| Slow cooking is something that can save you a lot of | | | | adjust the seasonings then. Add garlic powder, fresh |
| time. Once you have experimented with crockpot | | | | herbs or seasoned salt near the end of the cooking |
| cooking and easy slow cooker recipes, you will want | | | | time, so the flavors will remain fresh and strong. Turn |
| to use the crockpot more and more for these delicious | | | | the crockpot temperature up to high near the end of |
| meals. | | | | the cooking time if you want the sauce to thicken up. |
| Not many people enjoy sweating over a hot stove for | | | | We eat with our eyes, as the saying goes, and slow |
| hours, stirring something continuously. What if you could | | | | cooking can fade the colors in an otherwise colorful |
| make the exact same dish in a crockpot, by adding | | | | recipe. Add some brightly colored garnishes near the |
| the ingredients, stirring it once and leaving the meal to | | | | end of the cooking time or after serving the dish to |
| cook by itself? Another bonus with crock pot cookery | | | | brighten it up. |
| is that the flavors of the finished dish are often more | | | | Examples include cheese, sour cream, chopped fresh |
| intense and better combined than with alternative | | | | cilantro, chives or parsley, fresh tomatoes or even a |
| cooking methods. | | | | slice of lemon. A splash of color can liven up a dish |
| How and When to Add Seasonings | | | | and make it look more attractive. This also adds |
| If you are new to slow cooking there are a few things | | | | another flavor. |
| you should know, in addition to finding some good slow | | | | Cooking Meat and Vegetables in a Crockpot |
| cooker recipes. First of all, it is important to taste your | | | | Buy cuts of meat and roasts with the dimensions of |
| meal and season it accordingly. If you are baking | | | | your crockpot in mind. You can also trim them to fit |
| something or simmering it on the stove, you know that | | | | and if you are going to be cutting the fat off before |
| you must taste it now and then, adjusting the | | | | you cook the meat, take that into account too. |
| seasonings as you go. | | | | Fatty meat does not cook well in a crockpot so you |
| With crockpot dinners the same applies. You should | | | | will want to trim it off or cook the meat a different |
| not take the lid off a crockpot unless you have to. This | | | | way anyway. For the same reason you should take |
| is because when you take off the lid, you let steam | | | | the skin off chicken or turkey before cooking it. |
| escape and the temperature in the crockpot plummets. | | | | Because dense foods cook slower than other foods |
| It also means you have to add on about an extra half | | | | when making slow cooker recipes, put fresh root |
| an hour of cooking time. So season the food once, | | | | vegetables like onions, potatoes and carrots under the |
| rather than tasting it often. | | | | meat, at the bottom of the slow cooker, so they get |
| Crockpots can dilute flavors over extended cooking | | | | more heat and cook quicker. By using these handy tips |
| times so the best way around this is to taste the dish | | | | your slow cooker recipes should come out |
| half an hour before the end of the cooking time and | | | | wonderfully. |