A Guide to Slow Cooking With the Crockpot

The crockpot is a great little addition to your kitchenwonderful vegetarian dishes in the crockpot as well as
that not only helps to make dinner time a lot easier butcasseroles, chili, pasta dishes, and even sweet
it also gives you a healthy way to cook a wide varietydesserts.
of foods. One of the best things about slow cooking inConverting Conventional Recipes for the Crockpot
the crockpot is that you will not ever have to worryDo you have books and recipe boxes full of
about burnt foods or meats that are too tough toinstructions for making all of your favorite foods in the
chew or cut through.oven or on the stovetop? Did you know that you can
What Can I Make in the Crockpot?convert most all recipes for the slow cooker?
The crockpot is amazingly versatile and this simpleRecipes that are intended for the oven or stovetop
appliance can be used to make everything fromwhich include some type of moisture in them can
desserts to hearty soups to a host of delicious mealseasily be converted to make in the crockpot instead.
using all of the foods you love.Dishes with moisture, such as water, broth, sauce,
Although most all meats are ideal for the crockpot,soup, and wine, for example, are the best for slow
some types definitely cook better than others usingcooking as the foods are marinated together for hours
slower cooking methods. One notable benefit to slowat a time, which brings out their natural flavors
cooking is that cheaper cuts of meat tend to work thewonderfully.
best in the crockpot.When converting recipes for the crockpot you will
Chicken on the bone or whole fryer chickens are alsowant to cut all of the liquids used in half. If your oven
great for making soups and stews. In addition,recipe calls for six cups of water, you will only need
inexpensive cuts of beef or pork that might normallythree for the crockpot.
turn out tough in the oven will be tender and succulentAdjusting cooking times is another important factor of
after cooking the crockpot.making recipes work well in the crockpot. The
To maximize the taste of meats you may want tocrockpot typically features two settings, low and high.
lightly coat them in flour and brown in a hot saucepanThe lowest setting on crockpots use heat at
or skillet before adding to the crockpot. You shouldapproximately 200 degrees Fahrenheit, which is about
also remove fat from all types of meat and remove95 degrees Celsius while the high settings cook at
the skin from poultry before cooking in the crockpot.about 300 degrees (150 Celsius).
This helps to bring out the meat's natural flavors andOne hour of cooking time in the oven or on the stove
will also give a more appetizing appearance to dishesusually converts to eight hours in the crockpot on the
such as soups and stews.low setting or four hours on the high setting.
Besides meats, you can also make a number of