Hamilton Beach 840105900 quick start Removing Cover and Crock, Tips for Slow Cooking

840105900 Ev06 2/17/03 1:56 PM Page 8

Removing Cover and Crock

When removing the Cover, tilt so that the opening faces away from you to avoid being burned by steam.

The sides of the Base of the slow cooker get very warm because the heating elements are located here. Use the handles on the Base if necessary. Use hot mitts to remove the Crock.

Tips for Slow Cooking

The Cover of the slow cooker does not form a tight fit on the Crock but should be centered on the Crock for best results. Do not remove the Cover unnecessarily— this results in major heat loss. Do not cook without Cover in place.

Stirring is not necessary when slow cooking. However, if cooking on High, you may want to stir occasionally.

Slow cooking retains most of the moisture in foods. If a recipe results in too much liquid at the end of the cooking time, remove the Cover, press the Mode button until the High heat setting is selected, and reduce the liq- uid by simmering. This will take 30 to 45 minutes.

The slow cooker should be at least half-filledfor best results. If only half- filled, check for doneness 1 to 2 hours earlier than recipe time.

If cooking soups or stews, leave a

2-inch space between the top of the Crock 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 the Crock, cover and refrigerate overnight. In the morning, simply place Crock

in the slow cooker and select the temperature setting. See “To Program Your Slow Cooker” for information on how to select Heat and Time settings.

Meat and poultry require at least 7 to 8 hours on Low. Do not use frozen uncooked meat in the slow cooker. Thaw any meat or poultry before slow cooking.

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