Slow Cooker Meals

If there was a tool that could cook meals for you while you are out of the house and have them smelling delicious when you return, would you want to use it? I bet! That tool does exist and is called a slow cooker or crock pot. Slow cookers are a kitchen appliance that use low temperatures to cook foods slowly over a longer period of time. Because you can use them to prepare a meal in advance and leave it to cook during the day, it is often a useful tool for busy families. Soups, stews, and tougher cuts of meat are the types of foods that benefit from slowly simmering in a slow cooker. Black Bean and Sweet Potato Chili and Pulled Pork Sandwiches with Red Cabbage and Carrot Slaw are two tasty slow cooker recipes that would be great for dinner. Keep reading for some practical slow cooker tips and ways to convert a recipe for a slow cooker:   

• Because many slow cooker recipes may take all day to cook, you will usually want to start them in the morning if they are being eaten for dinner. To make the morning prep easier, thaw any meat overnight in the refrigerator and wash/cut up any vegetable ingredients the night before. 
• Slow cookers need some liquid in the pot to properly cook, so make sure there is at least ½ cup of water, broth, or other liquid. 
• Slow cookers do come in different sizes, so note the size needed when using a recipe. Do not fill your slow cooker to the brim as it may not cook properly. 
• Keep the lid on your slow cooker during cooking. Removing the lid slows down the cooking process. 

Looking to convert your favorite recipe into one that will work in a slow cooker? Generally, most soup or stew recipes can be made in a slow cooker, as well as recipes with a good amount of sauce or meats that need to be cooked over a longer period of time, such as chicken thighs, beef chuck roast, or pork shoulder. There are a few things to consider when converting a recipe:

• As the lid stays on the slow cooker, no liquids boil off during cooking. Because of this, you may want to reduce the amount of liquids like broth up to one-half of what was in the original recipe. For example, if your chili recipe normally calls for 4 cups of beef stock, you can start with 2 cups in the slow cooker and add more if it looks too thick or dry.
• If using denser vegetables like potatoes or carrots, add them first to the bottom of the slow cooker as they may take longer to cook than other vegetables. 
• If the recipe uses rice, pasta, or dairy products, add those toward the very end of the cooking time. Rice and pasta can become mushy if cooked too long, while milk or cheese can split if heated over a long period.  
• The biggest question when it comes to converting a recipe for a slow cooker is how long should the cooking time be. A good rule of thumb is 1 hour of simmering on the stove or baking at 350º = 8 to 10 hours on low or 4 to 6 hours on high in a slow cooker. For other times, use the chart below as a guide.

For example, this Mediterranean Lentil Soup would take about 20 minutes on the stove, so in a slow cooker it might take 4 to 6 hours on low instead. Or this Beef Pozole Soup that normally simmers on the stove for 45 minutes might cook for 8 hours on low in the slow cooker. Pick a recipe you’d like to try in the slow cooker and test it out!