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THE BASICS

When you think about slow cookers, what comes to mind? If you answered hearty winter meals such as savory stews or pot roasts, you are not alone. For many, this is the only type of food for which they use their slow cookers. This is great if you love these kinds of dishes, but what if you are looking for something different?

You don’t have to look anymore. Cooking in a slow cooker can be easy, fun, and delicious. It’s something that you can do on a daily basis to get dinner on the table—even if that dinner is a sharp and cheesy lasagna or a light and flavorful salmon chowder. You can make just about anything in a slow cooker, and The Slow Cooker Cookbook will show you how to prepare easy dishes ranging from breakfasts to desserts (yes, desserts!).

What Is the Difference Between a Crock Pot and a Slow Cooker?

There is no difference, except that the term “Crock Pot” is a trademark owned by Rival; they invented the concept of a slow cooker back in the ’70s. They are the same thing—a pot with a high and low setting that cooks for long periods of time at a low temperature.

Basics of Slow Cooker Cooking

So, first up, what is a slow cooker, and who would want to use it? Well, truth be told, it’s one of the simplest appliances in your kitchen. It might also be the one that will get the most use if you know how to use it correctly—which you will after you have read this book.

With just two settings, high and low, a slow cooker works its magic by transforming the ingredients you throw into the pot into a yummy meal at a slow and steady pace. In fact, even the high setting is not really high; it’s around 300 degrees Fahrenheit, which is pretty low compared to typical oven settings. But this is where the slow cooker shines. It works by heating foods at a low temperature for a long period of time, with the end result being tender meats, flavorful vegetables, and delectable dishes that benefit from all those aromas being trapped in the pot for hours at a time.

Who has eight hours to wait for dinner to be ready? Everyone, including you. You’re at work all day, right? If so, you are the person for whom the slow cooker was invented. Unlike traditional cooking in which you would have to spend an hour or so in the kitchen preparing your meal, the slow cooker works while you do. You simply get it started in the morning, and when you come home, your dinner is ready. No more getting home after a long day and wondering what you’re going to do for dinner. You can eat immediately upon arrival and spend the rest of your evening doing what you enjoy. You won’t even have a lot of dishes to wash because, for the most part, your meal was cooked in one pot.

Two Types of Cooking

There are two types of slow cooker cooking; one is easier than the other, although neither is really difficult. However, the end results will be much different.

The first method is the easiest, and one that you may rely on when you want the simplest way of cooking possible. You put everything in the pot—meat, vegetables, and rice—cover it, turn it on, and go. After eight hours, you come home to a meal, with no cleanup whatsoever.

The other method is similar, except that you will prepare some of the ingredients in another pan before throwing them in the cooker. You brown the meat, sauté the vegetables, or otherwise prepare the ingredients for their long day of cooking.

Why would you want to use the second method, since it is obviously more trouble than the first? The reason is pure and simple: flavor. The slow cooker will tenderize the roast, and soften up the vegetables, but there is nothing quite like the aroma and flavor you get from a good browned crust on a pot roast.

While the recipes in this book usually give you instructions for the second method of cooking, feel free to skip the preparation steps and throw your ingredients into the pot as is. All of the recipes in this book work either way.

Before you get started, there are several things that will make using a slow cooker more enjoyable and give you better results. If you’ve never used a slow cooker before, these tips will prove to be very helpful. This is the easiest form of cooking you’ll ever do, but it doesn’t hurt to know a bit before you begin.

The Basics of a Slow Cooker Pantry

You can use a slow cooker for just about any meal. It’s great to have when you know you’ll have a busy day and just want to have dinner ready when you get home.

If you want to be able to put together some dishes fast, having the right ingredients available will be a big time saver. Keep these items on hand, and you’ll be able to put together a delicious meal at a moment’s notice.

Refrigerated Items

 Unsalted butter

 Heavy cream

 Cheese

 Whole milk

 Fruit

 Fresh lemons, oranges, and limes

 Fresh herbs to add at the end of cooking

Frozen Items*

 Meats, such as frozen chicken breasts, roasts, and pork chops

 An assortment of fruits and vegetables

* Do not put any frozen food in your cooker, including vegetables. They will reduce the temperature of the cooker and add extra moisture. Always thaw these ingredients before use.

Canned Goods

 Beans

 Tomatoes

 Tomato paste

 Chicken, beef, and vegetable broth

 Canned chilies

 Prepared salsa

Oil/Vinegar/Flavoring

 Vegetable oil, for sautéing foods when you don’t want to add a lot of flavor

 Olive oil, for adding a depth of flavor to certain dishes

 Sesame oil, for Asian dishes

 Balsamic vinegar

 Apple cider vinegar

 Red wine vinegar

 Soy sauce

 Mustard

 Tabasco or your favorite hot sauce

Starches

 Hard durum wheat pastas, which are best for the slow cooker

 Brown, white, wild, arborio, and jasmine rices

 Grains such as barley, bulgur, and millet

 Dried beans, peas and lentils

Dried Herbs and Spices

 Allspice

 Basil

 Bay leaves (always remove these before serving, as they can be a choking hazard)

 Cayenne pepper

 Chili powder

 Cinnamon (both ground and whole sticks)

 Cloves

 Coriander

 Cumin (ground)

 Curry powder

 Fennel seeds

 Herbs de Provence

 Jerk seasoning

 Marjoram

 Powdered mustard

 Nutmeg

 Oregano

 Paprika

 Rosemary

 Saffron (it’s expensive, but a little goes a long way)

 Sage

 Thyme

Cooking Methods

You’ll find that while you can cook almost anything in a slow cooker, some foods work better than others. The following foods can be put in the cooker and will be tender and delicious after an eight-hour slow braise:

 Tough cuts of meat such as whole chuck roasts, pork roasts, chicken breasts and thighs, lamb, and veal

 Hearty vegetables including potatoes, carrots, turnips, beets, and celery

 Greens including spinach, kale, collards, and mustard greens

 Cabbage, broccoli, and cauliflower

 Beans and lentils

Some foods will not be able to withstand that much cooking. The following list contains foods that either need a much shorter cooking time or must be added near the end of the cycle:

 Dairy products such as milk, yogurt, and sour cream, all of which should be added just before serving or they are likely to curdle. Some dairy products may be added in the beginning but cooked on the low setting.

 Fresh herbs, which should be added in the last 15 minutes of cook time, with the exception of rosemary, which can be added at the beginning.

 Seafood and shellfish, which will overcook if left for too long and will become chewy and rubbery.

The key to excellent results in your slow cooker is to experiment and use common sense. By doing so, you’ll soon be creating amazing recipes on your own, and your slow cooker will become one of your favorite cooking appliances.

Before You Begin

 Slow cookers come in a variety of sizes, and, yes, size does matter. If you don’t already have one, you should ask yourself how many people you are going to feed on a regular basis, and buy accordingly. For the best results, you do not want to fill the pot less than half or more than three-quarters full. This means if you buy an extra-large pot, you’ll be making extra-large amounts of food. If you’re not sure what capacity to get, or you think you will alternate the amount of food you cook in it, get two. They’re not that expensive, and the quality of your dishes will be worth it. On average, a 4- to 5-quart slow cooker will generously feed a family of four. This is the size of the slow cooker that will be used for the recipes in this book, unless otherwise noted.

 There are only two settings on a slow cooker: high and low. The low setting is what you’ll use if you plan on leaving for an entire day (eight hours or more) and want to have dinner ready when you come home. You can cut your time by about half with the high setting; in general, one hour on high equals two hours on low. While some cookers have extra features such as timers and warming functions, all you need for fabulous meals are those two settings: high and low.

 The cooker has a lid, and this is one of the fundamentals of slow cooking. When you put a lid on the pot, you are trapping in the steam and aroma of your dish. You should not take the lid off unless instructed to do so in the recipe, and even then, only when necessary. Removing it before the dish is finished will result in a much longer cooking time, and possibly the loss of flavor.

 Do not put frozen foods in a slow cooker; in fact, it’s best if all food is at room temperature. Remember, a cooker does not get super hot, so adding super cold foods will dramatically slow down an already lengthy process.

 Some foods should not go in until near the end. Fish and shellfish, dairy products, and fresh herbs will not benefit from extra-long cooking time, no matter how low the temperature. Shorter cooking times (4 hours) on low are usually okay. Dried herbs, on the other hand, are fine to simmer in a sauce for hours on end. To liven it up, simply add fresh herbs near the end.

 The order in which the ingredients go into the pot is important, so when following the recipes in this book, make sure to pay attention to the correct order. In general, extremely dense foods such as potatoes or root vegetables and those that take the longest to cook will go on the bottom, with lighter ingredients on top.

 When chopping and prepping vegetables and other ingredients, cut them to the same size to ensure that everything is cooked evenly.

 You don’t have to brown meat before cooking it in a slow cooker, but if you sear it with a little oil in a skillet, the meat will have a more complex flavor. Always brown any ground meat before adding it to a slow cooker, otherwise the meat will clump and add too much grease to the dish.

 Like most cooking, slow cooking is not an exact science. Many things will affect the results of your dish, even if you follow the recipes exactly. Just as every vegetable and piece of meat is not exactly the same, neither will be the results of your meal. Don’t worry. If you follow the directions and keep the general principles of a slow cooker in mind, you will have no problems. Just be aware that sometimes you’ll need to make adjustments.

So now that we’ve got the basics out of the way, there’s nothing left to do but get started making the delicious recipes in this book.