Breville SLC80 manual Beginners guide to slow cooking

A beginners guide to slow cooking

In years gone by, food cooked in large pots and allowed to simmer for hours was full of flavour, moist and tender. The Breville Avance Programmable Meal Maker is designed to produce these same results, whilst leaving you the time to do other things, making it perfect for today’s busy lifestyles.

Here is a guide to help simplify the process of slow cooking, allowing you to obtain maximum satisfaction from your Meal Maker:

It’s all in the timing

Always allow sufficient time for the food to cook.

It is almost impossible to overcook in the Meal Maker particularly when using the Low setting.

Most of the recipes contained within this book can be cooked on the High or Low setting, however the cooking times will vary accordingly. Each recipe will give specific instructions indicating the appropriate setting and suggested cooking times.

Adapting cooking times

Your favourite traditional recipes can be adapted easily by halving the amount of liquid and increasing the cooking time considerably. The following is a guide to adjusting your favourite recipes:

Traditional recipe time	Meal Maker recipe time
15-30 minutes	4-6 hours on Low setting
60 minutes	6-8 hours on Low setting
1-3 hours	8-12 hours on Low setting

These times are approximate. Times can vary depending on ingredients and quantities in recipes.

Reducing Quantities

Recipes in this instruction booklet have been developed to take full advantage of the large 4.2 litre capacity of the Meal Maker. Quantities can be reduced but the removable crockery bowl should not be less than half full. Cooking times should be recalculated and changed accordingly.

High humidity, altitude, cold tap water and ingredients and minor fluctuations may slightly affect the cooking times in the Meal Maker.

That’s the idea

Adapting liquid amounts

When food is cooking in your Meal Maker, most moisture is retained. To allow for this when using traditional recipes it is advisable to halve the liquid content.

However, after cooking if the liquid quantity is excessive, remove the lid and operate the Meal Maker on the High setting for 30-45 minutes or until the liquid reduces by the desired amount. Alternatively, the liquid can be thickened by adding a mixture of cornflour and water.

Stirring the food

Little or no stirring is required when using the Low setting. However, occasionally stirring the food when using the High setting ensures even flavour distribution.

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 from the fat.

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	Diced leg, shoulder/forequarter chops
	and steaks, neck chops, knuckle
	(Osso Bucco).
Pork	Leg steaks, diced belly, diced shoulder,
	boneless loin chops.
Poultry	Skinless pieces (legs, thighs, Maryland).

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. Whole chickens roasted by this method will release a large amount of fat and liquid.

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	Blade, rump, rib roast, sirloin,
	fresh silverside, topside.
Lamb	Leg, mid loin, rack, crown roast,
	shank, shoulder, mini roasts.
Veal	Leg, loin, rack, shoulder/forequarter.
Pork	Loin, neck, leg (remove skin and fat),
	racks.

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