A guide to slow cooking.
Low heat setting.
The Low heat setting provides controlled heat for gentle slow cooking of food.
This setting is ideally used if you would like meals to be ready after an extended period of time.
High heat setting.
One hour on high is equivalent to about 21/2 hours on low.
When baking, cooking dried beans or pulses and soups, the high setting must be used. Cooking times can be adapted as a recipe can be started on High for the first 2 hours and then turned to Low for the remainder of the time.
Timing.
All recipes indicate whether to use the Low or High settings, with a suggested variation in cooking times.
On the Low setting, timing is not critical, making it almost impossible to overcook food in the Slow Cooker.
A couple of extra hours will not ruin the food because of the slow cooking process.
Lifting the lid.
The temperatures in the Slow Cooker build up slowly, therefore avoid lifting the lid whilst cooking.
Constant removal of the lid will result in a loss of heat and moisture extending cooking time.
Note: Each time the lid is lifted, extend cooking time by 30 minutes.
Stirring.
Stirring food is seldom necessary. The internal heating element will heat the food evenly and prevent food from sticking to the base.
Pre-heating.
It is essential to
Important: DO NOT PLACE FROZEN FOOD INTO A HEATED SLOW COOKER - as this may damage the
Pre-browning.
To seal in flavours and juices, it is recommended to
Fat cuts of meat and mince should be pre- browned and drained thoroughly to remove any excess fat.
Roasting.
Roasting in a Slow Cooker is the process whereby meat cooks slowly in the moist heat of a closed casserole.
Cheaper cuts of meat are especially suitable for roasting as the slow cooking process breaks down the tough muscle in meats. If you want to keep meat out of the juice and allow for fat drainage when roasting, place the meat on a wire rack.
When roasting whole pieces of lamb, beef or chicken, liquid is not required.
Pot roasts, corned meats etc. need to be barely covered with liquid.
Oven bags can be used when roasting lamb, beef and chicken.
Liquid.
The lid will stop steam from escaping, so it is normal for at least one cup of liquid to form in the Slow Cooker.
In most recipes additional liquid is not needed, however an extra cup of liquid may be added if desired.
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