SLOW-COOKER BASICS

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Slow-Cooker Basics

Slow cookers have their own personalities much like ovens so it is important to test them.

1. Test your slow-cooker by filling it with 2 quarts of water; cover and heat on LOW for 8 hours Use an accurate thermometer to test the temperature. If your water temperature is 185 to 218 degrees you will need to adjust. 185 degrees is the perfect temperature to cook foods on low for long periods of time. So if your cooker is 200 degrees or above you will need to shorten cooking times a little to adjust to the higher slow-cooker temperatures.

2. Slow-cookers come in different shapes and sizes. I have found that the round 5 quart cookers are best for small and medium recipes while the oval 5 1/2 quart cookers work best for large recipes. To allow proper cooking I wouldn't recommend anything smaller than a 3 quart for most recipes and only use the smaller sizes for reheating or soups.

3. 1 hour on high = 2 hours on low.

4. If the power goes out and you are at home remove the food and continue cooking by traditional methods. IF the power goes out while you are not at home and you cant be sure how long the power was off, play it safe and throw the food away.

5. I don't usually brown food being put in a slow-cooker unless the recipe specifically calls for it to be browned.

6. Liquid does not evaporate from a slow-cooker it accumulates so you usually end up with more liquid that you started with.

7. It is possible to overcook foods in a slow-cooker. All the more reason to test your cooker to see how fast it cooks.

8. Cooking times are easily adjusted by starting on low and finishing on high.. or starting on high and finishing on low. Sometimes you find it best to cook the whole time on high or low.

9. You can adjust most of your own recipes to be used in a slow-cooker. Most times except for when adding rice.. you should decrease the liquid by 1/2

Recipe from LastMinuteCooking.com