The beauty of slow cooker or crock pot cooking rests in the versatility and flexibility the process provides for a time stressed cook. When a meal can be cooked up in and then served from one pot after limited preparation, the time saved by not having to start a meal, juggle pots, pans and serving dishes is obvious. Just coming through the door to the sight and smells of a meal already prepared and ready to go on the table, is a major stress reliever.
The size of your slow cooker is the first thing you want to consider if you have never had one before. Salsas, dips and appetizers are often cooked in the smaller versions; say a 16-ounce cooker. This is plenty big enough to create a meal for one or a handy side dish for a potluck brunch. On the other hand, if you will be feeding a family the size of a small army you will need at least a 5-quart model and maybe a 7-quart unit. How and what you cook is part of the considerations on size as well. For instance if you are thinking about cooking some baby back ribs until they fall off the bone you will need to find the biggest slow cooker available.
How much temperature control would you like to have on your slow cooker? This is another important question to ask, you may want to be able to set a specific temperature for cooking meals or simply go with a push button model that has high, med or low settings. A good cooking tip to keep in mind is to check the lid when cooking on low settings; a loose lid can drop the temperature inside the cooker to unsafe levels. There are also heating element issues to think about, crock pots are like any other cooking device different models have different options, some will have heating elements in the bottom, sides or both so you need to consider this carefully. Remember a slow cooker that heats on the sides will require more liquid to prevent drying out meals with long cooking times.
Are you an experimental type chef? When you get in the kitchen and go to town, experimenting with food a crock-pot or slow cooker offers a multitude of possibilities and even a little fun. The best thing of all about this type of cooker is you will be able to choose cheaper cuts of meat without sacrificing tenderness. Slow, long cooking times render tender pieces of meat in which the fat has fallen off or can be simply removed.
There are some definite dos and do nots for using a slow cooker. Make sure you read all the cooking tips for your unit before you begin. One of the most common issues with a crock-pot is remembering some meals need to cook in stages. Beef stew is a primary example of this rule. With this recipe, you always want to cook your meat for a few hours before adding your veggies. After the meat has cooked awhile, you can add firm vegetables and then just before the meal is done you add your soft veggies. If you added all ingredients at the same time, you would have a fine mess on your hands and likely a lot of dog food as well. A good rule of thumb for spices is to add them first, then meat, firm vegetables, soft vegetables and finally frozen seafood and vegetables. Remember not to stir the meal often either as this breaks apart your ingredients.
You might be surprised to find that you can make tasty homemade desserts or breads in your crock-pot as well. That being said you would have to take a few extra precautions with these types of recipes. Especially if you plan to leave, the concoction unattended whiles you run errands or work. An over whipped or beaten dessert can create quite the mess if they raise high enough to push the lid off the crock. After a long day at work, this is the last thing you want to deal with.
Your menu will never be dull again when you have a crock-pot at your disposal. Create complex meals like spicy paella, simple dips such as a cream cheese layer and all time favorites like pot roast with all the trimmings. When the holidays roll around you can put your cooking tips to good use and keep many side dishes nice and warm. This is possibly the most versatile cooking tool you could ever have and it will definitely take the stress out of your life.
The size of your slow cooker is the first thing you want to consider if you have never had one before. Salsas, dips and appetizers are often cooked in the smaller versions; say a 16-ounce cooker. This is plenty big enough to create a meal for one or a handy side dish for a potluck brunch. On the other hand, if you will be feeding a family the size of a small army you will need at least a 5-quart model and maybe a 7-quart unit. How and what you cook is part of the considerations on size as well. For instance if you are thinking about cooking some baby back ribs until they fall off the bone you will need to find the biggest slow cooker available.
How much temperature control would you like to have on your slow cooker? This is another important question to ask, you may want to be able to set a specific temperature for cooking meals or simply go with a push button model that has high, med or low settings. A good cooking tip to keep in mind is to check the lid when cooking on low settings; a loose lid can drop the temperature inside the cooker to unsafe levels. There are also heating element issues to think about, crock pots are like any other cooking device different models have different options, some will have heating elements in the bottom, sides or both so you need to consider this carefully. Remember a slow cooker that heats on the sides will require more liquid to prevent drying out meals with long cooking times.
Are you an experimental type chef? When you get in the kitchen and go to town, experimenting with food a crock-pot or slow cooker offers a multitude of possibilities and even a little fun. The best thing of all about this type of cooker is you will be able to choose cheaper cuts of meat without sacrificing tenderness. Slow, long cooking times render tender pieces of meat in which the fat has fallen off or can be simply removed.
There are some definite dos and do nots for using a slow cooker. Make sure you read all the cooking tips for your unit before you begin. One of the most common issues with a crock-pot is remembering some meals need to cook in stages. Beef stew is a primary example of this rule. With this recipe, you always want to cook your meat for a few hours before adding your veggies. After the meat has cooked awhile, you can add firm vegetables and then just before the meal is done you add your soft veggies. If you added all ingredients at the same time, you would have a fine mess on your hands and likely a lot of dog food as well. A good rule of thumb for spices is to add them first, then meat, firm vegetables, soft vegetables and finally frozen seafood and vegetables. Remember not to stir the meal often either as this breaks apart your ingredients.
You might be surprised to find that you can make tasty homemade desserts or breads in your crock-pot as well. That being said you would have to take a few extra precautions with these types of recipes. Especially if you plan to leave, the concoction unattended whiles you run errands or work. An over whipped or beaten dessert can create quite the mess if they raise high enough to push the lid off the crock. After a long day at work, this is the last thing you want to deal with.
Your menu will never be dull again when you have a crock-pot at your disposal. Create complex meals like spicy paella, simple dips such as a cream cheese layer and all time favorites like pot roast with all the trimmings. When the holidays roll around you can put your cooking tips to good use and keep many side dishes nice and warm. This is possibly the most versatile cooking tool you could ever have and it will definitely take the stress out of your life.
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Discover eight additional tips on how you can save a bundle of money on your cooking equipment. Tap into Charles Carr's extensive cooking experience as a home cook, and what he has learn from a few master chefs by getting his free limited special report Master Chef Secrets. For more great tips click cooking tips.
