Hamilton Beach P92300 - Manual (Page 3)

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FAaS ABOUT SLOW COOKING
Slow cooker should be at least half filled for best results.
When cooking meats and vegetables together, cut vegetables
into small pieces and place on bottom or where they will be
kept moist.
A slow cooker lacks the ability to recover from heat losses
quickly. Avoid frequent removal of the cover for stirring.
Slow cooking is gentle cooking, so an extra hour on Low or
Automatic need not worry you.
Due to the fact that foods vary in viscosity (water content) there
will be some variation in temperatures, the most watery being
more uniform in temperature. Therefore low and high heat
cannot be directly related to temperature of food.
Stirring is not necessary, although you may wish to do so
occasionally when using high heat.
If you end up with too much liquid, (due to variations of liquid
contents of meats and vegetables), the excess can be reduced
by removing cover and setting on High for approximately 45
minutes after cooking time is completed.
Frozen foods can be cooked in slow cooker, but cooking time
must be increased. Frozen casseroles can be left in aluminum
coverings and heated up to 8 hours depending on shape and
weight.
To make gravy, add minute tapioca to recipe while cooking, or
remove foods from pot at end of cooking time, reserving juices.
Blend a proportionate amount of water and flour together, add
to juices and cook approximately I 5 minutes on High until
boiling; or remove juices to saucepan to prepare gravy.
Meats can be cooked without adding water, but a small
amount is recommended. The more fat the meat has, the less
liquid is needed.
If soaking dried beans overnight (plus pot cooking with other
ingredients) seems to take too long, try par-boiling them in a
pan about 15-20 minutes and let stand in water covered for an
hour; or place them in your slow cooker with water and cook
on high 2-3 hours. Then proceed with recipe.
Dense vegetables (ex. - cauliflower, cabbage, broccoli) and
root vegetables should be cut into small pieces for faster
cooking.
Large pieces of meat will cook faster if cut into small pieces
(ex. - corned beef). You may want to use a meat rack or trivet
in bottom of cooker to keep meats out of fatty cooking juices.
ADAPTING FAVORITE RECIPES
This book includes samples of the types of recipes’you are able
to prepare in your slow cooker.
For a greater variety, adapt your favorite recipe.
Here are some hints:
■ To judge cooking time, refer to a similar recipe in this book.
Most meat and vegetable combinations require at least
7 hours on Low.
■ Browning meat is not necessary, except to remove excess fat
from meat or for color. If in doubt, brown meat beforehand
and assemble recipe as directed.
■ When using Low, less liquid is needed since there is little
evaporation. The higher the setting, the more liquid required.
Quantities of herbs and spices may need revision. Adding
whole herbs and spices increases flavoring power while
ground spices give a more subtle flavor. Therefore, it is a
good idea to season to taste before stirring.
■ Some ingredients are not suited for prolonged cooking. Pasta,
rice, seafood, Chinese vegetables, milk, cream, and sour
cream should be added about 2 hours before serving (1 hour
on High], If cooking all day, evaporated milk or condensed
soups may be substituted for homogenized milk.
• All ingredients of most recipes (see above exceptions) can be
put into slow cooker at the same time, but it's best to add
liquids and sauces last.
« Some soup recipes call for 2 to 3 quarts of water. Add other
soup ingredients to slow cooker then add water only to
cover. If thinner soup is desired, add more liquid at serving
time.
■ If milk-based recipes have no other liquid for initial cooking
add 1 or 2 cups water. Then stir in milk or cream as called for,
and heat before serving.
• It is not necessary to saute vegetables because vegetables
take less time to cook than meat. Slice or chop them when
possible, then stir in with other ingredients. Only exception:
Eggplant should be parboiled or sauteed due to strong flavor.
■ The quantity of meat, poultry and vegetables may be reduced
without affecting flavor.