Lora Brody - Slow Cooker Cooking

Ive been a slow cooker addict ever since I received one as a wedding present almost thirty-five years ago. Back then we all used slow cookers. With the help of a slow cooker, a young bride could turn an inexpensive cut of meat into a tender stew, stretching the grocery budget in the process. We used this appliance to make chili, beans, and dozens of different soups and stews. When asked, How did you have the time to cook this? we answered apologetically, Oh, I did it in the slow cooker, as if this were a trifle embarrassing.

There was a certain reluctance to admit that you had made dinner using such a homely, unsophisticated appliance. It was a little like admitting youd used an eggbeater instead of a wire whisk to beat egg whites for a souffl.

As cooking became more of a leisure activity and sexier equipment, such as gleaming copper pots, turbo food processors, and espresso/capuccino machines, became kitchen essentials in many homes, the slow cooker was shoved farther back in the closet, stored in the basement, or sold off at yard sales.

Yet sales have continued. The appliance obviously fills an important need. I never put away or gave away my slow cooker. When I was writing Plugged In, I hauled it out to create and test recipes. I also went out and bought several dozen new slow cookers and was delighted to see that manufacturers had listened to consumers and now made attractive models in many sizes and in solid primary colors. I collected dozens of traditional recipes from magazines and newspapers for dishes that I suspected could, with some adjustments, be made in the slow cooker. Every time I saw the word bistro or braised or came across something that needed more than an hours cooking time or required continuous stirring over low heat, I grabbed my scissors and clipped the recipe.

My hunch paid off. When the New York Times ran a recipe for cassoulet that required dozens of steps and hours of careful pot watching, I was able to convert it into a recipe that had a third fewer steps and cooked beautifully in an unwatched pot. The more I used the slow cooker to make nontraditional, sophisticated dishes, the more I realized its potential.

If you are a loyal slow cooker user, none of the things Im about to say will come as a surprise. You already know how succulent, moist, and flavorful foods become when they are cooked slowly and gently in the appliances closed environment. You understand that the toughest cuts of meat can be cooked until they are tender enough to be cut with a fork.

You already know all this, and there is even more to learn. Welcome to a whole new way of using this time-honored kitchen appliance. The slow cooker can be used to make caramelized vegetables, hot souffls, and sophisticated game dishes. You can pair a slow cooker with an immersion blender to make rich, satiny-smooth creamless soups. You can use the slow cooker insert in the microwave oven to jump-start the cooking process and you can rely on the slow cooker to proof yeast dough and make sticky buns. Combine vegetable stock made in a slow cooker with caramelized onions to make a rich vegetarian onion soup, a low-fat vegetarian pasta sauce, or even caramelized onion risotto. Root vegetables roasted in the slow cooker are the base for an antipasto flavored with roasted garlic oil.

I recently taught at an upscale cooking school where I had promised to show thirty well-heeled men and women, perched attentively on their stools, the hippest, hottest thing to come on the culinary scene since precariously balanced vertical presentations. They watched with wide-eyed wonder as I reached down and, with a flourish, placed a slow cooker front and center on the work surface. A slow cooker! Is she kidding? There was a collective exhale of dismay as the class members gave each other the for-this-I-paid-sixty-dollars? look. As I lifted the lid off the homely appliance, a gentle billow of steam carried an aroma that was deeply and luxuriously redolent, buttery rich, and seductively alluring: whole Vidalia onions caramelized to a deep mahogany, flecked with bits of clove and bathed in double-rich Burgundy-based stock. Thirty noses moved from lofty disdain to hyperactive sniffing. My God! What is that amazing smell? As they leaned forward for a better look, I gave them an indulgent smile. Today well be making cassoulet in the slow cooker, I announced. By the next day every member of the class owned a slow cooker.

A slow cooker consists of a heavy-duty, glazed ceramic insert with a clear plastic or glass cover. This insert fits into a lightweight metal housing with an electric heating coil. When the coil is switched on, the insert absorbs the heat and gently cooks the food inside without allowing any moisture to escape. I prefer the slow cookers that come with a dishwasher-and microwave-safe removable insert that can be placed in the oven or the refrigerator.

All the recipes in this book were tested using Rival Crock-Pots. I prefer this brand because the appliance is nationally available, affordable, reliable, and sturdy. The heat is conducted evenly, and the outside metal housing doesnt get as hot as some other brands. Crock-Pot is a registered trademark of the Rival company. All Crock-Pots are made by Rival, but not all slow cookers are Crock-Pots. Crock-Pots can be found in department, houseware, and hardware stores. They come in solid colors that are much more attractive (to my taste) than the traditional flowers, grapes, or dancing vegetables motifs.

Different machines may cook at different temperatures, so if you are using a brand other than Rival, it is especially important to check each dish for doneness. In fact, even when using the same brand as I did, its important to check. There are three ways. The first is visual: Does it look done? Is it golden brown or as soft as it should be? The second is textural: Does a knife pierce the food easily? Is the interior of the meat, fish, or poultry cooked through? The third is taste: Are the flavors fully developed? (The food should not taste raw or undercooked.)

My team of testers used slow cookers of varying sizes, from the smallest, which holds about 3 cups, to the 5-quart oval, which quickly became my favorite. Although its not necessary to own more than two sizes, you might consider having a smaller (3- to 4-quart) model for chutneys, sauces, and recipes that feed about 4 people, and a large machine, such as the 5-quart, for entertaining.

Time, money, and energy are precious commodities. Imagine an appliance that promises to save you all three, and then delivers. You put the ingredients into the machine, and thats it. No more standing around, poking your head in the oven to see if the dish is cooked. No more heating up the kitchen or getting the oven dirty. No more using and washing multiple pots and pans. You can let the slow cooker make dinner while you sleep, work, run errands, or go to the gym. If youre running late, dont worry: In most cases, an extra hour of cooking time wont make much difference. I have used slow cookers for years, and I have left them on all night or all day long. While testing these recipes, I had an average of four slow cookers going at one time, often around the clock, and never, ever had any kind of electrical problem as a result. If you are concerned about leaving an electric appliance on while you are sleeping or away, then follow your instincts and use it only while you are home and awake.