Slow cookers are not for everyone. Your slow cooker will become your best friend if you know how to use it. You can throw everything into the slow cooker in the morning and then forget about it until dinner time. It’s great to come home to a meal that is ready to eat after a long day.
Slow cookers, as simple as they are to use, do have rules. (Don’t all appliances?). If you don’t follow them, it can ruin your dinner and your relationship with your favorite kitchen appliance. You can avoid making the same mistakes that everyone else makes when using slow cookers by reading our list. You can take note of these mistakes and then give your slow cooker another try.
I get it. Your whole house will smell delicious when you have something cooking in your slow cooker. You can’t just let it simmer all day long without checking to see what’s happening. You need to have the willpower to resist. Lifting the lid even for a moment will let out most of the hot air that took the slow cooker a long time to reach the desired temperature. A reduced temperature inside the slow cooker and more cooking time is caused by peeking too often. Each time you lift the lid, it adds 30 minutes to your cooking time.
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Use expensive cuts (crock pot)
Slow cooker meals don’t require you to buy the best cuts of meat. Slow cookers are able to make the most expensive and toughest meats soft and juicy because they cook them low and slowly. Grab a cheap cut of meat and let it simmer all day. No one will know that you used bargain meat because the dish will be so tender and flavorful.
Not searing meat first
Now is the time to be truthful. Do you sear the meat in your slow cooker before placing it there? It would seem reasonable to skip this step — the meat will cook through in the slow-cooker, right? Well, technically, yes. It’s not necessary to do it. You will still get a cooked meal. Even so, skipping this step will change the taste of your dish and it may not be for the better.
Cooking chicken skin
The skin of chicken cooked in the oven or on a pan is usually crispy and delicious. If you cook in a slow-cooker, the outside will probably be rubbery and soft. This is not very appetizing. Use skinless chicken to cook in your slow cooker and serve the meal straight away.
Addition of fresh herbs too soon
It’s refreshing to learn that dried herbs can be used to season slow cooker recipes. Dried herbs work best when they are cooked for a long time. They make the perfect seasonings for your favorite slow-cooked meals. It’s not that you can’t include fresh herbs in slow cooker recipes — just add them later. Then there won’t even be any left to serve. Toss them in at the end of cooking, so that they are still full of flavor and fresh when you sit down to dine.
The wrong size slow cooker
Slow cookers are not all the same. You can calculate the cooking time for each recipe by using the size slow cooker that the recipe specifies. Fill your slow cooker halfway to three quarters full. Your food will be overcooked if it is not filled enough. It may not cook properly if it is too full. You may also end up with a mess and an overflow if it is too full.
Add dairy products too early
The slow cooker does not work well with dairy products. You’ll end up with a disgusting curdled mess if you add milk, cheeses, creams, sourcreams, or creams cheeses too early. If you want to save the dish and keep the creamy taste, cook the dish without dairy. Then add the ingredients during the last 30 minutes.
Alcohol abuse is a serious problem
You can use a heavier hand to cook with wine. All the wine cooks away, right? The lid of a slow cooker stays tight, so nothing evaporates. When you add wine to slow cooker recipes, you will taste the wine more than you would if you cooked it on a stove. It’s best to avoid the wine or use it sparingly unless you really want that tang.
How to cook frozen food
Pinterest is full with recipes that tout the benefits of freezing food and cooking it in a slow cooker. It’s not recommended to use frozen meat in your slow cooker, no matter how good it sounds. Your food will be at unsafe temperatures for longer if your slow cooker contains frozen food. If you ask us, this sounds like an excellent way to get food-borne illness. Thaw the food before you add it to your slow cooker.
The wrong layering
If you use your slow cooker every day, it’s likely that the lid is always tightly closed. You’d be mistaken if you thought that everything in the slow cooker cooks at a similar rate. Your slow cooker does not cook evenly. Food placed at the bottom will cook faster because of the heat element. You want to place foods that require longer cooking times here. Layer in root vegetables such as potatoes and carrots, followed by tougher meat cuts.
According to the same logic, you should layer the ingredients that cook faster or require less cooking, such as canned vegetables. This will ensure that your ingredients are all cooked at the same time. No one wants to eat a slow cooker meal that is partly overcooked and partially raw.
Greasing your slow cooker is not necessary
Slow cookers make cooking easy, but cleaning them can be a chore. The slow cookers usually spend as much time in the sink as they did on your counter, and you’ll still have to use a lot of elbow grease if you want them clean. Use a slow-cooker liner or cooking spray to simplify cleanup. You might also extend the life of your slow cooker’s interior surface.
You are using too much liquid
Slow cooker novices beware! If you are used to cooking with a stovetop and its powerful heat, which can reduce large pots of liquid into a thick sauce within minutes, then this is a mistake that’s easy to make.
Can you overcook food in a slow-cooker?
Slow cookers have been designed to cook for long periods. But yes, it is possible to overcook food in a cooker, if you leave something on the wrong setting longer than necessary.
Sonali Ruder is an emergency medicine doctor, chef and founder of The Foodie physician. She also loves slow cookers. She says that when you cook meat, it will be done once it is tender enough to cut with a fork. Overcooked meat will be “tough” and “dry”, while overcooked veggies will be mushy. You may need to experiment to find out what makes food “overdone”. As a doctor, Dr. Ruder is also a proponent of food safety. Another way to determine if food is ready is using an instant-read thermometer. “Cook meat between 145 and 160 degrees Fahrenheit. Cook poultry at 165 degrees Fahrenheit. And cook soups, stews and sauces up to 165 Fahrenheit.”