All About Slow Cooking

Slow cooking has many benefits for the home chef. It allows you to prepare meals that are tender and savory with little effort. Plus, you can start the cooker in the morning and let the meal prepare itself while you work, clean, or spend time with family. All you need is a quality slow cooker appliance and a few great recipes to get started!
Before you get started with slow cooking, you need to know what appliance to buy. A slow cooker is sometimes called a “Crock Pot” after the popular trademarked appliance. Slow cookers are electrically powered and can reach only moderate temperatures. This makes them perfect for cooking meals slowly over a long period of time. The first slow cookers became popular in the 1970s, and are still widely used today. Most are round or oval in shape and come with a well-fitted lid to prevent splattering. They are made of heat resistant materials like ceramic or porcelain and come in a range of sizes usually spanning 1-5 litres. Since slow cookers require you to let food sit for an extended period, it can be easy to forget about your meal. Therefore, it is a good idea to get a slow cooker with a heating timer. These will either shut down or switch to a low temperature “warming” mode after a set period.

Recipes for slow cookers vary widely, but they do share a few common elements. For one, they always contain some sort of liquid. This is to prevent the main food product from drying out during an extended heating period. In some cases, water may be required. However, many recipes add flavour with broths or wine. As the liquid heats and evaporates, the slow cooker’s lid forces the contents to inevitably return to a liquid state. This also helps food stay moist and flavourful. Additionally, slow cooker recipes are meant to be one pot meals. This means you should not require any other kitchen appliances to complete the perfect dish.

There are many benefits to using a slow cooker. For one, food cooked over a longer period of time becomes more tender. This is great if you want to use cheaper cuts of meat that are sometimes to chewy or tough when cooked on a stove or grill. Additionally, slow cookers make it harder to overcook your food. Even if you leave it on a bit too long, no damage will be done. In contrast, over boiling food can ruin a meal. Finally, cooking a meal with just one pot means less cleaning and less clutter in your kitchen.

Ultimately, learning to use a slow cooker is easy for even the most amateur chefs. All you really need to do is find the perfect appliance to suit your needs. Slow cookers range greatly in price, but a small model can be bought for as little as ten pounds. Plus, most cookers come with their own cookbooks to get you started. You can also find recipes online or in one of the many published cookbooks focusing on slow cooking.