Calphalon 1779208 manual Slow Cooking Tips, Suggested Settings

12

Slow Cooking Tips:

•When using traditional recipes for the slow cooker, reduce the liquid by about one-half, unless making soup or long grain rice.

•If you lift the glass cover at the end of the cooking time and discover there is too much liquid that has accumulated during cooking, remove the cover. Set the slow cooker on High for about 30 minutes and some of the liquid will evaporate.

•Cut vegetables into approximately 1-inch pieces so that they are bite-sized and cook evenly.

•Reserve tender vegetables (such as broccoli and asparagus), pasta, and quick-cooking rice (parboiled), and add during the final 30 minutes of cooking time.

•Dairy products tend to break down when using a long cooking process. It’s best stir them in about 30 minutes before the end of the cooking time.

•Seafood should be added during the last hour to avoid overcooking.

•Brown meats, including ground meat, before slow cooking for added flavor. And, slice larger cuts of meat (such as pot roast) into pieces before placing in slow cooker.

•When slow cooking a roast, add approximately 1 cup of liquid (i.e., beef or vegetable broth or stock) to the ceramic crock for a 2½ to 3lb. roast.

•The temperature, size and density of ingredients will affect cooking times. Check cooked foods with a meat thermometer, if possible, to make sure they reach an internal temperature of at least 160˚F.

Tip

Remember to keep the glass cover in place while slow cooking. Each time the glass cover is removed, the crock temperature drops by about 10 –15 degrees. This drop in temperature may require that you extend the cooking time by 20 minutes or more.

Suggested Settings

The following chart is meant to serve as a general guide for choosing appropriate slow cooker times and temperatures. Experiment with your favorite foods and recipes to determine ideal cooking cycles.

	Suggested Cooking Cycle
Food	Choose ONE of the settings below
	to determine your cook time
	HIGH	LOW	AUTO
Barbeque Ribs	4 hours	8 hours	6 hours
Pot Roast	4 – 5	8 – 10	6 – 8
	hours	hours	hours
Soup, Stew or Chili	4 – 5	8 – 10	6 – 8
	hours	hours	hours
Pork Chops	3 hours	6 hours	4 hours
Barbeque Chicken Wings	2 hours	4 hours
(browned), in sauce
Cocktail Meatballs	1 hour
(cooked), in sauce

13