The cooking temperatures and settings vary on different models, but most have four settings: Off, Low, High and Auto. Some also have a Medium setting. At the lowest temperature the food will barely simmer; at the highest it will boil very gently. When set to Auto, the cooking temperature will build up to High, then remain at this temperature for an hour or so before automatically switching to Low. This setting is useful if you are using frozen vegetables.
Food should be monitored when using the High setting as some liquid will evaporate. Some flexibility can be introduced to the total cooking time by adjusting the temperature settings. As a rough guide, the cooking time on Low is about double that of High.
|
Low
|
Auto or Medium
|
High
|
|
2-4
|
1½-2½
|
1-2
|
|
6-8
|
4-6
|
3-4
|
|
8-10
|
6-8
|
4-6
|
If at the end of the cooking time the food is not quite ready, replace the lid and switch the slow cooker to High. Once ready, many dishes (but not rice or fish) can be kept hot for an hour or more without any risk of spoiling, by switching to Low.
If you are planning to go out for the day and your chosen recipe does not take as many hours to cook as you will be away, you can use a time-delay plug so that the start of cooking is delayed by several hours. If you are going to delay the start of cooking, it's important that all the ingredients - including stock - are cold (preferably chilled) when added to the ceramic cooking pot. Never use a time-delay plug when cooking chicken or when the kitchen will be warm; e.g. on a sunny day or if the central heating will be on before cooking commences.
Modern slow cookers tend to cook at a slightly higher temperature than older ones, so if you have a newer model, check whether the food is ready at the minimum suggested cooking time.