Dust off your slow cooker (Crock-pot) and put it to use! Putting together a good meal doesn’t mean you have to be slaving over a hot stove or oven.
If you are going to have something like this in your home…use it! Slow cookers are actually very versatile and you can roast, poach, stew, braise, simmer and believe it or not you can even bake in a slow cooker.
I have more than one myself…I have a 5 ½ - 6 quart and I have one of those trios that have become popular over the past few years.
BASICS:
COOKING TIME:
Typical cook time for slow cookers to reach simmer point (209°F):
Low: 7-8 to reach the simmer point
High: 3-4 hours to reach the simmer point
**In general, cooking on Low takes about twice as long as it does on High.
Newer slow cookers often cook at higher temps…so, if you have a newer slow cooker but your using an older recipe, you might want to check the doneness of your meal earlier than recommended.
INGREDIENTS:
Layer the ingredients in the order they are giving in the slow cooker recipe and don’t stir them unless the recipe says to do so.
PREHEATING:
Don’t preheat your slow cooker…this can make foods stick or burn, only turn on your slow cooker after it is filled.
BASIC TIPS:
LEAVE THE LID ALONE:
Once you've placed ingredients in the slow cooker and turned it on, it’s not necessary to lift the lid to stir the mixture.
The steam generated in the cooking creates a vacuum that seals the lid.
Every time you open the lid some steam and heat dissipate, which can prolong the cooking time.
So unless the recipe calls for some stirring…leave the lid on!
PREPREP:
If you prepare and place the ingredients in the stoneware insert the night before, that’s fine but remember starting cooking with cold stoneware and cold food will affect the heating up time of the slow cooker.
Add enough time into the cook time to ensure food is cooked safety, as well as tender.
Also, use an instant read thermometer when cooking with chilled stoneware and chilled food to ensure food temperatures reach well above 165°F.
DON’T DRIBBLE INTO YOUR FOOD:
Condensation forms in the lid. Always lift the lid straight up, without tilting it or you’ll pour all that extra liquid into your food making some ingredients soggy.
Obviously this isn’t as big of a deal with soups or stews but if your doing bread pudding, stuffing or a cobbler in there…the added water is a drag. I learned this the hard way.
TO THICKEN JUICES:
You can thicken juices and make gravy by removing the lid and cooking on HIGH setting for the last 20 to 30 minutes of cooking time.
VEGGIES:
Vegetables tend to cook slowly unless cut into 1/3 to 1/4 -inch pieces and placed near the bottom of the slow cooker. Try to cut veggies all roughly the same size. If you’re cooking meat and veggies, meat goes on top of the veggies unless otherwise directed in the recipe. Some say to always put the meat on the bottom but I find this doesn’t always work well.
MEAT TO USE:
When using a slow cooker, don’t waist your money on expensive cuts of meat. Look for the words “chuck” and “shoulder”…these tend to be tougher cuts of meat but they perform quite well with the long cooking times.
Trim off extra fat. Because of the slow cooking process the extra fat breaks down and can make the texture of the meat funky.
BROWN YOUR MEAT FIRST:
Browning meat and some cuts of poultry before you place them in the slow cooker adds to the finished flavor.
Some foods will brown during the cooking process (especially if they are not submerged in liquid), but they will not develop the same color and flavor that they get when browned first on the stovetop.
I think this is worth the extra step.
If you don’t brown your raw meats, it’s best to set your slow cooker on HIGH for the first hour of cooking insuring the meat gets to a “safe temp” sooner.
Also best to defrost first when using raw meats.
PASTA:
If you have a recipe using pasta, cook the pasta separately like you normally would and add it to the slow cooker in the last 30 minutes of cooking.
RICE:
If your recipe calls for rice, use Long-grain converted rice.
LOSE THE FAT:
If you have too much fat on top of your soup or stew…drag a clean white paper towel over it to absorb the fat. Some say, use a piece of bread to do this but I think that’s a waste of bread…unless you then eat it, which makes you disgusting.
EASY CLEANING:
You can spray slow cooker with non-stick cooking spray before using for easy clean up. Also, they have new heavy-duty plastic liners you can put in your slow cooker that make clean up super easy. (Think – garbage bag)
If you don’t use a plastic liner – wait until your stone insert has cooled off before you try and clean it as the water may cause a hot insert to crack…also, don’t put a hot insert on a cold marble or stone counter as that too can crack.
BASIC TROUBLESHOOTING:
If your slow cooker has a “hot spot”, you can rotate the insert half way through cooking.
If your food seems to cook unevenly…
It is most likely your vegetables need to be cut into even, bite sized pieces.
If your food is too watery and bland…
You simply have too much cooking liquid. If your food seems like it is drowning… One hour before your foods finished cooking put it on the high setting and remove the lid so that the cooking liquid can evaporate and thicken.
Also, use dried leaf herbs rather than ground dry or fresh herbs the flavor will hold up better during the long cooking time.
When and if you use fresh herbs only add them to the dish during the last hour of cooking. And maybe a little more right before serving - taste and adjust to your liking.
If your food sticks or burns…
Your dish needs to cook with a little more liquid. Cooking with the lid off of “peeking” can also cause this. Also use the proper size recipe for the proper size slow cooker.
If the power goes out or your slow cooker cord gets unplugged while your food is cooking…
The general food safety guidelines advise not to let your food sit at room temperature for more than 2 hours. My vote is, always be safe…toss the food out.
NEAT TRICKS:
Revive stale crackers, chips, etc. place items in slow cooker, do not cover. Heat on low setting 2 to 4 hours.
You can roast nuts in your slow cooker too!
Roast them on low for 2 to 3 hours, stirring them about once an hour.
Baked potatoes can be made easily in a slow cooker.
Scrub 4 to 8 (or ten) potatoes depending on the size of the potato and your slow cooker.
Pierce potatoes with a fork several times, then rub potatoes with olive oil, sprinkle with kosher salt and pepper and wrap tightly in foil.
Place potatoes into your slow cooker, cover and cook on high for 4 ½ to 5 hours or on low for 7 ½ to 8 hours…until tender.
Other things you may not know can be cooked in a round slow cooker. These types of things often call for the use of another pan or dish that can fit inside your slow cooker:
Meatloaf
Cake
Custard
Cheesecake
Quick breads
Want some other crazy ideas for that slow cooker? Check them out here!
© 2012
