The Secret to Crock Pot Cooking
September 12, 2011, By Kurt D. Moore 0 comments
Slow-cooker cooking is the ideal companion to a busy schedule. In a Crock-Pot, or slow cooker, food won't overcook or burn. That means you don't have to constantly watch it. It's also a good way to tenderize less expensive cuts of meat such as shoulder, round and chuck, which may be tougher.
A Crock-Pot is up to the task of making a variety of food, including meat, pasta, rice dishes and even bread. Most slow cookers have two settings, low and high. The low setting is around 200 degrees, and the high setting is around 300 degrees. The long cooking time and the steam created within the pot is enough to kill bacteria.
It's important to make sure the food reaches 140 degrees or higher within four hours. One way to do this is to fill the pot half or two-thirds full with water, heat on low for eight hours and check the water temperature to see if it's at least 185 degrees.
Other precautions: You can also preheat the cooker, making sure meat and poultry are completely thawed before placing them in a slow cooker, and cutting up roasts and chicken into smaller pieces. The slow cooker should be no less than half full and no more than two-thirds full.
It typically takes a slow cooker seven to eight hours on low and three to four hours on high to reach the simmer point of 209 degrees. A beef roast could take eight hours on low or 5.75 hours on high. Poultry could take 7.5 hours on low or 6.25 hours on high.
It's also important to keep the lid on. Every time you uncover what's inside, you lose as much as half of the cooking time. Most slow cookers have a glass lid, so it's easy to see what's going on inside. Cutting vegetables into bite-sized pieces before you put them in helps them cook evenly. And unless it's a soft veggie like squash, put them in the bottom of the cooker because they can take longer to cook.
Be careful with the seasoning because the scant amount of evaporation intensifies spices. Some spices can also dilute over long periods, so sometimes it's better to add some spices near the end of cooking. With these tips, you can enjoy the convenience that slow cookers offer.
