Tips For Slow Cooker And Crock Pot Cooking

For the stressed out cook nothing is better than the flexibility and versatility of a slow cooker or crock-pot. You would be amazed at how much time you can save with a few cooking tips and a crock-pot! No pots, pans or serving dishes to deal with, just throw it all together set the cooking temperature and go about your daily life. Later when you come in the smell of dinner already steaming is enough to relieve the stress of any hard day at work.

If you have yet to discover the joys of a slow cooker, the first thing to think about is how big your pot should be. For dips, salsas and appetizers you will want a small model. As a rule, these are approximately 16 ounces and are the perfect choice when cooking for one or a small potluck dinner. When you are feeding a large number of people you will want something a bit bigger, say a 5-7 quart device. Of course, the things you cook will also play a role in determining the size of your crock-pot. For example if you want to slow simmer a full rack of ribs in your cooker you are definitely going to have to spring for the largest model.

Another consideration is whether the cook wants to be able to set or control the temperature or just go with a push button model that cooks with preset low or high temperature settings and sometimes a warmer setting. If the “low” setting is too low and the lid is not on properly, the cooking temperature can drop below the safe level for cooking some foods. Finally, the question of heating elements needs to be considered. Crock pots can come with bottom, side elements or both. Pots with side elements often require more liquid in recipes to avoid the risk of drying up over long cooking times.

If a person really enjoys mixing things up and experimenting with recipes, one pot/slow cooking provides a great number of possibilities and even chances to have some fun. The real strength of the crock pot in the kitchen is for slow cooking leaner and cheaper cuts of meat. The moist, long, slow cooking provides a very tender meats with fat that is either dissolved or very easy to remove.

you do need a few cooking tips when it comes to using a crock-pot. There are times when a meal will have to be prepared in stages. For instance, let’s say you want to make a tasty beef stew; the meat will need to cook for a few hours before you add vegetables. First add your firm vegetables and allow them to cook then right before the stew is finished you can add your softer vegetables. As a rule all your spices, seasonings and herbs must go in first and items like frozen seafood or vegetables at the end. Due to the long cooking process you should not need to stir your meal often if at all, over stirring will break up your food and in some cases turn it to mush.

You might be surprised to find that you can make tasty homemade desserts or breads in your crock-pot as well. That being said you would have to take a few extra precautions with these types of recipes. Especially if you plan to leave, the concoction unattended whiles you run errands or work. An over whipped or beaten dessert can create quite the mess if they raise high enough to push the lid off the crock. After a long day at work, this is the last thing you want to deal with.

You can make almost anything in a slow cooker from simple cream cheese layer dip to pot roast, veggies, and even complex meals such as spicy paella. They also function as an excellent warmer for your holiday side dishes. With a few good cooking tips, a slow cooker can take the stress right out of a busy day.

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