fast slow cooker cookbook Introduction family favorite chicken & turkey tasty beef main dishes busy-day pork & sausage stews, soups & chilies hearty warm sandwiches great sides & starters helpful nutrition and cooking information secrets for slow cooking success Slow Cooker Tips A slow cooker is the answer for getting home-cooked meals on the table even on the busiest days. Use these sure-fire tips for preparing recipes successfully in your slow cooker. Size of the slow cooker is important so be sure to use the size that is called for in the recipe. Filling the slow cooker two-thirds to three-fourths full is ideal, but being half full will also work. Cleanup is easier if you coat the inside of the slow cooker with cooking spray before adding the food. Root vegetables, such as carrots and potatoes, should be cut into small pieces of equal size and placed on the bottom of the slow cooker. Add meat, seasonings and other vegetables and liquid on top of the root vegetables. Tender vegetables, such as fresh mushrooms and zucchini, which require shorter cooking time, should be added at the end to retain color, texture and flavor. Prevent potatoes from darkening by covering them with a liquid in the slow cooker. Frozen foods, such as vegetables, should be thawed before adding them to the slow cooker unless they are added near the end of the cook time. Browning meats before placing them in a slow cooker is often recommended for better color, which can improve the flavor and appearance of the finished dish. However, it isn’t necessary to brown meat before slow cooking, except for ground meats. Trim excess fat from meats and poultry to reduce fat in the finished dish. If there is too much fat, skim it from the surface using a spoon or a slice of bread. Use dried leaf herbs instead of ground because they add more flavor during the long cooking time. Red pepper becomes stronger and bitter during long cooking times so use smaller amounts of ground red pepper (cayenne) and red pepper sauce. Taste the food before serving to determine whether more seasoning is needed. Save time in the morning by cutting up vegetables, such as carrots and onions, and refrigerate them overnight in a covered container or sealed food-storage plastic bag. Cooked food can be held up to an hour on the Low setting without overcooking. Liquids don’t evaporate during slow cooking so do not add extra liquid even if the ingredients may appear dry before cooking. It is best to follow the recipe. Lifting the lid releases the heat and increases cooking time by about 20 minutes. If your slow cooker is round, try spinning the glass lid during cooking to have moisture fall off so you can see inside. Cook times in ranges, such as 8 to 10 hours, will have different results. After 8 hours of cooking, large pieces of meat can still usually be sliced, but after 10 hours, the meat will shred. Both will be tasty but the appearance will be different. Food Safety Counts Play it safe and check this list of food safety guidelines before you use your slow cooker. • Don’t cook frozen meat in the slow cooker because it takes too long to reach a safe temperature. Thaw meat and poultry in the refrigerator or in a microwave oven following the manufacturer’s directions. • Cook and drain all ground meats before adding them to the slow cooker to destroy any bacteria that the meat may contain. Immediately place the cooked ground meat in the slow cooker to finish cooking. Never cook and refrigerate ground meat to finish cooking later. • Don’t cook whole poultry, such as chicken, turkey and Rock Cornish hens, in the slow cooker because it takes too long for a safe cooking temperature to reach the bone. • It is important that the lid fit securely on the slow cooker. The lid holds in the heat, allowing for safe cooking temperatures to be reached and maintained. • The temperature in the center of the food being cooked should reach 130 to 140°F within three to four hours or approximately halfway through the cooking period. At the end of the cooking time, the food must be at least 160 to 165°F in the center, 170°F for poultry breast, 180°F for dark meat poultry. • Don’t use frozen ingredients. • Don’t assemble the ingredients and refrigerate ahead of time. You can prep some of the ingredients (peel and cut up vegetables) and refrigerate ahead. Just don’t combine them until you are ready to turn on the slow cooker. • Perishable ingredients such as meat and poultry can be used right from the refrigerator. • Only remove the lid to check for doneness at the minimum cook time. It is estimated that the temperature drops about 10°F every time the lid is removed and it takes about 20 minutes to recover the temperature. • It is important not to undercook foods. For food-safety reasons, slow cooker recipes containing raw poultry or meat should cook a minimum of three hours. • Don’t use your slow cooker as a storage container. Remove leftovers from the slow cooker and refrigerate or freeze as soon as you are finished eating. Cooked food shouldn’t stand at room temperature longer than one hour. • Food should not be reheated in the slow cooker. Instead, reheat food on top of the stove or in the microwave. • Determine if your slow cooker temperature is accurate by filling it with two quarts of water and heating on the Low setting for eight hours. Quickly measure the water temperature with an accurate instant read thermometer. The temperature of the water should be 180°F, taking into consideration the minor heat loss from removing the lid. Make It To Go A slow cooker is the perfect appliance to take to potlucks, family gatherings or office events. • Wrap the slow cooker in a towel or newspaper to keep it warm. Place it in a box or other container that will stay flat in your car. • Attach rubber bands around the handles and lid to secure the lid when traveling and prevent spills. • Serve the cooked food within an hour, or plug in the slow cooker and set on the Low (or keep warm) setting to keep the food warm for hours. Dress It Up Flavors meld together during slow cooking but the colors of some ingredients fade. Dress up the dish before serving with a sprinkle of: • Chopped green onions, parsley, chives or other fresh herbs • Chopped red, yellow or green bell peppers • Cherry tomato halves or chopped tomatoes • Shredded cheese • Chopped olives • A dollop of sour cream or plain yogurt • Paprika or chili powder • Crushed tortilla or corn chips • Chopped or slivered toasted nuts How to Adapt Your Recipes for a Slow Cooker When you want to change your favorite recipe to a slow cooker recipe, here are a few things to consider. 1. Look for a similar recipe in this cookbook to use as a guide for quantities, amount of liquid and cooking time. 2. Unless you are adapting a soup recipe, reduce the amount of liquid by about half because liquids do not boil away as in other methods of cooking. 3. If you are adapting a soup recipe, use the same amount of liquid as called for in the recipe. 4. Use less-expensive cuts of meat, such as beef round steak, beef chuck roast or pork boneless shoulder roast, which will work well in the moist heat and low temperatures of the slow cooker.