Good - Fix-it and forget-it slow cooker magic : 550 amazing everyday recipes

For details, contact the Special Sales Department, Good Books, 307 West 36th Street, 11th Floor, New York, NY 10018 or . Good Books in an imprint of Skyhorse Publishing, Inc., a Delaware corporation. Visit our website at www.goodbooks.com. 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is available on file. Cover design by Cliff Snyder Cover illustrations by Cheryl Benner Insert photographs by Tim Lawrence and Abigail Gehring Photographs in text by Jeremy Hess Paperback ISBN: 978-1-68099-049-2 Comb binding ISBN: 978-1-68099-050-8 Ebook ISBN: 978-1-68099-089-8 Printed in the United States of America Limit of Liability/Disclaimer of Warranty: The publisher and author have made their best effort in preparing this book with care and accuracy, and it is presented in good faith. But they make no representations or warranties with respect to the completeness or accuracy of the contents of this book.

Sales representatives may not create or extend any warranty either verbally or in sales materials about this book. The advice and strategies contained in these materials may not be suitable for your situation. Consult with a professional where appropriate. Neither the author nor the publisher shall be liable for any commercial damages or loss of profit, including but not limited to special, consequential, or incidental damages. Table of Contents _________________________ _________________________ Welcome to Fix-It and Forget-It Slow Cooker Magic ! We all hope for magic when we cook. This book is filled with solid help from lots of good home cooks! Here are family-favorite recipes, gathered from cooks who regularly hear, Make it again! as their slow cookers are emptied and every bite is eaten.

When I started cooking, I needed every step spelled out, so Im committed to helping you cook successfully with a slow cooker. With more and more experience, I keep on learning about how to get a slow cooker to do its best work. For example Finding out which kinds and cuts of meat respond best to its slow, moist heat. Discovering that some ingredients should be added near the end of the cooking time. Learning that there are advantages to browning ground beef before putting it into the slow cooker, but the recipe wont fail if you dont. The recipes in Fix-It and Forget-It Slow Cooker Magic include this kind of useful information.

And if youre already at home in the kitchen, youll also find mighty good recipes here, along with tricks for making them work well in your slow cooker. Heres to lots of magic as you cook these recipes and then bring the food to your table! Hints for Cooking with a Slow Cooker What kind of slow cooker should I buy? Size? If youre part of a 4-person household (2 adults and 2 kids under 12), youll probably be happy with a 4-quart size. Youll be able to fit in 4 chicken legs or thighs or a 3-lb. beef or pork roast. Or make a full portion of lasagna. On the other hand, a 6-quart cooker works well because it will comfortably hold a whole turkey breast or a whole butternut squash.

And with that size youll be able to put a 1- or 2-quart baking dish on the floor of your cookeror several individual little bakersand make bread or muffins. I like having several different sizes. A 1-quart for dips, a 5-quart for a main dish or vegetables, and a 6- or 7-quart for barbecued pulled pork for a neighborhood gathering or to take to a potluck. Shape? Ovals accommodate most shapes and cuts of meat. They also have more floor space, so they work well for baking layered bars. Or you can suspend a loaf pan filled with bread or cake batter on the edges of the crock itself and bake it.

Programmable, probe, or manual? Programmable cookers allow you a lot of control, especially if youre going to be away for most of the day. You set the exact cooking time you want and choose High or Low. The cooker switches to Warm when the cooking time is up. I really dislike dry, over-cooked meat. Thats why Im also drawn to slow cookers with a probe, which allows you to read the actual temperature of food as it cooks. The temperature shows up on the slow cookers control panel.

Im also a devoted user of an instant-read meat thermometer. If Im using a manual slow cooker, I whip that out to make sure Im not over-cooking the chicken thighs Im hoping to serve to my family and friends. Other handy features? If youre planning to carry a slow cooker full of food in the car, youll be happier if you have a lid that locks. Getting acquainted with your slow cooker (Dont skip this step!) Slow cookers have personalities. Just like your car. Just like your microwave and stove.

So learn to know your slow cooker. Plan a little get-acquainted time. None of us knows what kind of temperament our slow cooker has until we try it outespecially how hot it cooksso dont assume anything. Save yourself a disappointment and make the first recipe in your new slow cooker on a day when youre at home. Cook it for the shortest amount of time the recipe calls for. Then check the food to see if its done.

Or if you start smelling food that seems to be finished, turn off the cooker and rescue your food. Then write in your cookbook, next to the recipe youve made, exactly how long it took to cook it. Next time you wont need to try to remember. Apply what youve learned to the next recipes you make in your cooker. If youve got a fast and furious model, cut the cooking time. You can always cook the dish longer, or finish it in the microwave.

Maximizing what a slow cooker does best Slow cookers tend to work best when theyre full. You may need to increase the cooking time if youve exceeded that amount, or reduce it if youve put in less than that. Cut the hard veggies going into your cooker into chunks of about equal size. In other words, make your potato and carrot pieces about the same size. Then theyll be done cooking at nearly the same time. There are consequences to lifting the lid on your slow cooker while its cooking.

To compensate for the lost heat, you should plan to add 15-20 minutes of cooking time for each time the lid was lifted off. On the other hand, moisture gathers in a slow cooker as it works. To allow that to cook off, or to thicken the cooking juices, take the lid off during the last half hour of cooking time. Internal cooking temperatures for meat Heres what you should know when you use your instant-read meat thermometer or your slow cookers probe: Beef: 125-130F (rare); 140-145F (medium); 160F (well done) Pork: 140-145F (rare); 145-150F (medium); 160F (well done) Turkey and Chicken: 165F