Tips for Slow Cooking, Food Safety Tips

Tips for Slow Cooking

•The stovetop-safe cookware should be at least half-filled for best results. If only half-filled, check for doneness 1 to 2 hours earlier than recipe time.

•Stirring is not necessary when slow cooking. Removing glass lid results in major heat loss and the cooking time may need to be extended. However, if cooking on HIGH, you may want to stir occasionally.

•If cooking soups or stews, leave a 2-inch (5-cm) space between the top of the stovetop-safe cookware and the food so that the recipe can come to a simmer.

•Many recipes call for cooking all day. If your morning schedule doesn’t allow time to prepare a recipe, do it the night before. Place all ingredients in stovetop-safe cookware, cover with lid, and refrigerate overnight. In the morning, simply place stovetop-safe cookware in slow cooker.

•Some foods are not suited for extended cooking in a slow cooker. Pasta, seafood, milk, cream, or sour cream should be added 2 hours before serving. Evaporated milk or condensed soups are perfect for slow cooking.

•The higher the fat content of meat, the less liquid is needed. If cooking meat with a high fat content, place thick onion slices underneath so meat will not sit on (and cook in) fat.

•Slow cookers allow for very little evaporation. If making your favorite soup, stew, or sauce, reduce liquid called for in original recipe. If too thick, liquid can be added later.

•If cooking a vegetable-type casserole, there will need to be liquid in the recipe to prevent scorching on the sides of stovetop-safe cookware.

•If cooking a recipe with root vegetables, place root vegetables in the bottom of the stovetop-safe cookware.

Food Safety Tips

•Do not use frozen, uncooked meat in the slow cooker. Thaw any meat or poultry before slow cooking.

•Visit www.foodsafety.gov for more information on safe internal cooking temperatures.

•To store leftovers after cooking, do NOT place the stovetop-safe cookware in the refrigerator since contents will take too long to cool. Instead, divide leftovers into smaller containers and place into refrigerator.

•Never allow undercooked or raw meat to sit at room temperature in the slow cooker. Once meat is placed into the stovetop-safe cookware, it should be cooked immediately (unless prepping slow cooker the night before, where stovetop-safe cookware should be placed into the refrigerator).

IF YOU LIVE IN A HIGH-ALTITUDE AREA:

The Extension service will have detailed information about cooking for your area. To locate the Cooperative Extension service in your county, please visit: http://www.csrees.usda.gov/Extension/.

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