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To thicken the flavourful juices produced during slow cooking, remove 1 cup (250 ml) juice
from the Slow Cooker. Place in a small saucepan. Combine 1 tablespoon (15 ml) water and 1
tablespoon (15 ml) corn flour. Stir these into the saucepan. Cook and stir over medium heat
until the mixture boils. Boil and stir for 1 - 2 minutes or until slightly thickened.
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When cooking soups or stews, leave a 2-inch (5 cm) space between the top of the removable
cooking pot and the food so that the recipe can come to a simmer. If cooking a soup or stew
on HIGH, check its progress regularly as some soups will reach a boil on HIGH.
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Pasta and seafood should be added towards the end of cooking time.
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Don’t lift the lid of the slow cooker until you need to. Removing the lid affects the end result
and will actually increase the necessary cooking time. Only remove it when you need to add an
ingredient.
•
If you are adapting a recipe for your slow cooker, decrease the amount of liquid you would
normally use in the dish by as much as half. This is to account for the fact that very little
moisture boils away when slow-cooking.
•
All food should be cooked with the glass lid in place. Each time the lid is lifted, both the heat
and moisture are diminished. Cooking times should be adjusted to accommodate this factor.
Slow cooker recipes:
You can also adjust slow cooker recipes depending on the amount of time you have. If you wish to
decrease the cooking time, cook on HIGH and if you wish to extend the cooking time, cook on LOW.
E.g. If the recipe states to cook on LOW for 6 – 8 hours and you want a shorter cooking time, set your
slow cooker to HIGH and cook for 3 – 4 hours.
Stirring the food
Little or no stirring is required when using the LOW or WARM setting. When using the HIGH heat
setting, stir regularly to ensure even flavour distribution.
Suitable foods:
Vegetables
•
Vegetables cook slowly. Keep pieces small to medium in size and place in the bottom of the
cooking pot.
•
Vegetables can be peeled and cut the night before slow cooking. Cover and refrigerate in a
separate container. Do not place in the cooking pot until ready to cook.
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Cut all root vegetables into small, evenly sized pieces to ensure even cooking. Root vegetables
take longer to cook than meat.
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Gently sauté root vegetables for 2 - 3 minutes before slow cooking. Place them at the bottom
of the pot and make sure all ingredients are fully immersed in the cooking liquid.
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Boil and soak uncooked red beans for at least 10 minutes before adding them to your slow
cooker. This helps to remove any toxins.
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Pumpkins and other squash vegetables do not need to be cooked in as much liquid as other
slow cooked vegetables.
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Cut green peppers into small pieces and add them near the end of the cooking time to avoid
them becoming bitter after being cooked for a long period of time.
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Frozen vegetables should always be slightly defrosted before being added to your slow cooker.
They will not take as long to cook as fresh vegetables as they are generally pre-cooked to an
extent.
•
This is the same for canned vegetables. When using canned vegetables be sure to wash them
before adding them to your slow cooker, to remove any excess salt and preservatives. Always
ensure you drain canned vegetables before use, so you do not add extra liquid to your dish.
•
Onions are a very popular ingredient in slow cooker recipes. Slow cooking does decrease the
flavour of onions though, so make sure you add a little extra than you usually would, to retain
that flavour – especially if you are cooking for more than four hours.
