Tips for Best Results in a Slow Cooker

Ceramic pot tips

Here are a few simple tips to ensure your slow cooker gives you years of service.

• This is a large-capacity slow cooker, and it is recommended that you cook with at least one qt (1 L) of food in the ceramic pot.  There is a "minimum" fill line marked inside select models.
• Do not store the ceramic pot in the refrigerator.
  • If the ceramic pot has been inadvertently left in the refrigerator, do not immediately fill with hot or warm liquids. Wait until the pot is at room temperature.
• If assembling a recipe in advance of cooking, store ingredients in a covered, separate container.
• For best cooking results, the ceramic pot should be at least half-filled. If less than half-filled, check for appropriate temperature 1 to 2 hours earlier than recipe states. 
• Allow the slow cooker to cool completely before cleaning. 

Food temperature

• Refrigerated foods should be added at their refrigerated temperature.
•  Frozen food should be thawed before adding to the Slow Cooker.
•  Do not partially cook and then refrigerate meat before adding.
  • If meat or poultry needs to be seared, sear it just before adding to the Slow Cooker.
  • Do not sear or partially cook and then refrigerate before cooking.

Liquids

• The temperature of added liquids is important.
  • Avoid adding liquids colder than average refrigerated temperatures.
  • Adding near-freezing liquid to a warm or hot pot may damage the pot.
•  Use less liquid in most recipes.
• Slow Cookers use a food's moisture for cooking the food.
  • With the lid kept on while cooking, very little moisture evaporates, and natural juices from the food accumulate.
  • For that reason, use less liquid when using your favorite traditional recipes for slow cooking.

Herbs and seasonings

• Increase amounts of herbs and seasonings to offset the effect of longer cooking times.
• Add garnishes, fresh herbs, and quick-cooking vegetables toward the end of the cooking cycle. For example, peas, corn, and freshly sliced squash can be added in the last 10 - 20 minutes of cooking time.

Food size and other considerations

• Consider the differences between related ingredients when cooking for extended times.
  • Dark meat poultry will retain moisture better than white meat in recipes cooked more than 7 to 9 hours.
  • Whole grain rice, like brown or wild rice, retains its texture better than white rice when it's slow-cooked.
  • Overextended periods, white rice can overcook and become mushy.
• Cut food to the proper size.
  • To assure uniformity of cooking, cut vegetables of similar density, such as potatoes, carrots, and parsnips into similar-sized pieces.
  • In general dense vegetables should be slightly smaller than more tender vegetables.
  • Cutting meats into large pieces allows longer cooking times and avoids overcooking.

Reheating leftovers

• Heat leftovers before adding to the Slow Cooker. Before placing in the Slow Cooker, leftovers should be thoroughly heated to 165º F (74ºC), and sauces and soups should be brought to a rolling boil, and then kept warm in the Slow Cooker on buffet setting. Re-heating of leftovers in the Slow Cooker is not recommended. A microwave is ideal for this function.

Slow cooker liners

• We do not recommend using a slow cooker liner. 
  • While the bags will not harm the product itself, they can be a hazard to the user or people around the user if they are mishandled.
  • For that reason, we cannot encourage our customers to use the cooking liners since we do not manufacture them and therefore cannot control the quality.
• Non-stick cooking spray can be sprayed on the pot before cooking thick mixtures.
  • This coating will help make cleanup easier after cooking.