Taste of Home Slow Cooker Throughout the Year: 475 Family Favorite Recipes Simmering for Every Season

Food cooks faster on the high setting, but the low setting is ideal for all-day cooking or for less tender cuts of meat. Use the warm setting to keep food hot until its ready to serve. The slow cooker recipes in this book refer to cooking on either high or low settings. Some newer slow cookers seem to heat up faster than older ones. If you have an older model and a recipe directs to cook on low, you may want to set the slow cooker on the highest setting for the first hour of cooking to be sure the food is thoroughly cooked.

Its important to use the right size for the amount of food youre making. To serve a dip from a buffet, the smallest slow cookers are ideal. For entertaining or potluck dinners, the larger sizes work best. Check the chart below to find a useful size for your household. To cook properly and safely, manufacturers and the USDA recommend slow cookers be filled at least half full but no more than two-thirds full. With many slow cooker recipes, the ingredients are added at once and are cooked all day.

For make-ahead convenience, place the food items in the crock the night before, cover and refrigerate overnight (the removable stoneware insert makes this an easy task). In the morning, place the crock in the slow cooker and select the proper temperature. Do not preheat your slow cooker. An insert that has been in the refrigerator overnight should always be put into a cold base unit. Stoneware is sensitive to dramatic temperature changes, and cracking or breakage could occur if the base is preheated. After the recipe is finished cooking, if there are any leftovers, allow them to cool, then refrigerate.

Slow cookers should not be used to reheat leftovers. Instead, use a microwave, stovetop burner or oven to reheat foods to 165. This ensures that the food has been thoroughly heated and it is safe to eat. Following a power outage of less than two hours, you can finish cooking food from your slow cooker on the stovetop or microwave. If its been more than two hours or you are unsure how long the power has been out, discard the food for your safety.

Here are some guidelines. Before converting recipes, check the manufacturers guidelines for your particular slow cooker. Find a recipe that is similar to the one you want to convert and use it as a guide. Note the amount and size of meat and vegetables, heat setting, cooking time and liquid. Since there is no evaporation, adjusting the amount of liquid in your recipe may be necessary. If a recipe calls for 6 to 8 cups of water, try starting with 5 cups.

Conversely, recipes should include at least a little liquid. If a recipe does not include liquid, add 1/2 cup of water or broth. In general, 1 hour of simmering on the stovetop or baking at 350 in the oven is equal to 8-10 hours on low or 4-6 hours on high in a slow cooker. Check the chart below. Flour and cornstarch are often used to thicken soups, stews and sauces that are cooked in a slow cooker. Cook Times 15 to 30 minutes in Conventional Oven Slow Cooker Low: 4 to 6 hours High: 1 1/2 to 2 hours 35 to 45 minutes in Conventional Oven Slow Cooker Low: 6 to 8 hours High: 3 to 4 hours 50 minutes or more in Conventional Oven Slow Cooker Low: 8 to 10 hours High: 4 to 6 hours When a range in cooking time is provided, this accounts for variables such as thickness of meat, how full the slow cooker is and the temperature of the food going into the cooker.

As you become used to how your slow cooker works, youll be better able to judge which end of the range to use.