14 Easy
Cooking Tips for Meat and
Poultry Slow Cooker Recipes
by:
Anjali
Dawson
The first Christmas we
spent with my in-laws in
their new country home, my
mother-in-law wisely gave me
a slow cooker. Her
thoughtful gift helped Dan
and I enjoy the most
convenient of all cooking
methods, even with our long
work days and commute.
I'll always treasure the
memories of delicious aromas
wafting through the front
door as we stepped into the
house after a long day at
work and a nerve-jangling
commute in heavy traffic.
Most of the slow cooker
recipes I used were based on
meats and poultry. Here are
14 easy tips to make your
slow cooker recipes tasty
and safe:
Tip # 1 - According to
the U.S. Department of
Agriculture, bacteria in
food are killed at a
temperature of 165°F. Meats
cooked in the slow cooker
reach an internal
temperature of 170° in beef
and as high as 190°F in
poultry. It is important to
follow the recommended
cooking times and to keep
the cover on your slow
cooker during the cooking
process.
Tip # 2 - It is best not
use the slow cooker for
large pieces like a roast or
whole chicken because the
food will cook so slowly it
could remain in the
bacterial "danger zone" too
long.
Tip # 3 - Always defrost
meat or poultry before
putting it into a slow
cooker.
Tip # 4 - Meats generally
cook faster than most
vegetables in a slow cooker.
Tip # 5 - Trim all fat
from meat and poultry. Fat
can increase the temperature
of the liquid in the slow
cooker and decrease the
cooking time. This will
cause the food t be
overcooked. Fats will also
melt with long cooking
times, and will add an
unpleasant texture to the
finished dish.
Tip # 6 - Cooking at
higher temperatures will
generally give you a tougher
piece of meat. for all day
cooking or for less-tender
cuts of meat, you may want
to use the low setting.
Tip # 7 - The slow cooker
recipes are best used with
the tougher cuts of meats.
Tip # 8 - For the best
color and texture, ground
beef is best browned before
using, except in meatloaf or
other similar dishes.
Tip # 9 - It is not
necessary to brown meat
before slow cooking, but it
gives more depth of flavor
in the food and removes some
of the fat, especially in
pork, lamb and sausages. If
the meat is lean, well
trimmed and not highly
marbled, it doesn't need to
be browned.
Tip # 10 - For roasts and
stews, pour liquid over
meat. Use no more liquid
than specified in the slow
cooker recipes. More juices
in meats and vegetables are
retained in slow cooking
than in conventional
cooking.
Tip # 11 - Dark meat
takes longer to cook, so if
a whole cut up chicken is
used, put the thighs and
legs on the bottom.
Tip # 12 - The slightly
coarser texture of corn-fed,
organic or free-range
poultry is ideal for slow
cooker recipes.
Tip # 13 - Most meats
require 8 hours of cooking
on LOW. Use cheaper cuts of
meat - not only do you save
money, but these meats work
better for slow cooker
recipes. Cheaper cuts of
meat have less fat, which
makes them more suited to
crockpot cooking. Moist,
long cooking times result in
very tender meats.
Tip # 14 - Farberware
FSC600 6-quart Oval Slow
Cooker oval design
accommodates oversize
roasts, whole chickens,
hams, and/or ribs. It
features a large, 6-quart
capacity stoneware liner,
which nests inside a chrome
slow cooker base and the
auto setting switches to a
lower 'keep warm' setting
after cooking food.
For those who are not
concerned about cooking in
aluminum the West Bend
Versatility 6-quart Oval
Slow Cooker will work well
to cook meats. It has a
removable aluminum insert
that can be used on the
stovetop to brown meats and
caramelize onions before
slow cooking. The bottom
unit can also be used on its
own as a small griddle. Its
dishwasher-safe insert has a
nonstick interior and an
included roasting rack. |
