Breville BSC400 manual Beginner’s guide

A beginner’s guide continued

Preparing meat and poultry

Select the leanest cuts when purchasing meat. Trim the meat or poultry of any visible fat. If possible, purchase chicken portions without the skin. Otherwise, the slow cooking process will result in extra liquid being formed from the fat as it melts. For casserole-type recipes, cut the meat into cubes, approximately 2.5cm to 3cm. Slow cooking allows less tender cuts of meat to be used.

Suitable meat cuts for slow cooking

Beef	Beef Chuck, Skirt, Round Steak,
	Boneless Shin (Gravy) Beef,
	Bone-In Shin (Osso Bucco).
Lamb	Lamb Shanks, Drumsticks
	(Frenched Shanks) Neck Chops,
	Best Neck Chops, Boned Out
	Forequarter or Shoulder.
Veal	Veal Diced Leg,
	Shoulder/Forequarter Chops
	and Steaks, Neck Chops,
	Knuckle (Osso Bucco).
Pork	Pork Leg Steaks, Diced Belly,
	Diced Shoulder, Boneless
	Loin Chops.

Browning before slow cooking

Pre-browning meat and poultry, prior to slow cooking, seals in the moisture, intensifies the flavour and provides more tender results, whilst producing richer flavours in other food, such as onions, capsicums and leeks. Pre-browning may take a little extra time, and whilst not strictly necessary, the rewards are evident in the end results. Use a non-stick pan to reduce the amount of oil required.

Roasting

Roasting meats in the Meal Maker creates tender, flavoursome results that are easy to slice. The long, slow, covered cooking process breaks down and softens the connective and muscle tissue within the meat. Cheaper cuts of meat can be used to provide perfect results cooked by this method. Meat will not brown during the roasting process, so for browner results seal in a frypan before roasting. The addition of liquid is not required for roasting. Elevate the meat to be roasted on an inverted, heatproof saucer or plate. This will assist in keeping the surface of the meat dry and free from any fat released throughout the cooking process.

Suitable cuts for roasting

Beef	Beef Blade, Rump, Rib Roast,
	Sirloin, Fresh Silverside, Topside.
Lamb	Lamb Leg, Mid Loin, Rack,
	Crown Roast, Shank, Shoulder,
	Mini Roasts.
Veal	Veal Leg, Loin, Rack,
	Shoulder/Forequarter.
Pork	Pork Loin, Neck, Leg. Remove
	Skin and Fat, Racks.

Pot roasting

The addition of liquid is required for pot roasting. Place sufficient liquid into the removable crockery bowl to cover up to a third of the meat. Meat will not brown during the pot roasting process. For browner results, seal in a frypan before pot roasting.

A beginner’s guide continued

Suitable cuts for pot roasting

Beef	Beef Topside, Blade, Silverside
	Roasts, Roller Brisket.
Lamb	Forequater, Shank, Shoulder.
Veal	Shoulder/Forequarter.
Pork	Loin, Neck.

Preparing vegetables

Vegetables should be cut into even-sized pieces to ensure more even cooking. Frozen vegetables must be thawed before adding to other foods cooking in the Meal Maker.

Preparing dried beans and pulses

If time permits, overnight soaking of dried beans and pulses is preferable. After soaking, drain and place in the Meal Maker and cover with sufficient water to reach double their volume. Cook beans on the High Setting for 2-4 hours or until tender. Pre-soaked beans and pulses will cook a little faster.

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