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Slow Cookers
Slow Cookers
Slow cookers are electrical devices that sit on the countertop and are used for cooking food over a span of many hours unattended. This type of cooking device was invented by the Naxon Utilities Company of Chicago, Illinois and was called the All-Purpose Cooker. When the company was sold in 1971, the cooker was renamed the Crock Pot.
A slow cooker is an oval-shaped pot with a lid. The pot itself is made from porcelain or glazed ceramic and the lid usually contains glass so you can look inside. The pot acts as a cooking device and as a heat reservoir maintaining a constant temperature for a set number of hours. There are various sizes of these cookers, ranging from 500 ml to 7 litres. There are heating elements in the bottom of the cooker and part way up the sides, which eliminates the need for a large amount of water to be added to the food.
There are different temperature settings – low, medium and high on most of these cookers. The typical cooking temperature ranges from 80ºC to 90ºC. When cooking in this manner, it is important to have all meats and poultry thawed thoroughly before putting them in the cooker. Vegetables cook slower, so these should be placed in first with the meat on top. Some recipes call for pre-heated liquids, which you can bring to boil on the stove or heat in the microwave. You should never fill the cooker more than 2/3 full. When you have all the ingredients in the cooker, then you add the required amount of liquid. This device requires less water because the steam collects on the lid and then returns back to the food.
You can use regular recipes for cooking food in a slow cooker, but you must remember to reduce the amount of water you add. Even if you overcook the food in a slow cooker by leaving it on for longer than is necessary, you will not burn it. It may just not be as tasty as you would like.