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About slow
cooking
•
Slow cooking has always been
the best way to prepare a
nutritious hot meal with
minimum preparation and
maximum free time away from
the kitchen.
•
Slow cooking gives you
convenient, versatile and
flavoursome food. The longer
cooking times allow better
distribution of flavours, giving
them time to blend and season
the food. A slow cooker heats
food gently, making it a great
way to cook meats - in
particular, less-expensive cuts,
such as stewing beef, which
are tenderised through the
long cooking process
.
Remember, there are no limits
to the potential uses of your
slow cooker, only your
imagination!
IMPORTANT: The slow cooker
works by building up heat and
maintaining an even
temperature. To get the best
cooking results, do not remove
the lid during cooking, since
this will lose heat and therefore
slow down the cooking time.
The see-through lid allows you
to monitor the cooking
progress without interrupting
the cooking time.
Suitable foods for
slow cooking
•
Most foods are suited to slow
cooking methods, however
there are a few guidelines that
need to be followed.
•
Make sure all frozen
ingredients are well thawed
out.
•
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 pot and all
ingredients are immersed in
the cooking liquid.
•
Trim all excess fat from meat
before cooking, since the slow
cooking method does not
allow fat to evaporate.
•
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.
•
Never leave uncooked food at
room temperature in the slow
cooker.
•
Do not use the slow cooker to
reheat food.
•
Uncooked red beans must be
soaked and boiled for at least
10 minutes to remove toxins
before use in a slow cooker.
•
Insert a meat thermometer into
joints of roasts, hams, or
whole chickens to ensure they
are cooked to the desired
temperature.
Do’s and do not’s
for the crock pot
•
Authentic stoneware is fired at
high temperatures, therefore,
the crock 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 crock pot or lid
in an oven, freezer, microwave
or on a gas/electrical hob.
•
Do not pre-heat before adding
ingredients.
•
Do not subject the crock pot
to sudden changes in
temperature. Adding cold
water to a very hot pot could
cause it to crack.
•
Do not allow the pot to stand
in water for a long time (you
can leave water in the pot to
soak). There is an area on the
base of the crock pot that has
to remain unglazed for
manufacturing purposes. This
unglazed area is porous,
therefore will soak up water,
this should be avoided.
•
Do not switch the cooker on
when the crock pot is empty
or out of the base.
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