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Slow-Cooking

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A Guide to Slow Cooking 

Slow-Cooking is a great way to prepare tasty meals for the whole family. Mediterranean housewives have used slow cookers for centuries, and today many women find it convenient to slow cook food while they go about their busy day. While this often takes a little extra planning, the results of slow cooked food are delicious!

We have launched our Slow-Cooking campaign during Spring as this colourful season brings an abundance of fruit, vegetables, meat and fish which are all perfect for slow cooking. Seasonal fruit and vegetables taste better at certain times of the year and eating food seasonally helps support local producers and farmers.

Over the next 3 months, we will show you how to use a Slow-Cooker to make soups and sauces, dips to desserts and we even have an fabulous Lamb Korma video recipe by MealSavers Chef Brett, that you will love, with Lamb delivered fresh from Damn Delicious in Scotland.

What is Slow Cooking?

Slow-Cookers work by cooking meat and vegetables at low temperatures over many hours. Besides being very convenient, Slow-Cooker recipes result in:

•       More tender meat – as the connective tissues are broken down
•       More flavour – the seasoning becomes infused without drying
•       Better desserts - the cooking process is easier on delicate puddings
•       No burning or boiling – the food is cooked at low temperatures
•       Less power usage – the slow cooker is in continuous simmer mode

Save Money and Energy with Slow Food

The Slow-Cooking method saves energy on multiple kitchen appliances, because it often avoids the need to switch on the stove top, oven, grill, or microwave. And since the slow cooker is all that’s needed this smart meal solution even saves on the washing up!

Slow cookers can be used all year round, with fantastic recipes for both summer and winter meals. In summer, wow friends with favourites like Pizza Dip: spread cream cheese in the bottom of the slow cooker and cover it with pizza sauce, onion, olives and pepperoni. Serve with tortilla chips. Delicious!

And when it comes to hearty winter stews, slow cookers produce excellent results with even the toughest cuts of meat. So don’t be afraid of picking up some cheap steak at the supermarket. Slow cooking will tenderise it to perfection.

Slow-Cooking Tips

Slow cooked food adds a whole new dimension to family meals. However, there are some slightly different game rules to traditional cooking, so take note of these top slow cooking tips:

Slow Food Tip #1: Brown the meat first - There is much debate on whether searing or browning meat actually adds flavour to the dish, if you are worried about bacteria on the meat, this will die during cooking anyway.

Unless the recipe instructions say to brown meat, or you believe that meats should be seared then this will come down to choice – Jamie Oliver has tested his Beef Stew with and without and he now cooks all stews without.

Slow Food Tip #2: Sauté and season vegetables – likewise, sautéing the vegetables with herbs and spices can add considerable flavour, but this is up to you or if the recipe suggests.

Slow Food Tip #3: Cook tough meat cuts on a low heat – tougher meats like roasts or brisket need extra cooking time as they have more connective tissue. To compensate, lower the heat and increase the cooking time (one hour on a high heat usually equals two hours on low heat).

Slow Food Tip #4: Use half the liquid - most stove top or oven recipes require liquid to be added which reduces naturally during the cooking process. However, liquid doesn’t escape from slow cookers so use 50% less liquid to avoid a watery dish.

Slow Food Tip #5: Cook poultry for less – while red meats take longer to tenderise in a slow cooker, chicken cooks relatively quickly. Most poultry recipes require 5-6 hours on a low heat.

Slow Food Tip #6: Cut root vegetables into small pieces – many root vegetables (like potatoes, carrots, and parsnips) cook even slower than meats in a slow cooker. To ensure root vegetables are cooked thoroughly, cut them into small pieces no bigger than an inch in diameter.

Slow Food Tip #7: Add leafy vegetables last – high-moisture vegetables (like leafy greens, peppers, peas, courgettes, and squash) can become soggy, so add them in for the final 15-30 minutes of slow cooking.

Slow Food Tip #8: Avoid lifting the lid – each time the lid is removed from the slow cooker, it adds twenty minutes to the overall cooking time! So only lift the lid to add extra ingredients or check meat towards the end.

Slow Cooking Safety

As with any type of cooking, there are certain ground rules to follow, particularly with meat in order to avoid food poisoning. Here are some top slow cooking safety tips:

Safety Tip #1: Don’t overfill the slow cooker – rather than slow cook a whole roast, cut it up into small pieces to speed up the cooking process. Never fill the pot more than two-thirds full.

Safety Tip #2: Never use frozen meat - fully thaw frozen meat before placing it in the slow cooker. Also defrost vegetables so as not to reduce the overall temperature.

Safety Tip #3: Refrigerate leftovers within two hours - to prevent bacteria growth in meat.

Cook Along with Our Chef!

Check out this fabulous Slow-Cooking Lamb Korma recipe and video guide presented by MealSavers Chef, Brett in partnership with Crock-Pot – the original Slow-Cooking company.

Slow Cooker Recipes

Many slow cookers come with their own recipe booklets, with slow cooker recipes ranging from the cheap and cheerful (using just a handful of ingredients) to intricate gourmet meals. With a little experience it’s even possible to modify traditional cooking recipes for the slow cooker. Were going to bring you a range of slow cooking recipes over the next 3 months for you to try, if you would like to receive our exclusive Top 20 Slow Cooking Recipes, please enter it here and we will email details for downloading the PDF. (Please note that you will need to have Adobe Reader installed to view PDF files. You can download it here.

To obtain a copy of our Free Crock Pot Recipes e-book, complete the form below to complete your application. You will receive an invitation within 24 hours which will allow you to download your own copy.

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New Recipes!

 

Easy Lamb Hot Pot	Braised Salmon & Spring Vegetables With Crème Fraiche And Chives	Red Thai Chicken Curry

Slow-Cooking Cookbook Review

To read our review of Slow Cooking by Katie Bishop click here

Learn About Crock-Pot – the original Slow-Cooking company

The original Slow-Cooking brand has partnered with MealSavers to bring you mouth-watering slow-cooking sensation meals. Keep an eye on the MealSavers site for more slow-cooking recipes coming very soon, as well as the chance to win a Crock-Pot Slow Cooker! If you would like to find out more about the latest Crock-Pot Slow Cookers, click here.

 

Purchasing a Slow-Cooker

If you don’t have a Crock-Pot already and want to get into Slow-Cooking, check out these deals for Crock-Pots at great prices from Amazon.co.uk:

 

 

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