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SLOW COOKING
TIPS
In use tips
•
Removing the lid will allow
valuable heat to escape
reducing the efficiency of the
slow cooker. If you remove
the lid more than a couple of
times you will need to allow
10 – 15 minutes extra
cooking time.
•
After cooking if there is too
much moisture in your food,
remove the lid and turn the
control to High if set to Low
and reduce the moisture by
simmering for 30 minutes.
Alternatively if the recipe
allows, use cornflower to
thicken the liquid.
•
Do not use the slow cooker
to reheat food.
•
If you are cooking half
quantities, time can be
reduced usually to
2/3
rds, so
if a recipe calls for 10 hours
on Low, this will require 7
hours.
•
The food will be fully cooked
using the time guide in the
recipes, depending on
personal preference if you
find you need to cook
further to soften root
vegetables, if set to Low
simply select High and cook
for a further 30 minutes.
Preparing food tips –
general
•
If adapting an existing recipe
from conventional cooking,
you may need to cut down
on the amount of liquid
used. Liquid will not
evaporate from the slow
cooker to the same extent
as with conventional
cooking.
•
Make sure all frozen
ingredients are thoroughly
thawed before use.
•
Some ingredients are not
suitable for slow cooking
such as; pasta, seafood,
milk and cream. These
should be added towards
the end of cooking.
Preparing food tips –
meat
•
In most recipes in this
book, the meat ingredients
are browned first to
improve their appearance
and flavour.
If you choose to skip this
step, simply add your meat
into the slow cooker and
cover with boiling stock. You
will need to increase the
recipe cooking time. For
High add 1 hour, for Low
add 2 hours.
•
Browning meat before slow
cooking helps seal in juices
and reduces fat separation
during slow cooking.
•
Where stock is required use
boiling water, this will aid the
cooking process;
•
Trim excess fat from meat
before cooking as slow
cooking does not allow fat to
evaporate.
•
Slow cooking gives you
flavoursome food. The longer
cooking times allow better
distribution of flavours,
giving them time to blend
and season the food –
particularly less expensive
cuts of meat such as
stewing beef which is
tenderised through the long
cooking process.
•
When cooking joints of
meat, ham, poultry, the size
and shape of the joint is
important. Try to keep the
joint in the lower two thirds
of the ceramic pot and fully
cover with water. If
necessary, cut into 2 pieces.
•
Insert a meat thermometer
into joints of roasts or hams
to ensure they are cooked to
the desired temperature.
Preparing food tips –
vegetables / pulses
•
Cut root vegetables into
small even pieces, as they
take longer to cook than
meat. They should be gently
sauted for 2-3 minutes
before slow cooking. Ensure
that root vegetables are
always placed at the bottom
of the ceramic pot and all
ingredients are immersed in
the cooking liquid.
•
Uncooked red beans must
be soaked and boiled for at
least 10 minutes to remove
toxins before use in a slow
cooker.
CARE AND
CLEANING
•
Allow the ceramic pot and
lid to cool before washing.
•
The ceramic pot and glass
lid may be washed in a
dishwasher or washed by
hand in hot soapy water. Do
not use harsh abrasive
cleaners.
•
Do not immerse the
electrical base or plug in
water, or any other liquid. To
clean the base, unplug and
wipe clean with a dish cloth.
CARE FOR THE
CERAMIC POT
•
Authentic stoneware is fired
at high temperatures,
therefore, the ceramic pot
may have minor surface
blemishes, the lid may rock
slightly due to these
imperfections. Low heat
cooking does not produce
steam, so there will be little
heat loss. Due to normal
wear and tear through the
products life, the outer
surface may start appearing
‘crazed’.
•
Do not put the ceramic pot
or lid in an oven, freezer,
microwave or on a
gas/electrical hob.
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