Ensuring Slow-Cooker Success

After hours of slow cooking, flavors can become muted or one-dimensional, and meat and vegetables can dry out. Here are some tips for turning out satisfying, full-flavored dishes.

 

DON’T SKIMP ON THE AROMATICS

You’ll see hefty amounts of onions, garlic, herbs, and other flavorful ingredients in our recipes. This is because the moist heat environment and long cooking times that come with the slow cooker tend to mute flavors. Also, many recipes need a flavor boost at the end of the cooking time, which is why we often finish with fresh herbs, lemon juice, or other flavorful ingredients.

 

ADD TOMATO PASTE AND SOY SAUCE FOR MEATY FLAVOR

To replicate the meaty flavor usually achieved by browning meat and vegetables, we turned to umami-rich ingredients instead, which offered savory depth and rich flavor. Tomato paste, which we often microwave with aromatics or other ingredients to deepen its flavor, ramps up the meaty richness of everything from soups and stews to pasta sauces. And soy sauce adds flavor to a number of non-Asian dishes, like our meaty ragù and vegetarian chili, without calling attention to itself.

 

GET OUT YOUR ALUMINUM FOIL

Most slow cookers have a hotter side (typically the back side that’s opposite the controls) that can cause pastas, casseroles, and other dense dishes to burn. We found an easy work-around for this problem: We simply lined this side of the slow-cooker insert with an aluminum foil collar. That way, the food on the hot side of the slow cooker is insulated from the heat and doesn’t overcook. Click here for more details. Also, it is hard to get some foods like meatloaf, salmon, and swordfish out of the slow cooker intact. The solution? Make a simple sling using aluminum foil. Click here for more details.

 

USE AN INSTANT-READ THERMOMETER WHEN PRECISION MATTERS

A few degrees won’t make much difference when preparing stews, chilis, and braises in a slow cooker, and it’s pretty hard to overcook a pot roast. However, some dishes do require heating food to a precise internal temperature. This list includes roast beef (cooked to medium-rare), fish, pork loin, pork tenderloins, whole chicken, and some desserts (such as cheesecake). We found that with careful monitoring and the help of an instant-read thermometer you can achieve excellent results with all of these dishes. Our time ranges will guide you, but we’ve also provided doneness temperatures; the first time you make one of these recipes, start checking for doneness at the low end of the range. Once you know how one of these recipes performs in your slow cooker, you’ll be able to walk away with confidence knowing just how long it will take.

 

ADD DELICATE VEGETABLES AT THE END

Certain ingredients need just a short stint in the slow cooker to warm through and meld into the dish, so we saved them until the end of cooking. Delicate vegetables, like frozen peas, baby spinach, and chopped tomatoes, turned mushy when added at the beginning, so we stirred them in at the end; in just a few minutes, they were perfectly tender.

 

SKIM AWAY EXCESS FAT

During the long cooking time, meat will release fat into a stew or braise, but it is easy to remove it at the end of the cooking time. Simply turn off the slow cooker and let the food sit for a few minutes so the fat can rise to the top. Use a large spoon to skim the excess fat off the surface.