Books - Everyday Slow Cooker: 130 Modern Recipes, with 40 Gluten-Free Dishes and 50 Multicooker Variations

EVERYDAY SLOW COOKER

Modern Recipes, with Gluten-Free Dishes and Multicooker Variations

BY THE EDITORS OF

CONTENTS

WELCOME

We all crave food thats easy to make and tastes amazing. Even though the slow cooker is a proven solution when it comes to hands-free, care-free cooking, it often fails to give us the vibrant, creative, and healthy food we want to prepare. But no more! With Everyday Slow Cooker , you can now have it all.

This book offers the supereasy slow-cooking process you love with new recipes featuring modern ingredients and global flavors. Try to please any crowd. With big flavor and a beautiful appearance, these slow-cooked dishes will surely impress your dinner gueststheyll never know your slow cooker did all the work. Plus, on more than 50 recipes, weve included directions for cooking the dish in a multicooker, making this book useful for both appliances. Moreover, for your ultimate ease, find cooking advice, a chapter on slow-cooking fundamentals to get you started, and a produce guide to help you shop.

Because these recipes are from Cooking Light , they arent just delicious; theyre also good for youeach developed with both satisfaction and health in mind. Youll find fresh fare such as . There are even dozens of gluten-free recipes included, ensuring that theres something here for everyone.

For home cooks ready for updated slow-cooker dishes full of original flavors and an array of nutrients, we invite you to start here. Your slow cooker is waiting.

the editors of Cooking Light

1 THE BASICS

WHY USE A SLOW COOKER?

The slow cooker truly is a life-changing appliance. Its the nearly magical kitchen tool that allows you to toss together ingredients, walk away for hours, and return to a hot, ready-to-eat meal. Who doesnt love that? The slow cooker undeniably helps make home-cooking hassle free and approachableweve listed our favorite perks below to prove it. However, the slow cooker isnt just a resource for when you have little time and energy to cook; its also the anytime solution for making mouthwateringly tender foods full of flavor. In this section, youll learn how your slow cooker works to make the delicious, satisfying food you crave, plus youll get tips for making the most of the handiest kitchen appliance you own.

In addition to making delicious food, here are other benefits that your slow cooker offers:

SAVES PREP TIME AND EFFORT. The vast majority of recipes here limit hands-on prep time to 20 minutes or less. Often, there are just a few simple steps to complete before food goes into the slow cooker, and we promise theyre worth it for maximum flavor. Plus, weve made them as quick and efficient as possible.

ELIMINATES THE NEED TO TEND FOOD WHILE IT COOKS. Once you cover the cooker and set the temperature, you can walk awayeven leave homefor hours until the food is ready.

USES ENERGY EFFICIENTLY. Slow cookers use very little energy, approximately the same amount as a single light bulb.

KEEPS YOUR KITCHEN FROM GETTING HOT. Unlike an oven, slow cookers release only a small amount of heat around them, containing most of the heat within their vessels.

SAVES MONEY. Slow-cooking is one of the easiest and most time-efficient ways to cookeven the busiest people can manage to make home-cooked meals using this method. When you cook at home and dont spend precious dollars eating out, your wallet will show it. Also, (more on).

HELPS YOU BE HEALTHY. Fat will rise to the top of your slow cooker as food cooks. Just scoop it off at the end and toss it. Furthermore, restaurants often load dishes with sodium, calories, and saturated fat. By slow-cooking at home, you can control how much of these nutrients go into your food. Bonus: Because these recipes are from Cooking Light, you can trust that theyve been developed with the perfect balance of flavor, satisfaction, and health in mind.

MAKES FOOD EASY TO TRANSPORT AND KEEP WARM. Instead of transferring hot food to another dish when taking food to a dinner party, potluck, tailgate, etc., you can carry the insulated slow cooker. Just unplug the slow cooker and use the handles or oven mitts to carefully move it. When you arrive, plug the cooker back in, set it on WARM, and effortlessly maintain food temperature for hours. The appliance does double duty as the serving vessel.

HOW SLOW COOKERS WORK

Slow cookers are comprised of three main parts: base, vessel, and lid. The base contains the heating element. The vessel, usually made of ceramic, stoneware, or metal, is where food is placed. In some slow cookers, the vessel is built into the base, while in others the vessel is a removable insert. The heavier the vessel material, the more even the heat distribution from the heat element will be, and thats what you wanteven heat surrounding the bottom and sides of the food. The lid keeps the heat and moisture locked inside the cooker, a crucial part of slow-cooking.

These three parts work together to make the tender slow-cooked foods you love. As the heating element warms the food, the food releases moisture as steam. Any liquid added to the vessel will also partially evaporate as steam. The steam creates a slight vacuum seal on the lid that allows virtually none of the moisture to escape. As steam builds inside the slow cooker, it cranks up the temperature even more and helps cook the food. The steam also keeps the food moist, allowing it to cook for long periods of time without drying out.

The two main cooking techniques that slow cookers employ are braising and poaching. In braising, food is browned, and then cooked with liquid over a long time. This method works best for tough, thick cuts of meat, such as a roast. In poaching, food is not initially browned. Its cooked submerged in simmering liquid for a shorter amount of time. This method works best for tender, lean meats and fish.

Slow cookers have three basic settings: HIGH, LOW, and WARM. The exact temperatures of each will slightly vary between slow cookers depending on type and wear-and-tear, but these ranges generally hold true:

HIGH 212F to 300F

LOW 170F to 200F