Despite the fact that modern technology streamlines the many aspects of our daily grind, life in the twenty-first century can seem busier than ever. As the mother of two very active children and the wife of one peripatetic husband, I have a never-ending stream of weekly duties, including (but not limited to): getting the kids to and from school, making lunches, scheduling playdates, shuttling the kids around to their various after-school activities, coordinating carpools, paying bills, shopping for groceries, doing the laundry, cleaning our home, attending various PTA meetings, and, if I’m lucky, planning the next family vacation. By the time I realize that dinnertime is afoot, preparing it can seem like an insurmountable task.
The slow cooker has become my secret weapon against the what-the-heck-am-I-going-to-cook-for-dinner blues. I actually received my cooker as a birthday gift one year from my mother, and I was less than enthusiastic when I realized that it wasn’t just an oval-shaped rice cooker. (Sorry, Mom.) But what began as a curious test of what I deemed an antiquated appliance turned into a staple form of cooking that I credit with saving my sanity.
The Slow Rules of Engagement
Before you jump into all things slow-cooking, there are a few general rules that you should know:
- Get familiar with your cooker’s temperature settings. There are generally at least three settings: low, high, and off. Low is 200° F and high is 300° F. One hour of cooking on the high setting is equal to two hours of cooking on the low setting.
- Make sure you include the right amount of liquid in your recipes; it should be somewhere between halfway to two-thirds filled. Too little liquid will make the food cook faster; too much liquid will make the food cook a bit slower than you may want it to.
- There’s an order when it comes to where you should place foods in the cooker. Foods that cook slower (like root veggies) should go on the bottom, while foods that cook faster (meats) should go on the top.
