Suitable Foods; Do's And Don'ts For Crock Pot; Tips For Slow Cooking; Cooking Guide - Morphy Richards 48730 Instructions Manual

SC48730MAUS Rev2_9094 48960 rev 2 Multitool.qx4 29/07/2011 14:28 Page 5

Suitable foods

• Most foods are suited to slow cooking methods, however there
are a few guidelines that need to be followed.
• Make sure all frozen ingredients are well thawed out.
• Cut root vegetables into small, even pieces, as they take longer to
cook than meat. They should be gently sauted 2-3 minutes before
slow cooking. Ensure that root vegetables are always placed at
the bottom of the pot and all ingredients are immersed in the
cooking liquid.
• Trim all excess fat from meat before cooking, since the slow
cooking method does not allow fat to evaporate.
• If adapting an existing recipe from conventional cooking, you may
need to cut down on the amount of liquid used. Liquid will not
evaporate from the slow cooker to the same extent as with
conventional cooking.
• Never leave uncooked food at room temperature in the slow
cooker.
• Do not use the slow cooker to reheat food.
• Uncooked red beans must be soaked and boiled for at least 10
minutes to remove toxins before use in a slow cooker.
• Insert a meat thermometer into joints of roasts, hams, or whole
chickens to ensure they are cooked to the desired temperature.

Do's and Don'ts for crock pot

• Authentic stoneware is fired at high temperatures therefore the
crock pot may have minor surface blemishes, the glass lid may
rock slightly due to these imperfections. Low heat cooking does
not produce steam so there will be little heat loss. Due to normal
wear and tear through the products life, the outer surface may
start appearing 'crazed'.
• Do not put the crock pot or glass lid in an oven, freezer,
microwave or on a gas/electrical hob.
• Do not pre-heat before adding ingredients.
• Do not subject the crock pot to sudden changes in temperature.
Adding cold water to a very hot pot could cause it to crack.
• Do not allow the pot to stand in water for a long time (You can
leave water in the pot to soak).
There is an area on the base of the crock pot that has to remain
unglazed for manufacturing purposes. This unglazed area is
porous, therefore will soak up water, this should be avoided.
• Do not switch the cooker on when the crock pot is empty or out
of the base.

Tips for slow cooking

• The slow cooker must be at least half full for best results.
• The lid is not a sealed fit. Don't remove unnecessarily as the built
up heat will escape. Each time you remove the lid allow 10
minutes extra cooking time.
• If cooking soups, leave 5cm space between the top of the cook
pot and the food surface to allow simmering.
• Many recipes require all day cooking, if you do not have time to
prepare food that morning prepare it the night before and store
the food in a covered container in the fridge. Transfer the food to
the crock pot and add boiling liquid / gravy.
• Most meat and vegetable recipes require 4-6 hours.
• Do not use frozen meat or poultry unless it is thoroughly thawed
out first.
• Some ingredients are not suitable for slow cooking. Pasta,
seafood, milk and cream should be added towards the end of the
cooking time. Many things can affect how quickly a recipe will
cook, water and fat content, initial temperature of the food and
the size of the food.
• Pieces of food cut into small pieces will cook quicker, a degree of
'trial and error' will be required to fully optimize the potential of
your slow cooker.
• Vegetables usually take longer to cook than meat, so try and
arrange vegetables in the lower half of the pot.
• All food should be covered with a liquid, gravy or sauce. In a
separate pan or jug prepare your liquid, gravy or sauce and
completely cover the food in the crock pot.
• Pre-brown meat and onions in a pan to seal the juices. This also
reduces the fat content if separated before adding to the crock
pot. This is not necessary if the time is limited, but improves the
flavour.
• When cooking joints of meat, ham, poultry etc the size and shape
of the joint is important. Try to keep the joint in the lower 2/3 of the
pot and fully cover with water. If necessary cut in two pieces. Joint
weight should be kept within the maximum limit.
1.5 kg Large sized slow cooker

Cooking guide

• The recipes are based on MAXIMUM WORKING VOLUMES
which are:
6.5 Litres
Working capacity 4.5 litres / 8 pts
This allows a 3cm space between the top of the cook pot and
the food.
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