Slow Cooking

By Hklbrries

Safe, slow cooking:
1. Bacteria in food are killed at 165 degrees. The low setting of slow cookers is between 180 to 200 degrees. and the high setting ranges from 280 to 300 degrees.

2. Don’t lift the lid on the slow cooker unless absolutely necessary; it will affect the temperature inside. Every time you lift the lid, it can add 20 to 30 minutes to the cooking time.

3. Follow make-ahead directions to the letter to keep food safe.

4. Thaw frozen foods before adding them to the slow cooker as they will slow the cooking time and cause the food to stay at an unsafe temperature for too long.


When you hear the words “slow cooking,” does the image of a pot roast pop into your head? Well, think again. The slow cooker works beautifully in the preparation of versatile, meat-free dishes.

Soups, chili, side dishes, main dishes and even desserts – the possibilities are endless when it comes to using this often-neglected appliance. Instead of using meat, protein can come in the form of beans and other legumes, whole grains, pasta, soy products like tofu, cheese and other dairy products.

There really isn’t much of a difference between slow cooking with or without meat, but paying attention to a few extra details will reward you with delicious results.

Beans are an excellent source of protein and fiber. One pound of dried beans – about 2 1/2 cups – will yield 6 to 7 cups of cooked beans after they are soaked and cooked. To save time, use canned beans instead. A 19-ounce can of beans is the equivalent of 2 cups of cooked beans.

Dried lentils do not need to be presoaked like beans but they do need to be rinsed. Pay particular attention to the type of lentil a recipe calls for. For example, red lentils will cook more quickly than brown lentils, which can change the end result.

Tofu is another good source of protein. Unfortunately, it doesn’t hold up to hours of slow cooking. Use extra-firm tofu for chunks and add it near the end of the cooking time. Use silken tofu to make sauces.

The preparation of vegetables for the slow cooker is an important detail. Cut root vegetables like carrots and potatoes into thin slices or small chunks to help them cook more thoroughly. Lightly sautéing vegetables will help release their flavors. Bell peppers and hot dried peppers can become bitter if cooked for a long time, so add them during the final 30 minutes of cooking.

Author JoAnn Rachor (“Fast Cooking in a Slow Cooker Every Day of the Year,” Family Health Publications, 2006) doesn’t cook strongly-flavored vegetables like broccoli and cauliflower for hours in a slow cooker. Instead, she lightly steams them and adds them near the end of the cooking time.

Rachor also recommends adding uncooked pasta during the final hour of cooking. Thin noodles require about 15 minutes; thicker noodles need about 45 minutes. Use whole wheat, semolina or spelt pasta as they contain gluten, the protein found in whole grains.

Seasonings must be added at the right time as well. Unless a recipe states otherwise, fresh herbs should be added during the final hour of cooking so they won’t lose their flavor.

The amount of moisture in a recipe is an important consideration. Since the lid stays on during cooking, no evaporation occurs. Use concentrated liquids like vegetable broth to avoid watering down a dish.

If you have vegetarian recipes that you would like to try in a slow cooker, look for a comparable recipe in a slow cooking book to get an idea of the cooking time and ingredient proportions. Reduce the amount of liquid called for in the recipe because of the lack of evaporation. Start by reducing the liquid in the recipe by half, write Beth Hensperger and Julie Kaufmann in “Not Your Mother’s Slow Cooker Cookbook.” Add more liquid at the end of the recipe, if needed, and adjust accordingly the next time you make the dish.

To save time, busy cooks can also prepare the ingredients for a slow cooker dish the night before, refrigerate them in the stoneware, then start the cooker in the morning. The cold stoneware won’t affect recipes that cook longer than four hours. If the cooking time is less than that, it will add about 30 minutes.

Ingredients

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Preparation

Step 1

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