Since having my daughter, I have had to consider ways to carve out more time into my day. The slow cooker is a great way to prepare meals for your family without sacrificing time or your families health. Often times, I hear friends and family say, “I don’t have time to cook. It is much easier to just pick something up.” Don’t sacrifice your family’s health.
Although our weather has been up and down, there is something about cold weather that makes us long for a warm meal waiting for us as we come in the door at night. Slow cookers are a great way to enjoy family favorites without a lot of hassle. The following tips really make a difference and will convince you to get that pot out and get cooking.
• Have an older slow cooker with a nonremovable liner? Use a cooking bag to line the pot for quick and easy cleanup.
• To make cleanup easier, spray liner with nonstick spray before adding any food or liquid.
• Slow cookers work best when they are half to three-fourths full. If you fill a pot to the brim, it can’t regulate the heating of the food correctly. Likewise, less than half full will cause food to overcook.
• One hour on a high setting is equal to two hours on the low setting.
• A high setting is equal to 300 degrees, and the low setting is equal to 200 degrees.
• Want to convert a conventional oven recipe to the slow cooker?
If the conventional recipe says to cook 15 to 30 minutes, cook for four to six hours on the slow cooker’s low setting or cook for one and a half to two hours on high.
If the conventional recipe says to cook 30 to 45 minutes, cook six to 10 hours on low or three to four hours on high.
If the conventional recipe says to cook 45 minutes to 3 hours, slow cook for eight to 18 hours on low or four to six hours on high.
• Each time you lift the lid, you increase the needed cooking time by 20 minutes. Check progress without lifting the lid, if possible. Spin the cover until the condensation falls off to make it easier to see inside.
• For food safety purposes, you want to get the food inside the slow cooker to 140 degrees as quickly as possible (this reduces the chance of bacterial contamination), so use the high setting the first hour, then switch to the low setting to finish cooking.
• Start with thawed foods, because frozen foods take too long to get to 140 degrees. The extreme temperature difference between frozen food and the slow cooker can cause breakage. If you have to use a frozen cut of meat, add a cup of warm water to the pot, then place the meat in the pot.
• If you have a removable Crock-Pot liner, don’t store the food you’ve cooked in the slow cooker in the same liner. The removable liner is made from a thick insulated material and the food won’t cool quickly enough to prevent bacterial growth.
• Dense veggies like potatoes, carrots and other root vegetables take the longest to cook, so place them on the bottom and cut pieces no thicker than an inch.
• Tender veggies like tomatoes, mushrooms, zucchini and squash overcook easily, so add them during the last two hours of cooking time.
• Anything high in fat cooks quickly, so place meats on top of vegetables when loading the slow cooker.
• Browning meat before adding it to the slow cooker reduces fat and enhances flavor and color. Fats melt with long cooking times and can produce an unpleasant flavor.
• Fish and seafood cook quickly, so add them late in cooking.
• Soak dried beans overnight before cooking.
• Milk curdles during long cooking times, so add sour cream or cream late in cooking.
• Condensed cream soups are a good substitute for milk, and they don’t break down during long cooking times.
• Ground herbs and spices tend to lose their flavor, and cayenne pepper and Tabasco sauce tend to become bitter after long cooking times, so add late in cooking.
Try out these great breakfast recipes in your slow cooker.
HOLIDAY BREAKFAST CASSEROLE
32 ounce bag frozen hash brown potatoes
1 pound cooked ham, cubed
1 onion, chopped
1 green bell pepper, chopped
1 tablespoon olive oil
1½ cups shredded cheddar cheese
12 eggs
1 cup whole milk
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon pepper
Spray inside of slow cooker with nonstick cooking spray or use cooking bag. In small skillet, cook onion and green pepper in olive oil until crisp tender.
Let cool about 10 minutes. Place one-third of the frozen hash brown potatoes in the slow cooker. Add one third of the ham, onion, green pepper and cheese. Repeat layers, ending with the cheese. In a large bowl, beat the eggs, milk and seasonings until well mixed. Pour over the ingredients in the slow cooker, cover and turn on low. Cook for 10 to 12 hours, until casserole is set and eggs are thoroughly cooked. This serves 12.
Variations: Try Canadian bacon instead of ham. Use Havarti or Swiss cheeses instead of cheddar. Add some minced jalapeno peppers if you like hot foods.
BREAKFAST APPLE COBBLER
8 medium tart apples, peeled and sliced
1½ cups sugar
1 lemon (juice and rind of)
1 dash cinnamon
1½ cups granola fruit and nut cereal
½ cup melted butter
Spray the inside of slow cooker with nonstick cooking spray or use cooking bag. Place apples in slow cooker. Add sugar, lemon rind and juice, and mix well. Mix cereal with butter, and add to slow cooker. Mix well. Cook covered on low for six to eight hours. Serve hot with cream or vanilla yogurt.
• Jennifer Russell is an area child and family development agent for the Mississippi State University Extension Service. You may contact her at 453-6803 or jtb20@ext.msstate.edu.
