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.
- Resist the temptation to remove the lid while cooking. For every instance of insatiable inquisitiveness, add at least twenty minutes to the overall cooking time.
Ingredients 101
You can cook pretty much anything in your slow cooker, but you’ll have more success (read: better-tasting dishes) if you learn a few tricks about specific ingredients.
- Beans: Presoaking beans before cooking ensures more predictable cooking times. Soak them in cold water overnight, or for at least six hours.
- Condensed Soups: Old-favorite ingredients of our mothers’ generation, condensed soups tend to be heavy on the salt. If you plan to use one of these standbys, be sure to add a little water or low-sodium broth to dilute the sodium content.
- Frozen Meat, Cooked or Raw: Thaw all meat completely before placing it in your slow cooker. As tempting as it may be to toss everything in, frozen foods can cause uneven cooking, so don’t do it!
- Frozen Vegetables: You should also thaw veggies completely before you add them to the pot. Since most vegetables cook faster than meat, add them when you have fifteen to thirty minutes of cooking time remaining. (See full list below.)
- Herbs and Spices: It’s best to go with fresh herbs (rather than dry) and whole spices (rather than ground). Slow cooking requires hardier forms of seasoning to hold up during the long periods of simmering, and the flavors will peak just before you’re ready to serve your dish.
- Fresh Meats: In general, try to brown meats ahead of time. If you’re working with a fatty piece of meat, browning it reduces the fat content, which can cause overcooking once it’s in the slow cooker. But browning can also greatly improve flavor and appearance, especially of ground meats.
- Poultry: Avoid using breast meat; dark meat on the bone is best suited for slow cooking. Leave the skin on when cooking, though you may want to remove it prior to serving for aesthetic reasons. If you do use a whole, cut-up chicken, place the dark meat on the bottom and the white meat on top, as the dark meat tends to cook more slowly.
- Root Vegetables (Carrots, Turnips, Potatoes, etc.): These vegetables cook more slowly than meat, so be sure to place them on the bottom of your cooker to avoid undercooking. No one likes a crunchy potato!
Late-to-the-Party Add-Ins
Not every ingredient can hold up to an afternoon (or a day) of slow simmering. But that doesn’t mean you should shy away from getting them in on the slow-cooker fun; add these items closer to the end so they retain their texture and taste.
Ground and Dried Herbs: Taste-test your dish when there are 60 minutes of cooking time left; if it needs additional flavor, add ground or dried herbs then.
Fish: Never add fish any earlier than 20 minutes prior to the finish time, lest you enjoy flakes o’ fish or mushy fish.
Non-Root Vegetables: Mushy veggies are entirely preventable. Add broccoli, cauliflower, peas, and other non-root vegetables with 15 to 30 minutes left in your cooking time; their flavor holds up better if they aren’t thrown into the pot too soon.
Sour Cream, Yogurt, or Milk: Dairy products tend to break down quickly, so don’t add them until the last 15 minutes of cooking time.
Pasta: First, boil the pasta partially and set it aside. About 5 minutes before your dish is ready, add it to the cooker.
Making one-pot meals is one task I actually look forward to completing. Why make fast food when I can slow it down to an easy 200° F? Of course, it takes some planning the night before, but once everything’s in place, I just turn on my slow cooker, walk away, and forget about my wonderful meal until I’m ready to eat.