Chapter 18

Ten Tips for Great Slow Cooking

In This Chapter

Getting the best results from your slow cooker

Overcoming common problems when using a slow cooker

B ecause slow cookers cook differently than conventional methods, you have to rethink some old cooking methods and master a couple new tricks when using your slow cooker, especially if you want delicious results every time. But don’t be overwhelmed or perplexed. In this chapter, we share with you what we’ve learned over the years so that you too can become proficient in cooking with this very simple-to-use kitchen wonder. Slow cooking should be quick and easy with delicious results.

Determining How Much Is Enough

Slow cookers cook with indirect heat. The heat is transferred from the wraparound electric elements found in the metal housing to the cooking container, which — in turn — heats the food. Because the cooking container does not come in direct contact with the heating elements, the amount of food present in the container is important for the slow cooker to work properly. Slow cookers should always be filled at least one-half to two-thirds full for best results. Too little food and you wind up heating mostly air, which may, in turn, slow down the cooking process.

Because the slow cooker eventually gets hot enough to bring the cooking liquid to a simmer, leave at least 2 inches of space between the food and the top of the container when making receipes with a lot of liquid, such as soups and stews, so that they don’t boil over. Very little evaporation takes place when you cook food in a slow cooker. Also bear in mind that foods like roasts release some of their juices, adding even more liquid as they cook.

When converting a favorite recipe to a slow cooker recipe, reduce the liquid called for in the original recipe by approximately 50 percent.

Layering Contents Properly

Strange as it may seem, raw vegetables usually take longer to cook in a slow cooker than meat and poultry do because the cooking liquid simmers rather than boils. To ensure complete doneness of all ingredients at the same time, cut raw veggies into uniform, bite-sized pieces before placing them in the slow cooker, as shown in Figure 18-1.

Figure 18-1: Dice root vegetables into uniformly sized pieces.

Also, when cooked with meat, root vegetables, such as white potatoes, sweet potatoes, carrots, turnips, and so forth, should be placed as close as possible to the bottom and sides of the cooking container so that they benefit from close contact with the heat source.

Reducing Fat

Fat adds flavor, color, and texture to food. Even though you hear much talk about reducing fat in your diet, you still need some fat in order to be healthy. If you want to reduce fat in your slow cooker recipes, however, we suggest using lean cuts of meat or trimming excess fat from meat and poultry before cooking. You will be very pleased to see how well lean cuts of beef and pork fare in a slow cooker. Because lean cuts are usually tougher than fattier, marbled cuts, they tend to hold up and cook better.

You can also reduce fat from homemade chicken broth by removing it after the broth has cooled, as discussed in Chapter 14.

Intensifying Flavors by Searing and Browning First

High heat alters the appearance and flavor of food. The natural sugars found in food cause it to brown, making it more appealing to look at because it loses that raw look, while at the same time making it more complex in flavor than boiled food.

We feel that foods such as onions, garlic, and meat benefit tremendously when you take the extra time to either sauté or brown them before placing them in a slow cooker. This may mean spending an extra 15 to 20 minutes in the kitchen, but you’ll realize that it was well worth it when you taste the results. In some recipes in which the difference between browning and not browning is negligible, we give you the option, so the call is always yours. For more information on this, refer to Chapter 9.

Cooking with Dairy Products

Although the slow cooking process may tenderize lean cuts of meat, it does a number on dairy products like milk, cream, sour cream, and cheese. The long cooking time and low temperatures cause most dairy products to break down. Milk and cream will curdle, and cheese will become oily-looking as it separates.

To overcome these problems, we suggest using an equal amount of canned evaporated milk for savory dishes, and sweetened, condensed milk for desserts. Processed cheese like American and Velveeta usually gives better results than aged cheese like cheddar, which should be added only toward the end of the cooking time for best results.

Slow Cooking and Frozen Foods

Successful slow cooking depends on maintaining the balance between temperature, amount of food, and cooking time. Frozen foods added at the beginning of the cooking process can add several hours to the cooking time.

Always thaw or defrost frozen foods before adding them to a hot slow cooker. Adding icy-cold food to a hot cooking container will definitely throw things out of whack, and it could also crack the stoneware crock.

Cooking at High Altitudes

If you live at a high elevation (in excess of 4,000 feet above sea level), you probably already know that you need to extend the cooking time when using your slow cooker. For specific recommendations, you can contact your local cooperative extension office, which should be able to tell you approximately how much longer to allow for high elevation.

Keeping It Under Cover

Just as a watched pot never boils, an uncovered slow cooker never cooks. The cover must always be in place during cooking, except perhaps when you want to thicken a sauce before serving (see the following section) or when making such foods as granola or a party mix (see Chapter 6). A slow cooker can take as long as 20 minutes to recover lost heat when the cover is removed, so please trust your slow cooker and refrain from too much peeking. If the recipe calls for stirring, replace the lid quickly after you remove it to stir.

Thickening Sauces and Cooking Liquid

In the event that the recipe you have prepared is too liquidy, or you want to thicken a sauce, remove the slow cooker cover and cook on the high setting for approximately 30 minutes either before the recipe has finished cooking or when it is done.

Always remember to cook with 50 percent less liquid when using a slow cooker so that your dishes don’t come out soupy. (Slow cooker recipes call for the right amount of liquid, of course, but you need to do the converting yourself if you’re making a traditional recipe in a slow cooker.)

If Your Slow Cooker Cooks Too Slowly

You may be surprised to see how efficient today’s slow cookers are. Nevertheless, if, over the course of time, you find that your recipes are taking longer to cook than you anticipated, we suggest that you perform the safety test for heating found at the Iowa State University Extension Web site for slow cookers (www.extension.iastate.edu/Pages/families/fs/slowcook.html ).

If your slow cooker passes this test with flying colors and still seems to take too long, reread the suggestions given earlier in this chapter to make sure that you’re doing everything right, especially the following:

Cooking the right amount of food for the size of your slow cooker

Cutting foods such as root vegetables into bite-sized pieces and placing them at the bottom layer of the foods in the slow cooker

Thawing or defrosting frozen foods before placing them in a hot slow cooker

Allowing for additional cooking time at altitudes over 4,000 feet above sea level

Cooking with the slow cooker covered, except when thickening a sauce at the end of a recipe