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THE BENEFITS OF SLOW COOKING
•
Health - The gentle cooking action reduces damage to vitamins and retains more of the
nutrients and flavours. Also, cooking in a slow cooker does not require any added oil or
fats.
•
Economy - Long slow cooking can tenderise the cheaper, tougher cuts of meat and uses
significantly less power than an oven or the small hobb on the average cook top.
•
Convenience - Prepare the ingredients the night before, put them in the slow cooker in the
morning and have a delicious meal waiting for you when you get home.
BEFORE FIRST USE
•
Remove all packing materials.
•
All parts of the Slow Cooker need to be thoroughly cleaned before being used for the first
time
(see 'Care and
PREPARATION
•
Some of the recipes call for meat to be browned and/or vegetables to be sautéed. Do this
in a pan – not in the ceramic bowl. Do not use the ceramic bowl for cooking anywhere other
than inside the slow cooker.
•
Thaw frozen food completely before adding to the ceramic bowl.
•
Soak dried peas and beans for 8 hours (or overnight) before cooking, to soften them.
WARNING: Dried beans (e.g. red kidney beans) must be boiled for at least 10 minutes
before being added to the slow cooker. They are poisonous if eaten raw or undercooked.
•
Lentils do not need soaking overnight.
•
Store ingredients prepared beforehand (e.g. the night before) in a refrigerator. Do not put the
slow cooker or the ceramic bowl in the refrigerator as it may cause the bowl to crack when
heated.
•
Root vegetables (potatoes, carrots, onions, etc.) take much longer to cook that meat. Cut them into
5mm slices, sticks or dice. If possible, sauté gently for 2-3 minutes before adding to the ceramic
bowl.
•
Dried vegetables must be immersed in the cooking liquid.
•
When cooking with rice, use at least 150ml of cooking liquid for each 100g of rice.
•
Pasta is not suitable for slow cooking – it will become too soft. If your recipe requires pasta,
it should be stirred in 30-40 minutes before the end of the cooking time.
Most recipes can be cooked on either HIGH or LOW. Many recipes will give the time for both.
LOW:
Often used for longer cooking times, 8–10 hours, or less tender cuts of meat.
HIGH:
Cooking on high setting is similar to a covered pot on the stovetop. Foods will cook
on high in about half the time required for low cooking. Additional liquid may be
required as foods can boil on high.
WARM: Only use to keep cooked foods at a food-safe serving temperature and should not be
used to cook foods. It is not recommended to use WARM for more than 4 hours.
Maintenance').
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