10 Tips for Slow Cooker Recipes
- Before starting a recipe in your slow cooker, spray it with non stick cooking spray for easier cleanup.
- Once you start cooking, try to keep the lid on during the whole cooking time. Removing the lid during cooking can add significantly to the overall cooking time needed.
- As a general rule, if you are cooking meat and vegetables, put the vegetables on the bottom and the meat on the top.
- Slow cookers are especially good for cooking lean meats. When choosing meat for your recipe, select the leanest meat possible. The slow cooker will make it taste great and you will avoid having fat accumulate in your finished recipe. Another benefit is that the leaner cuts of meat tend to be less expensive.
- An easy way to thicken your recipe toward the end of cooking is to combine 1/3 cup flour with 1 cup milk or one can tomato paste and stir it into the pot for the last hour of cooking.
- Another way to thicken your recipe is to remove the slow cooker lid during the last hour of cooking to reduce the amount of liquid.
- Try to start your recipe with ingredients at room temperature. Since the slow cookers use lower cooking temperatures, starting with cold or partially frozen ingredients can add significant time to the required cooking time.
- Season your slow cooker recipe to taste near the end of the cooking time. Taste the recipe to determine if it needs additional seasoning, salt & pepper before serving.
- Tender vegetables like mushrooms, peas, tomatoes and summer squash should be added during the last hour of cooking so they do not become too soft.
- Cooking on “high” is generally twice as fast as cooking on the “low” setting. Eight hours on low is basically the same as four hours on high.
