West Bend 5-6 QUART SLOW COOKERS - Manual (Page 8)

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Many of your favorite oven and range top recipes can be adapted to slow cooking
with a few minor changes. Here are some important points to remember.
Amount of Liquid: Because little moisture evaporates during slow cooking, reduce
amount of liquid in your recipe by one-half (1 cup of liquid is enough for most
recipes). For soup recipes, add all ingredients except water or broth to pot; add only
enough liquid to cover ingredients.
Amount of Seasoning: Reduce amount of seasoning in proportion with reduced
amount of liquid. Use whole or leaf herbs and spices rather than crushed or ground
forms.
Slow Cooking Meat: Less tender, less expensive cuts of meat are better suited to
slow cooking than expensive cuts of meat. Remove excess fat before slow cooking if
desired. Meat can be browned in the cooker pot on top of the range before slow
cooking.
Slow Cooking Vegetables: Add partially frozen vegetables, Chinese vegetables
and fresh mushrooms during the last hour of cooking. Strong-flavored vegetables
such as spinach, eggplant, okra and collard greens should be precooked before
adding to cooker. The amount of onion normally used in your recipe should be
reduced because its flavor gets stronger during cooking. In most cases, fresh
vegetables take longer to cook than meats because liquid simmers rather than boils.
Slow Cooking Raw Meats and Vegetables: Most raw meat and vegetable
combinations need at least 4 to 6 hours of cooking at Med (#4) or 7 to 10 hours at
LO (#3).
Slow Cooking Fish and Seafood: Fresh or thawed seafood and fish fall apart
during long hours of cooking. Add these ingredients an hour before serving and cook
at HI (#5).
Slow Cooking Milk, Sweet or Sour Cream and Cheese: Because milk, sour or
sweet cream and cheese break down during long hours of cooking, add these
ingredients just before serving or substitute undiluted condensed canned soups or
evaporated milk. Processed cheese tends to give better results than aged cheese.
Rice and Pasta: Rice and pasta may either be cooked separately, or added
uncooked during last hour of cooking time. If added uncooked, make sure there is at
least 1 to 1½ cups of liquid in pot and heat is set at LO (#3) or higher.
Dumplings: Dumplings may be cooked in broth or gravy at HI (#5). Drop by
spoonfuls on simmering broth or gravy. Cook, covered, for 30 minutes.
Thickening Juices for Gravies and Sauces: To thicken juices for gravies and
sauces, add 2 to 3 tablespoons of quick cooking tapioca at start, or thicken after
cooking by adding a smooth paste made of 2 to 4 tablespoons cornstarch or flour
and ¼ cup cold water. Bring to a boil at HI (#5). Solid foods may be removed first.
Don’t Remove Cover During Cooking: To retain heat, moisture and food flavor,
don’t remove cover during cooking unless necessary for adding additional
ingredients.
Using Cooking Tools on Non-Stick Finish: The following types of cooking tools
may be used on the non-stick finish: plastic, rubber and wooden. Do not use sharp
edged metal cooking tools (forks, knives, mashers) as these could scratch the non-
stick finish.