⁹, and those work well. But any brand really works because it's such rudimentary technology.

SIMON: What do you do with all the free time you get with a slow cooker? I mean, judging by the photographic evidence here, you take a lot of hot baths and play the cello. Do you even play the cello?

ACHESON: No, that was my daughter's cello. That's a propped³⁰ photo, Scott. I will go on record as saying I do not play the cello.

SIMON: (Laughter).

ACHESON: But I think that - I want to get people cooking again in a way they feel comfortable with. I want you to cook from scratch for the beauty of sitting down at the table later on with something you created and sharing it with the ones you love.

SIMON: Hugh Acheson - his book "The Chef And The Slow Cooker."

Thanks so much for being with us.

ACHESON: Thanks, Scott.

1 cello   

n.大提琴

参考例句：

• The cello is a member of the violin family.大提琴是提琴家族的一员。
• She plays a melodious cello.她拉着一手悦耳的大提琴。

2 acclaimed   

adj.受人欢迎的

参考例句：

• They acclaimed him as the best writer of the year. 他们称赞他为当年的最佳作者。
• Confuscius is acclaimed as a great thinker. 孔子被赞誉为伟大的思想家。

3 gathering   

n.集会，聚会，聚集

参考例句：

• He called on Mr. White to speak at the gathering.他请怀特先生在集会上讲话。
• He is on the wing gathering material for his novels.他正忙于为他的小说收集资料。

4 gateway   

n.大门口，出入口，途径，方法

参考例句：

• Hard work is the gateway to success.努力工作是通往成功之路。
• A man collected tolls at the gateway.一个人在大门口收通行费。

5 hurdle   

n.跳栏，栏架；障碍，困难；vi.进行跨栏赛

参考例句：

• The weather will be the biggest hurdle so I have to be ready.天气将会是最大的障碍，所以我必须要作好准备。
• She clocked 11.6 seconds for the 80 metre hurdle.八十米跳栏赛跑她跑了十一秒六。

6 savoring   

v.意味，带有…的性质( savor的现在分词 )；给…加调味品；使有风味；品尝

参考例句：

• Cooking was fine but it was the savoring that he enjoyed most. 烹饪当然很好，但他最享受的是闻到的各种味道。 来自互联网
• She sat there for a moment, savoring the smell of the food. 她在那儿坐了一会儿，品尝这些食物的香味。 来自互联网

7 cuisine   

n.烹调，烹饪法

参考例句：

• This book is the definitive guide to world cuisine.这本书是世界美食的权威指南。
• This restaurant is renowned for its cuisine.这家餐馆以其精美的饭菜而闻名。

8 relish   

n.滋味，享受，爱好，调味品；vt.加调味料，享受，品味；vi.有滋味

参考例句：

• I have no relish for pop music.我对流行音乐不感兴趣。
• I relish the challenge of doing jobs that others turn down.我喜欢挑战别人拒绝做的工作。

9 yeast   

n.酵母；酵母片；泡沫；v.发酵；起泡沫

参考例句：

• Yeast can be used in making beer and bread.酵母可用于酿啤酒和发面包。
• The yeast began to work.酵母开始发酵。

10 continental   

adj.大陆的，大陆性的，欧洲大陆的

参考例句：

• A continental climate is different from an insular one.大陆性气候不同于岛屿气候。
• The most ancient parts of the continental crust are 4000 million years old.大陆地壳最古老的部分有40亿年历史。

11 fermented   

v.（使）发酵( ferment的过去式和过去分词 )；（使）激动；骚动；骚扰

参考例句：

• When wine is fermented, it gives off gas. 酒发酵时发出气泡。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• His speeches fermented trouble among the workers. 他的演讲在工人中引起骚动。 来自辞典例句

12 chilies   

n.红辣椒( chili的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Some people like to harvest the plants, when the chilies are green. 一些人喜欢在辣椒长成绿色的时候就采摘。 来自互联网
• Sprinkle with scallions and sliced chilies and served hot. 洒上葱粒、辣椒丝，趁热上桌。 来自互联网

13 curried   

adj.加了咖喱（或咖喱粉的），用咖哩粉调理的

参考例句：

• She curried favor with the leader by contemptible means. 她用卑鄙的手段博取领导的欢心。 来自互联网
• Fresh ham, curried beef? 鲜火腿？咖喱牛肉？ 来自互联网

14 ginger   

n.姜，精力，淡赤黄色；adj.淡赤黄色的；vt.使活泼，使有生气

参考例句：

• There is no ginger in the young man.这个年轻人没有精神。
• Ginger shall be hot in the mouth.生姜吃到嘴里总是辣的。

15 curry   

n.咖哩粉，咖哩饭菜；v.用咖哩粉调味，用马栉梳，制革

参考例句：

• Rice makes an excellent complement to a curry dish.有咖喱的菜配米饭最棒。
• Add a teaspoonful of curry powder.加一茶匙咖喱粉。

16 raisins   

n.葡萄干( raisin的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• These raisins come from Xinjiang,they taste delicious. 这些葡萄干产自新疆，味道很甜。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Mother put some raisins in the cake. 母亲在糕饼中放了一些葡萄干。 来自辞典例句

17 broth   

n.原(汁)汤(鱼汤、肉汤、菜汤等)

参考例句：

• Every cook praises his own broth.厨子总是称赞自己做的汤。
• Just a bit of a mouse's dropping will spoil a whole saucepan of broth.一粒老鼠屎败坏一锅汤。

18 amass   

vt.积累，积聚

参考例句：

• How had he amassed his fortune?他是如何积累财富的呢？
• The capitalists amass great wealth by exploiting workers.资本家剥削工人而积累了巨额财富。

19 fig   

n.无花果(树)

参考例句：

• The doctor finished the fig he had been eating and selected another.这位医生吃完了嘴里的无花果，又挑了一个。
• You can't find a person who doesn't know fig in the United States.你找不到任何一个在美国的人不知道无花果的。

20 figs   

figures 数字，图形，外形

参考例句：

• The effect of ring dyeing is shown in Figs 10 and 11. 环形染色的影响如图10和图11所示。
• The results in Figs. 4 and 5 show the excellent agreement between simulation and experiment. 图4和图5的结果都表明模拟和实验是相当吻合的。

21 drudgery   

n.苦工，重活，单调乏味的工作

参考例句：

• People want to get away from the drudgery of their everyday lives.人们想摆脱日常生活中单调乏味的工作。
• He spent his life in pointlessly tiresome drudgery.他的一生都在做毫无意义的烦人的苦差事。

22 arduous   

adj.艰苦的，费力的，陡峭的

参考例句：

• We must have patience in doing arduous work.我们做艰苦的工作要有耐性。
• The task was more arduous than he had calculated.这项任务比他所估计的要艰巨得多。

23 scorching   

adj. 灼热的

参考例句：

• a scorching, pitiless sun 灼热的骄阳
• a scorching critique of the government's economic policy 对政府经济政策的严厉批评

24 mellows   

（使）成熟( mellow的第三人称单数 )； 使色彩更加柔和，使酒更加醇香

参考例句：

• A tart temper never mellows with age. 凶悍的性情，绝不会因为年龄增长而变得温和。
• Wine mellows with age. 酒陈则味醇。

25 gadgets   

n.小机械，小器具（ gadget的名词复数 ）

参考例句：

• Certainly. The idea is not to have a house full of gadgets. 当然。设想是房屋不再充满小配件。 来自超越目标英语 第4册
• This meant more gadgets and more experiments. 这意味着要设计出更多的装置，做更多的实验。 来自英汉非文学 - 科学史

26 aluminum   

n.(aluminium)铝

参考例句：

• The aluminum sheets cannot be too much thicker than 0.04 inches.铝板厚度不能超过0.04英寸。
• During the launch phase,it would ride in a protective aluminum shell.在发射阶段，它盛在一只保护的铝壳里。

27 relatively   

adv.比较...地，相对地

参考例句：

• The rabbit is a relatively recent introduction in Australia.兔子是相对较新引入澳大利亚的物种。
• The operation was relatively painless.手术相对来说不痛。

28 porcelain   

n.瓷；adj.瓷的，瓷制的

参考例句：

• These porcelain plates have rather original designs on them.这些瓷盘的花纹很别致。
• The porcelain vase is enveloped in cotton.瓷花瓶用棉花裹着。

29 enameled   

涂瓷釉于，给…上瓷漆，给…上彩饰( enamel的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• The grey walls were divided into artificial paneling by strips of white-enameled pine. 灰色的墙壁用漆白的松木条隔成镶板的模样。
• I want a pair of enameled leather shoes in size 38. 我要一双38号的亮漆皮鞋。

30 propped   

支撑，支持，维持( prop的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• He sat propped up in the bed by pillows. 他靠着枕头坐在床上。
• This fence should be propped up. 这栅栏该用东西支一支。