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Tips for Slow Cooking
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The slow cooker pot must be at least half full for best results.
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Slow cooking retains moisture. If you wish to reduce moisture in the cooker,
remove the lid after cooking and turn the control to high (if set to low or auto)
and simmer for 30 to 45 minutes.
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The lid is not a sealed fit. Don’t remove unnecessarily as the built up heat will
escape. Each time you remove the lid, allow an additional 10 minutes to the
cooking time.
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If cooking soups, leave a 5 cm space between the top of the cook pot and the
food surface to allow simmering.
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Many recipes demand all day cooking, if you do not have time to prepare
food that morning prepare it the night before and store the food in a covered
container in the refrigerator. Transfer the food to the ceramic pot and add
liquid/gravy. Select the setting low, high or auto.
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Most meat and vegetable recipes require 8-10 hours on low. 4-6 hours on high
and 5-7 hours on auto.
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Some ingredients are not suitable for slow cooking. Pasta, seafood, milk, and
cream should be added towards the end of the cooking time. Many things can
affect how quickly a recipe will cook, water and fat content, initial temperature
of the food and the size of the food.
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Food cut into small pieces will cook more quickly. A degree of ‘trial and error’
will be required to fully optimise the potential of your slow cooker.
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Root vegetables usually take longer to cook than meat, so try and arrange
vegetables in the lower half of the pot.
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After food is cooked, switch cooker off and leave covered with the lid. There
will be enough heat in the ceramic pot to keep warm for 30 minutes. If you
require longer to keep warm switch to the low setting.
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All food may be covered with a liquid, gravy or sauce. In a separate pan or
jug prepare your liquid, gravy or sauce and completely cover the food in the
ceramic pot.
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Pre-browning meat and onions in a pan to seal in the juices also reduces the
fat content before adding to the ceramic pot. This improves the flavor but is
not necessary if time is limited.
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When cooking joints of meat, ham, and poultry etc the size and shape of the
joint is important. Try to keep the joint in the lower 2/3 of the pot and fully
cover with water. If necessary, cut in two pieces. Joint weight should be kept
within the maximum limit.
