15
•
You may shorten or lengthen cooking time by pressing the Timer key
within a few
seconds
of selecting the cooking mode. Press the key until the display shows your
desired cooking time.
The timer increases by 30-minute increments from 30
minutes to 12 hours.
A few seconds after the Timer is set, both Stew and Timer
lights will stop flashing and glow red.
•
Once cooking is complete, the Cooker will beep and automatically switch to the
Warm mode, the Off/Warm Light will glow red and the display will show “
00.0
".
o
The Cooker will stay in the Warm mode for up to 12 hours. The timer will the
elapsed time in 10-minute intervals. For example, 30 minutes would be
shown as “
00.3
”.
•
To end the Warm mode and turn the Cooker off, press the Off/Warm key.
NOTE: You cannot change the cooking time once the Cooker enters the Stew
cooking mode. Simply press the Off/Warm key and start over.
A general guide to Cooking Dry Beans & Lentils
Beans take time to learn to cook no matter what method you use. Lentils are more forgiving. Cooking
time and amount of water needed will vary by size and age of bean or lentil variety. Best advice is to start
with more rather than less water and to check at 30-minute intervals. Lastly, it is a myth that salt will make
your beans and lentils tough. Salt them at the beginning of cooking to ensure they obtain a full, rich flavor.
Note: Remember to allow time for pre-soaking the beans for up to 12 hours and lentils for up to 4 hours.
Type of legume
Legume
Water, broth or
stock
Soup setting
Stew setting
Black/pinto/ kidney beans
1 cup
3-4 cups
1-2 hours
1 hour
Split peas
1 cup
2 cups
1 hour
1 hour
White beans
1 cup
3-4 cups
1-2 hours
1 hour
Black-eyed peas
1 cup
3-4 cups
1-2 hours
1 hour
Brown/green/ red lentils
1 cup
2-3 cups
1 hour
30 min - 1 hour
Petite French lentils
1 cup
3 cups
1 hour
30 min - 1 hour
•
Place the drained, pre-soaked beans or lentil into clay pot and cover with fresh water as noted
above. Ensure beans are covered by about 1” of water.
•
Add 1 to 2 Tablespoons oil (to prevent boiling over) and seasonings as desired.
•
Press the
Slow Cooking key to select the stew or soup mode
on the control panel and use
the Timer key to set desired time.
•
Check every 30 minutes as cooking time will vary depending on the bean variety. Some beans
will take just an hour and some 2 hours. Lentils can take under an hour or more if you like them
very soft.
•
Test to ensure they are soft and thoroughly cooked.
•
After the cooking cycle completed, the Cooker
will switch to “Warm” mode.
•
The best rule for the first time of cooking is to check halfway cooking to see if the beans are
covered with the cooking liquid during cooking. This allow you to know how much water and
time is required for your bean variety and taste.
Use the
“VitaClay Cooking Charts for VM7900 & VF7700” for first-time cooking. After
that, reduce or add liquid amount and cooking time as needed based on your results and
preferences.