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GUIDE TO ADAPTING YOUR OWN RECIPES
This guide is designed to help you adapt recipes to the slow cooker — your own favorites and prized recipes collected from friends, food companies, newspapers and magazines. Our aim is to save preparation time with fewer steps and dishes…and to keep cooking simple. In most cases, all ingredients can go into your slow cooker in the beginning and can cook all day. Many preparatory steps are unnecessary when using the slow cooker. A few hints:
•Allow sufficient cooking time.
•Cook with Lid on.
•Do not add as much water as some recipes indicate.
•Remember — liquids don’t “boil away” as in conventional cooking. Usually you’ll have more liquid at the end of cooking instead of less.
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•Vegetables do not overcook as they do when boiled in your oven or on your range. Therefore, everything can go into the slow cooker at one time. EXCEPTION: milk, sour cream or cream should be added during last hour.
TIME GUIDE
IF RECIPE | COOK ON LOW | OR COOK ON HIGH |
FOR OVEN SAYS: | IN SLOW COOKER: | IN SLOW COOKER: |
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|
|
15 to 30 minutes | 4 to 6 hours | 11⁄2 to 2 hours |
35 to 45 minutes | 6 to 10 hours | 3 to 4 hours |
50 minutes to 3 hours | 8 to 18 hours | 4 to 6 hours |
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|
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Most uncooked meat and vegetable combinations will require at least 8 hours on LOW ( I ).
HINTS AND TIPS
PASTA AND RICE
•If you are converting a recipe that calls for uncooked noodles, macaroni, or pasta, cook them on the stovetop just until slightly tender before adding to slow cooker.
•If you are converting a recipe that calls for cooked rice, stir in raw rice with other ingredients; add 1/4 cup extra liquid per 1/4 cup of raw rice. Use long grain converted rice for best results in
BEANS
•Beans must be softened completely before combining with sugar and/or acidic foods. Sugar and acid have a hardening effect on beans and will prevent softening.
•Dried beans, especially red kidney beans, should be boiled before adding to a recipe. Cover the beans with three times their volume of unsalted water and bring to a boil. Boil 10 minutes, reduce heat, cover and allow to simmer 11/2 hours or until beans are tender. Soaking in water, if desired, should be completed before boiling. Discard water after soaking or boiling.
•Fully cooked canned beans may be used as a substitute for dried beans.
VEGETABLES
•Many vegetables benefit from slow cook times and low temperatures and are able to develop their full flavor. They tend not to overcook in your slow cooker as they might in your oven or on your stovetop.
•When cooking recipes with vegetables and meat, place vegetables in slow cooker before meat. Vegetables usually cook slower than meat in the slow cooker.
•Place vegetables near the sides or bottom of the stoneware to facilitate cooking. Stir in chopped or sliced vegetables with other ingredients.
•Because eggplant has a very strong flavor, you should parboil or sauté the eggplant before adding it to the slow cooker.
