Morphy Richards SC48696 manual Handling the Glass Lid Cooking Pot, Foods for slow cooking

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Handling the Glass Lid and

Cooking Pot

•When removing the Glass Lid (2), tilt it so that the opening faces away from you to avoid being burnt by the released steam.

•The Handle (1), Glass Lid (2), Base Unit (5) and Cooking Pot (3), all become hot during cooking.

Always use oven gloves when handling ANY part of the Slow Cooker during cooking.

Foods for slow cooking

Most foods are suited to slow cooking methods, however there are a few guidelines that need to be followed;

•Ensure all frozen ingredients are thoroughly thawed prior to cooking.

•Cut root vegetables into small, even pieces, as they take longer to cook than meat. Ensure that root vegetables are always placed at the bottom of the Cooking Pot (3) and all ingredients are immersed in the cooking liquid.

•Trim all excess fat from meat before cooking as the slow cooking method does not allow fat to evaporate.

• If adapting an existing recipe from conventional cooking, you may need to reduce the amount of liquid used. Liquid will not evaporate from the Slow Cooker to the same extent as conventional cooking.

•Never leave uncooked food at room temperature in the Slow Cooker.

•Do not use the Slow Cooker to reheat food.

•Uncooked kidney beans must be soaked overnight and boiled for at least 10 minutes to remove toxins before use in a Slow Cooker.

•Insert a meat thermometer into joints of meat, hams or whole chickens to ensure they are cooked to the desired temperature.

•WARNING: Do not use the Slow Cooker to reheat food.

Slow cooking tips

•The Slow Cooker must be at least half full for best results.

•Slow cooking retains moisture. If you wish to reduce liquid, remove the lid after cooking and turn the control to High. Reduce the moisture by simmering for 30 to 45 minutes.

•If cooking soups, leave 5cm gap from the rim of the Cooking Pot (3) to allow for simmering.

•Removing the Glass Lid (2) will allow heat to escape, reducing the efficiency of your Slow Cooker and increasing the cooking time. If you remove the lid to stir or add ingredients, you will need to allow 10-15 minutes extra cooking time for each time you remove the Glass Lid.

•Many things can affect how quickly a recipe will cook, including water and fat content, initial temperature of the food and the size of the food. Check food is properly cooked before serving.

•Many recipes will take several hours to cook. If you don’t have time to prepare food in the morning, prepare it the night before, storing the food in a covered container in the fridge. Transfer the food to the Cooking Pot and add boiling liquid/stock. In most of the recipes in this book, the meat ingredients are browned by searing in a pan to improve their appearance and flavour.

•If you are short on preparation time and would prefer to skip the searing stage, simply add your meat and other ingredients into the Slow Cooker and cover with boiling liquid/stock.You will need to increase the recipe cooking time as follows: High setting +1hr and Low Setting +2-3hrs.

•Most meat and vegetable recipes require 8-10 hours on the Low setting and 4-6 hours on the High setting.

•Some ingredients are not suitable for slow cooking. Pasta, seafood, milk and cream should be added towards the end of the cooking time.

•Food cut into small pieces will cook quicker. A degree of ‘trial and error’ will be required to fully optimise the potential of your Slow Cooker.

•All food should 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 Cooking Pot (3).

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