Tips for Using a Slow Cooker
The great thing about using a slow cooker is that you can prepare your meal in about 15 minutes and not have to worry about it anymore. I know I have more energy when I get up in the morning, so it’s easy for me to add all the ingredients and get to work.
Who wants to work all day and then come home and spend an hour or two making dinner? I don’t! However, there are a few tips that can save you even more time and allow you to get the most out of your slow cooker.
One thing you can do to make things easier is to prepare as much as you can before bed and put it in the fridge. Then when you get up in the morning, you can throw everything in your slow cooker and voila! There are some ingredients that you won’t be able to do this with, so be sure to check your recipe and make as much as possible. After all, you have enough to do in the morning with getting ready for work, breakfast, kids, etc.
I have found that cooking my meals on low heat gives me the best results 99% of the time. Most slow cookers have only two settings: low and high. Cooking on the high setting is risky because you have a high chance of overcooking and sometimes even burning your food. When cooking on low heat, you are very unlikely to overcook. An even better idea is to purchase a programmable crock pot, as it will cook food to perfection and can be left unattended for longer periods without having to worry about overcooking.
If you use fresh vegetables in your recipe, it is best to place them in the bottom of the slow cooker, as they take longer than meat. Canned vegetables cook quickly and should be placed on top of the meat. Also, it’s a good idea to thaw the meat before placing it in the crock pot. Some people will put a frozen roast in a slow cooker, but I have found that my roasts cook better when thawed first.
These little tips can help you save time and get better results from your slow cooking efforts. As he gains more experience preparing different types of food, he will develop his own shortcuts and his own unique cooking style.
