| Adapting Old Favorite Meals For Crock Pot Recipes |
|
| Saturday, 12 November 2011 | |
|
Crock pot cooking has virtually improved many lifestyles. It has helped families with hectic schedules modify their old greasy meals to healthier recipes. The direct heat from the slow cooker, its several hours of cooking, and the steam within the tightly-covered pot, all work together making crock pot cooking safe and healthy. Now that you too have discovered the benefits of using your own slow cooker, perhaps you are wondering how you can easily modify your family's favorite meals into crock pot recipes. Allow me to share some hints and tips for adapting your traditional menus for slow cooking recipes. After immersing food in water inside the pot, apply the lid and get the unit switched on. Cooking time will depend with the recipe and the quantity of food. In crock pot cooking, always remember that temperature is sufficiently slow. 1.) Insert vegetables like peas and broc coli to your recipe in the last 15-60 minutes of the cooking time. Remember that veggies cook faster. If they are still frozen, take time adding them during the last 30 minutes. 2.) If you use dried beans, be sure to soak them first so they are completely softened before adding to the cooker. For recipes that include tomatoes, salt or sugar, always remember it is all the more important that your beans are soaked. 3.) In cooking recipes involving pasta, it is best to cook the pasta ahead just a bit tender prior to adding them to the cooker. If it calls for any kind of seafood, milk or other dairy ingredients, add your pasta during the last 60 minutes of cooking. You can use condense cream soups to substitute any dairy ingredients as they can withstand longer cooking times. 4.) If your recipe involves rice, always add an extra ¼ cup of liquid for every ¼ cup of rice used. 5.) When using a traditional recipe for slow cooking, do not forget to reduce the liquid you normally use by 1/2. 6.) For soup and stew recipes, put the vegetables at the sides and bottom of the slow cooker while the meat is placed on top. The crock pot will keep the meat moist and flavorful while slowly cooking your meal to perfection. The following is an example of cooking time considered between traditional and crock pot cooking: 15- 30 minutes traditional - 1.5 to 2 hours High / 4.6 hours Low in a crock pot 35- 45 minutes traditional - 3-4 hours High / 6-10 hours Low in a crock pot 50 minutes-3 hours traditional - 4-6 hours High / 8-18 hours Low in crock pot Crock pot or slow cooking can help provide extra food in just one setting. It is an added bonus of slow cooking which is largely beneficial when preparing big meals. You can freeze the extra food for future meals, but bear in mind that reheating leftovers in a crock pot is not recommended. You can steam cooked food on the stovetop or microwave oven instead, and then place into a preheated crock pot to keep food hot for serving. Adapting your old ways of cooking to slow cooking recipes can gratify your family with great results. They know that there is nothing as comforting as a home cooked meal. About the Author: Keyword Tags: adapting meals for crock pot recipes, crock pot cooking, slow cooking, slow cookers, crock pot |
| < Prev | Next > |
|---|