Tips for Slow Cooking

Slow cooking s the best way to keep pace with our busy lives, because the meal you are making requires little or no attention while it cooks. Slow cookers range in size from to 1- t-quart capacity. The 1-quart size is perfiect for making and keeping dips and spreads warm for a party. The other sizes are ideal for one-dish meals (like today's Vegetable Soup).
Most slow cookers have low and high control settings. At low, the long cooking time of 8 to 10 hours fits with working schedules. At the high setting, food cooks approximately twice as fast on low heat.
The following tips - and a slow cooker - are all you need for a delicious, home cooked fix-and-forget meal!

• Know your appliance. A slow cooker is different than a warming pot! Slow cookers are self-contained, with the heating elements wrapping around the cooker.
• For easy cleanup, spray the inside of the slow cooker with cooking spray before adding the food.
• Enjoy the rewards of slow cooking by using less-expensive (and less tender) cuts of meat. The moist, gentle heat slowly tenderizes these cuts as they cook.
• Processed cheese tends to work better than Cheddar cheese.
• Use dried leaf herbs rather than ground because they keep their flavor better over the long cooking time. Or stir in fresh herbs during the last hour of cooking.
• Add dairy products such as milk and cheese toward the end of the cooking time. Dairy products tend to separate and curdle if cooked for a long time.
• Fish and seafood can fall apart or get tough if they are slow cooked too long. Ad these ingredients in the last hour of cooking.
• Add tender vegetables such as fresh mushrooms, tomatoes and zuchinni during the last 30 to 45 minutes to prevent overcooking.
• Do not cook whole poultry in a slow cooker because safe cooking temperatures can not be reached quickly enough near the bone.
• Keep the lid on! Removing the lid allows heat to escape and delays the cooking time by 15 to 20 minutes. Be sure to check for doneness just at the minimum cook time.
• Cool the slow cooker slightly before adding water for cleaning. Otherwise, the liner could crack.

Using the slow cooker, can save lots of time in the evening for busy moms! I dare you to try it!!!

Happy Slow Cooking,

Emily