Extra hands are almost always a good thing—any time you can save on chopping, stirring, or peeling makes the meal taste that much more delicious. Even better is cooking that requires no hands at all. Yes, I’m talking about slow cookers.
Now, I’m not advocating a ‘set it and forget it’ lifestyle. Adding a slow cooker to your kitchen arsenal should reduce effort, not thoughtfulness. It’s important to consider slow cookers’ strengths and weaknesses, as James Beard Award-nominated chef Sarah DiGregorio describes in her latest book, Adventures In Slow Cooking.
“It’s not about getting out of the kitchen as quickly as possible at any cost to the finished dish,” she writes. Her book has recipes for slow cooker meals require steps like broiling or pre-sautéing in addition to the slow-cook, as well as learning techniques to get the most out of your machine.
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One of the most important aspects of slow cooking is moisture. Cookers trap moisture, making them ideal tools for braising, steaming, or poaching; but sometimes they do their job too well.
“Every fresh ingredient has moisture, and in the closed slow cooker, little of it evaporates,” DiGregorio writes. That’s why putting fresh vegetables or meats with broth in a slow cooker can result in watery dishes. In order to control moisture, she has these tips:
1. Sauté aromatics.
You just can’t just throw raw onions into a slow cooker—they will simultaneously retain their crunch and add too much liquid to the dish. Avoid the pitfall by sautéing onions and garlic before adding them to the pot.
When using slow cookers as a water bath for custards, place a double layer of paper towels over the top of the cooker before closing the lid. As DiGregorio writes: “The paper towels soak up the steam and prevent it from dripping back down onto the surface of the custard”. Kitchen towels work too, but won’t let the lid close as tightly.
3. Set the lid ajar to let moisture escape entirely.
If you’re cooking for a very short period of time (like toasting granola or reducing liquid at the end of cooking), you can leave the lid ajar, or even off. “Manufacturers don’t want you to do this because without the lid, they can’t ensure raw food gets hot enough to be safe to eat,” writes DiGregorio. With this in mind, never use this technique with raw meat.
4. Don’t put frozen foods into the slow cooker.
DiGregorio tells us to defrost and drain foods before adding to your slow cooker for two reasons: “First, frozen foods contain water, and defrosting and draining first prevents that water from diluting the dish. Second, and most important, frozen foods will prevent the temperature of the food from rising quickly enough as it cooks, and that’s a food safety issue.”
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Top Comment:
“Obviously "It" - meaning the ham came out of the slow cooker nice and tender. "I" wouldn't fit in to the slow cooker, though "I" do tenderize nicely in the sauna. LOL!”
— sue
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How do you use your slow cooker beyond 'setting and forgetting'? Share your tips and tricks, please!
Place firm, slow-cooking root vegetables like potatoes and carrots at the bottom of the crock and pile the meat on top. Set the heat level: A general rule of thumb is that cooking on the low setting (170 degrees F for most models) takes about twice as long as cooking on high (280 degrees F on most models).
Place firm, slow-cooking root vegetables like potatoes and carrots at the bottom of the crock and pile the meat on top. Set the heat level: A general rule of thumb is that cooking on the low setting (170 degrees F for most models) takes about twice as long as cooking on high (280 degrees F on most models).
The difference between "High" and "Low" on slow cookers seems to differ with every brand and model. One thing that is consistent, though, is that food takes seven to eight hours to reach a simmer point (around 210°) on low; versus three to four hours on high.
Can you put meat straight into a slow cooker? Meat can be added directly unseared and not browned. However, browning meat and caramelising the beef is a great way to add depth of flavour and improve the visual appearance of the final dish.
Insufficient Liquid: If there wasn't enough liquid in the crockpot, it could have caused uneven cooking. Potatoes need to be fully submerged in liquid to cook evenly. Old Potatoes: Very old or stored potatoes can become starchy and may not soften as well during cooking. It's best to use fresh, firm potatoes.
Resist the urge. Every time you lift the lid, heat escapes and adds up to 30 minutes longer to your cook time. Slow cookers are made so you don't have to stir with the low cooking temperature, so relax. Leave it.
If possible, turn the cooker on the highest setting for the first hour of cooking time and then to low or the setting called for in your recipe. Foods take different times to cook depending upon the setting used. Certainly, foods will cook faster on high than on low.
Preheat the cooker and add hot liquids, if possible. Preheating the crock before adding ingredients or cooking on the highest setting for the first hour will ensure a rapid heat start and will shorten the time foods are in the temperature danger zone.
Most appliances will automatically shut off after 20 or so hours on this setting, but you shouldn't leave food in a slow cooker for an extended length of time. The general rule of thumb is that 2-4 hours is the maximum length of time you can leave food in a slow cooker on warm.
Absolutely, which is why you should always adjust times and amounts as needed. Smaller amounts of slow cooker hamburger only need a few hours before they are done.
Food texture changes: Canned foods, such as vegetables, can become too mushy in a slow cooker. It's better to use them fresh or frozen. But, frozen veggies tend to make the texture of the dish more “watery”. Defrosting and draining the extra liquid before cooking can help minimize this.
"Browning, or caramelizing, meat before putting it into a slow cooker isn't 100 percent necessary, but it is well worth the effort for the most flavorful and full-bodied end result," he says. "The caramelized surface of the meat will lend rich flavor and color to the finished dish."
Certainly, foods will cook faster on high than on low. However, for all-day cooking or for less-tender cuts, you may want to use the low setting. It's safe to cook foods on low the entire time -- if you're leaving for work, for example, and preparation time is limited.
"Locking those latches during cooking might build up pressure and might cause the lid to shatter or even cause the Stoneware to break," Imelda explains. While the latches on the Crockpot look a bit like a pressure cooker, it's not intended for that use at all.
Introduction: My name is Margart Wisoky, I am a gorgeous, shiny, successful, beautiful, adventurous, excited, pleasant person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.
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