Use a Slow Cooker
Slow cookers provide convenience for people who like home-cooked meals, but are on tight time schedules. These small appliances have evolved over the years to include timers and more stylish designs, but the functionality of them has remained the same. Use these suggestions for how to use a slow cooker.
Steps
- Create space on your counter for your slow cooker.
- Position your slow cooker near an outlet.
- Keep the slow cooker at least 6 inches (15.2 cm) away from other appliances, food wrappers, walls or other surfaces. The slow cooker does not get hot enough to burn your countertop, but it can damage other surfaces that rest against it or near it.
- Prepare food for your slow cooker recipe.
- Chop, slice or dice vegetables as directed by the recipe. Tend to the vegetables ahead of time to speed up the assembling process.
- Trim fat and gristle from meat.
- Brown meat, if directed by the recipe. This step can be eliminated if time does not allow it.
- Add seasonings to meat or vegetables. If your recipe doesn't require you to season the meat or vegetables before adding them to the slow cooker, sort out what you need so all seasonings and spices are ready when it's time to assemble the recipe.
- Put the food and seasonings into the slow cooker. Layer food as directed by the recipe instructions. Some recipes suggest layering so that some foods reach warmer temperatures for longer periods of time during the cooking process.
- Pour liquid into the slow cooker. Your slow cooker should be half-way to three-quarters full after the liquid is added to the food contents.
- Place the lid on your slow cooker. Add aluminum foil to the lid if it appears to have gaps or is loose. The lid must fit well for your slow cooker to cook your food effectively.
- Turn on the slow cooker. Select the proper setting.
- Choose the low setting if you want your recipe to cook for 8 to 10 hours. The low setting allows a slower warm up period, which often results in more tender meat and vegetables.
- Select the high setting to cook your meat for 4 to 6 hours.
- Allow your food to cook.
- Keep the lid on. Lifting the lid allows heat to leave the slow cooker, lengthening the cooking period.
- Refrain from stirring your food midway through the cooking process. Stirring is unnecessary.
- Add extra ingredients at the end.
- Pour pasta into the recipe 30 minutes prior to when you expect your dish to be done. Pasta cooks more quickly and becomes mushy if left in the slow cooker too long.
- Stir in corn starch to thicken up liquid 20 to 30 minutes before your meal is ready.
- Put in quick-cooking vegetables during the last hour of cooking. Examples include broccoli, cauliflower and corn.
- Add seafood within 60 minutes of the dish being completed. Seafood cooks quickly compared to other ingredients in slow cooker recipes.
- Finished.
Tips
- Browning the meat prior to placing it in the slow cooker allows for more absorption of seasonings and spices.
- Liquid ingredients commonly used in slow cooker recipes are water, beef broth and chicken broth.
- Use plastic slow cooker liners to reduce the mess.
Things You'll Need
- Slow cooker
- Recipe ingredients
