Anyone else find it ridiculously hard to find decent quality ingredients for slow cooking? I’m not talking about fancy organic stuff, just, you know, chuck that isn’t mostly gristle and sinew, or vegetables that haven’t already started to wilt. I love the convenience of throwing everything in the pot in the morning and having a delicious dinner ready later, but half the time I’m picking through the cheapest cuts of meat at the grocery store, hoping for the best. And don’t even get me started on finding carrots that aren’t already bendy!
It’s almost like everything destined for the slow cooker is automatically relegated to the bottom shelf of the quality food pyramid. Does anyone have tips for sourcing better ingredients without breaking the bank? Do you find it’s worth it to go to a butcher for slow cooking staples like beef chuck or pork shoulder? I’m seriously considering just growing all my own vegetables at this point to guarantee I have something decent to cook with. Am I alone in this struggle, or is everyone else just magically finding perfect stewing beef while I’m wrestling with a package full of fat?