Easy Slow Cooker Tips

Do’s and Don’ts For The Slow Cooker

1.  Do test your slow cooker before using it for the first time:  Fill it with 2 quarts of water and heat it for 8 hours.  If the final temperature fails to reach 185F, it is not safe to use.

2.  Don’t fill your slow cooker more than 2/3 full for best cooking, especially if you are going to be gone while it is on.

3.  Do preheat the slow cooker before adding ingredients, for best results.

4.  Don’t add raw pasta directly into the slow cooker.  Cook it first and add it during the last hour of cooking. 

5.  Do make sure that when cooking meat, always have water or stock level just covering the meat for even heat distribution.

6.  Don’t add raw rice unless you increase the liquid in the dish by 1 cup for eacup of uncooked rice.  Or, you can also add the cooked rice to the meal just before serving, allowing time for it to heat through.

7.  Do mist your slow cooker with vegetable oil cooking spray before adding ingredients to save time during cleanup.

8.  Don’t add dairy products like cream, milk and cheese until the last hour of cooking or they will curdle.

9.  Do thaw frozen meat and any other ingredients before adding them to the slow cooker.

10.  Don’t raise the lid during cooking time to peek.  The temperature of the cooking meal drops 10 to 15F and slows down the cooking process.

11.  Do use the low setting for all-day cooking.

12.  Don’t cook large pieces of meat like an entire chicken or roast because they will not cook evenly.  Cut the meat into uniform sections, if possible and always preheat that cooker!!

13.  Do soak precooked beans for 10 minutes and dried beans for about 90 minutes before using them in the slow cooker.

14.  Don’t let food cool down in the slow cooker.  If not serving inmmediately, store meal in the refrigerator. 

15.  Do remember vegetables cook slower than meats and poultry, so keep vegetables as close to the bottom as possible. 

16.  Don’t use the slow cooker to reheat leftovers.

Slow Cooker Tips

Slow cookers come in a variety of sizes, colors, and shapes.  If you’re a single person, there is a slow cooker just for you!  Enjoy it!

Cooking with a slow cooker is a time saver for busy cooks.  I’ve been using a slow cooker for years, discovering  few tips along the way that actually save even more time.  Often, we buy the cooker and then hide it in the cabinet instead of using it because we don’t take the bit of time to prepare.  Developing a few habits will make using the slow cooker easy and frequent.

Leave the slow cooker out on the counter or nearby on a shelf.  If it’s in plain sight, it will remind you to gather your ingredients, chop them ahead of time, and your easy meals are set to cook on their own.

Here are a few tips to make your use of the slow cooker a pleasure:

1. Less tender and less costly meats are perfect for long, slow, and moist meats.
2. Browning your meat selection in olive oil and salt and pepper build the stage for extra flavor.  If you dust them with flour before browning, the sauce that forms during cooking time will thicken itself.  Drain any fat once the meat is browned or use a slotted spoon to cut back on the grease.
3. Chop your vegetables the day you buy them and seal them in see through containers or plastic bags.  Cube meat and poultry if possible.  Doing this will give you tender dishes, with little fuss.
4. Spray the inside of your cooker with cooking spray for easier removal of the food and simple clean up.

Ideas About Ingredients:

• Beans are more difficult to cook in the slow cooker than you might think.  It’s a good idea to boil them on the stove for about 10 – 20 minutes before adding them to the slow cooker.  Turn the cooker on low while the beans are cooking on the stove so they don’t lose heat.  Dip the hot beans carefully into the hot slow cooker so as not to burn yourself.  Note:  Soaking beans overnight does not guarantee they’ll be tender at the end of cooking time. 
• Meats become tender more quickly than thick, chunky vegetables in a slow cooker.  Vegetables should be cut in about 1 inch chunks and  placed at the bottom of the sprayed cooker so they will be close to the heat.  Make sure there is enough liquid in the cooker.
• Avoid long cooking of dairy products so they don’t break down and curdle.  Evaporated milk is a good substitute as it does not curdle.
• If you live in a high-altitude climate, add 30 minutes for each hour of cooking time in the recipe.
• Trim the meat to the size needed for your cooker, remember many meats cook down, so don’t over cut, or you’ll have a tiny portion to serve.
• To adapt a recipe’s liquid requirement to the slow cooker, reduce the liquids by about half, unless you’re recipe calls for long grain rice.
• Think bacteria!  Most slow cookers over the last few years cook at a hot enough temperature to prevent the bacteria danger zone of cooking at or below 140F.  To check your slow cooker’s cooking temperature, fill the cooker with water up to one-half or 2/3’s full.  Heat it on low for 8 hours with the lid on.  Check the water temperature with a good food thermometer.  The water temperature should be be about 185F.  Be sure and place the thermometer in the slow cooker as soon as you lift the lid.  Add 15 to 20 minutes cooking time every time you raise the lid.
• When cooking, lift the lid minimally as it reduces the temperature quickly, every time the lid is up.
• For best cooking results, don’t fill your cooker more than 2/3 full.
• The slow cooker should not be used to re-heat leftovers, nor to allow food to sit without the heat on for long periods of time.

This recipe using Asiago cheese is excellent and I think you will love it as a dip for toasted bread slices, such as baguette.

Gather these ingredients:

• 1.5 c shredded Asiago cheese
• 1 c green onions, thinly sliced
• 1 c sliced fresh mushrooms
• 4 oz cream cheese, cut into chunks
• 1.25 c mayo
• 4, 8 oz containers of sour cream
• 4 oz dried tomatoes, but not packed in oil
• 1 c chicken broth

For garnish:  chopped green onion, parsley, cilantro

Procedure:

• Bring chicken broth to boil.  Remove from heat and add the dried tomatoes.  Cover and let stand for 5 min.  Drain and discard the liquid, chop the tomatoes to about 1.25 cups yield.  Water can be substituted for the chicken broth, but will not add the extra flavor.
• Combine sour cream, mayo, cream cheese, mushrooms, green onion, and Asiago cheese in the slow cooker.  Stir in the chopped tomatoes.
• Cover and cook on low for 3 or 4 hours, or on high for 1/5 hours. 
• Stir before serving and sprinkle with additional chopped green onion.  Keep warm on low for about 2 hours while serving. 

Use thick toasted slices of your favorite chewy bread.