Morphy Richards 48795 manual Tips for slow cooking, Cooking Guide, MUK Rev1 4/6/08 1511 Page

48795 MUK Rev1 4/6/08 15:11 Page 5

Tips for slow cooking

• The slow cooker must be at
least half full for best results.
• Slow cooking retains moisture.
If you wish to reduce this,
remove the lid after cooking and
turn the control to	(HIGH), if
set to (LOW) or	(MEDIUM),
and reduce the moisture by
simmering for 30-45 minutes.
• Removing the lid will allow
valuable heat to escape,
reducing the efficiency of your
slow cooker and increasing the
cooking time. If you remove the
lid more than a couple of times
to stir or add ingredients, then
you will need to allow 10-15
minutes extra cooking time
each time you remove the lid.
• If cooking soups, leave 5 cm
space between the top of the
ceramic pot and the food
surface to allow for simmering.
• Many recipes will take several
hours to cook. If you don’t have
time to prepare food in the
morning, prepare it the night
before, storing the food in a
covered container in the fridge.
Transfer the food to the ceramic
pot and add boiling
liquid/stock.
• In most of the recipes in this
book, the meat ingredients are
browned first to improve their
appearance and flavour. If you
are short on preparation time
and would prefer to skip the
browning stage, simply add
your meat and other ingredients
into the slow cooker and cover
with boiling liquid/stock. You will
need to increase the recipe
cooking time as follows:
(HIGH) setting +1 hour,
(MEDIUM) setting +1-2 hours,
(LOW) Setting +2-3 hours.
• Most meat and vegetable
recipes require:

• Do not use frozen meat or		• When cooking joints of meat,
poultry unless it is thoroughly			ham, poultry etc, the size and
thawed out first.			shape of the joint is important.
			Try to keep the joint in the
• Some ingredients are not			lower 2/3 of the ceramic pot
suitable for slow cooking.			and fully cover with water. If
Pasta, seafood, milk, and			necessary, cut into two pieces.
cream should be added			Joint weight should be kept
towards the end of the cooking			within the maximum limit of
time. Many things can affect			1.5kg for this slow cooker.
how quickly a recipe will cook:
water and fat content, initial			COOKING GUIDE
temperature of the food and
the size of the food.			The cooking times given in the
• Pieces of food cut into small			following recipes are for the
pieces will cook quicker.			(MEDIUM) setting. Should
A degree of ‘trial and error’ will			you want to increase or reduce
be required to fully optimise			the time, please refer to the
the potential of your slow			cooking guide in the table
cooker.			below A. Please note that
			these cooking times are for
• Vegetables usually take longer			guidance only and may vary
to cook than meat, so try and			depending on food type and
arrange vegetables in the			personal tastes. For your
lower half of the ceramic pot.			convenience, a conversion
			table for weight and volume
• After food is cooked, switch to			has been included on page 19.
the	(OFF) position and		Eg. If the recipe says cook for
leave covered with the lid.
There will be enough heat in			4 - 6 hours	(MEDIUM), and
the ceramic pot to keep warm			you require this to be shorter,
for 30 minutes. If you require			cook on	(HIGH), which will
longer to keep warm, switch to			reduce the cooking time to
the	(LOW) setting.		3 - 4 hours. Alternatively, if you
			wish to increase the time,
• All food should be covered			choose (LOW) which will
with a liquid, gravy or sauce. In			increase the cooking time to
a separate pan or jug, prepare			6 - 8 hours.
your liquid, gravy or sauce and			The recipes are based on
completely cover the food in
the ceramic pot.			MAXIMUM WORKING
• Pre-brown meat and onions in			VOLUMES.
			This 6.5 litre slow cooker has a
a pan to seal in the juices, this
also reduces the fat content if			working capacity of 41/2 litres /
separated before adding to the			8 pts. This allows a 3cm space
ceramic pot. This is not			between the top of the
necessary if the time is limited,			ceramic pot and the food.
but improves the flavour.

A Equivalent cook times for (LOW) and (HIGH) settings

8 - 10 hours on	(LOW),
5-7 hours on	(MEDIUM),
and 4-6 hours on (HIGH).

Cook on (MEDIUM)

4 - 6 hours

6 - 8 hours

8 - 10 hours

Cook on (LOW)

6 - 8 hours

8 - 10 hours

10 - 12 hours

Cook on (HIGH)

3 - 4 hours

5 - 6 hours

7 - 8 hours

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