Hints and Tips continued
Slow Cooked Roasts
•You can roast a whole chicken as well as whole pieces of meat, such as lamb, beef, veal and pork by using the Slow Cook menu.
•Roasts can be cooked without the addition of liquid as they will release juices while cooking. These juices are great to make sauces and gravies.
•Roasting in the Slow Cooker will not brown your meat or chicken, as roasting in an oven does. If you want your roast to be golden, we recommend browning the meat first for a few minutes in a frypan to sear the meat, and then slow cook.
•Approximate cooking times for well done: LOW 2 hours per 500g
HIGH 1 hour per 500g
Note: Unlike roasting in your oven, meat cooked to well done in the slow cooker will still be very tender.
Slow Cooked Roast Chicken
•Wash the chicken in cold running water and pat dry with an absorbent paper towel. Rub with a little olive oil and season all over with salt and pepper (or any other spices you wish). Using a frypan, brown the chicken for a few minutes on each side until golden, then slow cook.
Note: Ensure chicken is cooked all the way through by inserting a skewer or knife into the meatiest part of the chicken. The juices will be clear when the chicken is cooked through. If the juices are pink, a little more cooking is required.
Slow Cooked Stocks
•With your Sunbeam Duos you can easily make stocks. Many slow cooker recipes use stock as part of the ingredients. A good stock is also the base of a great soup. Stocks can be bought at supermarkets; however, nothing beats the flavour of a homemade stock.
•Making your own stock is a great way to use up bones or carcasses that would normally be thrown away.
•There is no need to peel your vegetables when making a stock. Just ensure you wash them well before use.
•Fresh made stock will keep in the refrigerator for up to 4 days, but can be frozen for up to 3 months.
•Always label and date your stock before storing. It’s a good idea to freeze stock in portioned sizes. So for example if you generally use stocks in stews, casseroles, curries etc, then freeze your stock in 1 cup portions. If you tend to use your stock more for gravies and sauces, then freeze it in smaller ¼ cup portions or even in ice cube trays, so that you don’t need to defrost large quantities at a time.
•To remove the excess fat, place the stock
in the fridge overnight, then skim the solidified fat from the surface.
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