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Browning before cooking
Pre-browning meat and poultry prior to cooking seals in the moisture intensifies the
flavour and provides more tender results.
It also provides much richer flavours in other foods such as onions, peppers and leeks.
Pre-browning may take little extra time, and whilst not strictly necessary, the rewards
are evident in the end result. To brown, use a non-stick pan on the stove. Use a minimal
amount of oil. Without browning, some meat and poultry may appear bland when cooked
in your slow cooker.
Roasting
Roasting in your slow cooker results in tender, flavoursome meats which are easy to
slice. The long, slow covered cooking process breaks down and softens the connective
tissues within the meats, therefore the cheaper cuts of meat provide perfect results
cooked by this method.
The addition of liquids is not necessary for roasting. A minimal amount is required for
pot-roasting. Raise the meat to be roasted on an inverted heatproof plate or saucer so
the meat is kept free of any fat released throughout the cooking process. Suitable cuts for
roasting include:
Meat
Cut
Beef
Blade, fillet, rump, sirloin, silverside, topside
Lamb
Leg, mid loin, rack, shank, shoulders, mini roast
Pork
Loin, neck, leg, racks
Suitable cuts for pot roasting include:
Meat
Cut
Beef
Blade, chunk, round, silverside, skirt, topside
Lamb
Forequarter, shank, shoulder
Pork
Loin, neck
Preparing vegetables
A characteristic of slow cooking is that vegetables generally cook much slower than most
meat. Most vegetables should be cut into small bite sized pieces and placed near to the
sides and as close to the bottom of the ceramic pot as possible. Meat should then be
placed on top of the vegetables. Carrots should be peeled and placed where they will be
completely covered by liquid. Frozen vegetables should be thawed before adding to other
foods in your slow cooker.
