The Complete Slow Cooker

SLOW COOKER 101

INTRODUCTION

Although slow cookers have always been popular, in the past few years they have become wildly so. Many chefs and fine food magazines are now embracing them as welland theyre not just making pot roast, either. Suddenly everyone seems to have discovered that the slow cooker is a ticket to an exotic chicken tagine, Asian-braised short ribs, killer homemade chicken stock, and even dessertsthe sorts of exciting and classic dishes Americas Test Kitchen has been making in the slow cooker for the past 10 years. Now, three best-selling books and 600 recipes later, weve pulled our collective knowledge into this comprehensive cookbook, and in the process have refined our techniques and developed even more innovative recipes.

For this new collection, we listened to what our fans have said about our recipes and used their feedback to shape the mix: Readers wanted more recipes that can cook all day (at least 8 hours) and more easy-prep recipes (no more than 15 minutes prep time and no stovetop work), and healthier recipes, too. (Icons highlight each of these types of recipes in the book, and nutritional information for the lighter recipes is at the back of the book.) Perhaps most important, we developed nearly 100 new and exciting recipes. And since it is handy to have lots of variations on slow-cooker basics, we devised a feature called Make It 5 Ways: These recipe spreads present a bulletproof technique and master recipe for a dish plus four ways to vary it so dinner is never boring. Among these recipes youll find whole roasted chicken (the slow cooker renders the meat ultratender, while spice rub options keep flavors interesting), beef stews, meatloaves, big batch marinara sauces, lentil salads, and poached salmon.

In the pages that follow, we highlight what the test kitchen has learned, share our secrets for slow-cooker success, and give you our one-of-a-kind guide to how a great slow cooker is made, along with our tested recommendations for the best slow cooker your money can buy.

GETTING STARTED

Despite all the testing we have done to make our recipes foolproof, using a slow cooker isnt an exact science; the heating power varies tremendously among brands of slow cookers. Consequently, there are a few basics you need to know as you are making the recipes in this book.

USE THE TIME RANGES

You will find both 1- and 2-hour cooking ranges for the recipes in this book. The 2-hour ranges are largely for soups and stews and pasta saucesrecipes where bringing a lot of liquid up to temperature can take some time, especially in a smaller slow cooker. So for these recipes, such as cooking times); we found this narrower range to be more reliable. We recommend that the first time you make one of these recipes you check for doneness at the lower end of the range.

KNOW YOUR SLOW COOKER

While all ovens set to 350 degrees will perform the same (assuming all the ovens are properly calibrated), temperatures vary widely among slow cookers. We tested more than a dozen models and prepared every recipe in this book in two different models. Its hard to make blanket statements that apply to all slow cookers; some models run hot and fast, while others heat more slowly and gently. In our testing, we have found that some slow cookers run hot or cool on just one of the settings (either low or high). This is where the cooks experience comes into play. If you have been using a slow cooker for some time, ask yourself if dishes are generally finished cooking at the beginning or at the end of the times provided in the recipes. The answer should tell you whether you have a fast slow cooker or a slow model. If you are just getting started with your slow cooker, check all recipes at the lower end of the time range, but allow some extra time to cook food longer if necessary. NOTE: To reiterate, all of our recipes were developed using traditional slow cookers. Be aware that there are appliances on the market, such as a multicooker, that have a slow-cooker setting or function but perform very differently and may not produce the same results.

MATCH RECIPES TO SLOW-COOKER SIZES

Slow cookers come in a variety of sizes, from the ridiculously small (1 quart) to the very big (7 quarts or more). In general, we like 6-quart models. That said, we tested our recipes in slow cookers of different sizes. Each recipe in this book includes the size range that will work for that particular recipe, though the majority of the recipes work with 4- to 7-quart slow cookers. Note that some recipes must be made in a large slow cooker (at least 5 quarts) or you run the risk of overfilling the insert. The shape of the slow cooker also matters for some of our recipes: Oval slow cookers are needed to accommodate some roasts, casseroles, braised vegetable dishes, and rice and grains. Some foods just wont fit in a round slow cooker, and some are more successful due to the greater surface area in the oval type. For example, in the case of rice and grains, an oval slow cooker allows for more even cooking because the rice or grain is spread out more. If you dont know the size of your slow cooker, check the underside of the insert (where the size is usually stamped), or simply measure how much water it takes to fill the insert to just above the lip.

Test Cook Joe Gitter carefully lowers a 6-inch cake pan containing a Key lime pie into a slow-cooker insert.

KEEP FOOD SAFE

Using a slow cooker is a safe way to cook food, but there are a few things to keep in mind to ensure it is a safe process. First, make sure your slow cooker and your utensils have been properly cleaned. Do not let your meat or fish sit out on the counter for any length of time before adding to the slow cooker. And never put frozen food into your slow cooker, as this greatly increases the risk that your food will not reach a safe bacteria-killing temperature. You should also follow our guidelines in recipes where we specify the doneness temperature of meat, fish, or poultry.

THE AMERICAS TEST KITCHEN GUIDE TO BUYING A SLOW COOKER

A slow cooker promises to be a little fantasy grandmother who sits in the kitchen all day cooking for you, but use the wrong cooker and that dream could fizzle. A cooker might run hotter than expected, drying out the food or turning it mushy, or slower than you want, so dinner isnt ready when you are. Then there can be issues with hot spots, which make food cook unevenly. And what if operating your machine is so confusing that you have to pore over the manual each time you use it?

To find the ideal machine that would deliver a properly cooked meal and be absolutely simple and intuitive to use, we went shopping. Previous experience taught us that glass lids were a must, as they allow you to see progress without losing heat. So were oval-shaped crocks, as these can accommodate large roasts and offer more versatility than round crocks. We also wanted a generous 6- to 7-quart capacity. With these criteria in mind, we rounded up eight models priced from $39.99 to $148.71.

Slow cookers rely on covered moist-heat cooking, so of course we wanted to evaluate how well each model performed the classic task of turning a tough cut of meat tender. But since people these days use their slow cookers for much more than just braises and stews, wed throw a few other recipe challenges at them, too. We chose recipes that presented a range of cooking times and that offered both low and high temperature settings. (Most recipes give you the option to cook for a shorter span on high or about twice as long on low. Generally the choice is about convenience, though delicate foods often require the low setting.)