The Baking Queen

For the stressed out cook nothing is better than the flexibility and versatility of a slow cooker or crock-pot. You would be amazed at how much time you can save with a few cooking tips and a crock-pot! No pots, pans or serving dishes to deal with, just throw it all together set the cooking temperature and go about your daily life. Later when you come in the smell of dinner already steaming is enough to relieve the stress of any hard day at work.

If you have yet to discover the joys of a slow cooker, the first thing to think about is how big your pot should be. For dips, salsas and appetizers you will want a small model. As a rule, these are approximately 16 ounces and are the perfect choice when cooking for one or a small potluck dinner. When you are feeding a large number of people you will want something a bit bigger, say a 5-7 quart device. Of course, the things you cook will also play a role in determining the size of your crock-pot. For example if you want to slow simmer a full rack of ribs in your cooker you are definitely going to have to spring for the largest model.

How much temperature control would you like to have on your slow cooker? This is another important question to ask, you may want to be able to set a specific temperature for cooking meals or simply go with a push button model that has high, med or low settings. A good cooking tip to keep in mind is to check the lid when cooking on low settings; a loose lid can drop the temperature inside the cooker to unsafe levels. There are also heating element issues to think about, crock pots are like any other cooking device different models have different options, some will have heating elements in the bottom, sides or both so you need to consider this carefully. Remember a slow cooker that heats on the sides will require more liquid to prevent drying out meals with long cooking times.

If a person really enjoys mixing things up and experimenting with recipes, one pot/slow cooking provides a great number of possibilities and even chances to have some fun. The real strength of the crock pot in the kitchen is for slow cooking leaner and cheaper cuts of meat. The moist, long, slow cooking provides a very tender meats with fat that is either dissolved or very easy to remove.

There are some do’s and don’ts in crock pot cooking. Some meals require ingredients to be added in stages. For example, a stew may require the meat to be cook for a few hours before firm vegetables are added and then softer veggies can be added as cooking is finalized. Rule of thumb, add things like spices, herbs and seasonings at the beginning of the cooking cycle and things like frozen vegetables and seafood at the end. Since ingredients are generally thoroughly cooked over a long period of time, a lot of stirring is not recommended or the food breaks apart or worse, turns to mush.

You will find a crock-pot to be the most versatile cooking utensil you have, with the right cooking tips you can even create breads or deserts with it. Unlike most other dishes, you will have to be a little careful during preparation for these dishes. This is especially true if you are going to leave it cooking while you go out. Whipped or over beaten deserts can raise enough to take the lid off your cooker resulting in a fine mess for you. Definitely not a good way to end the day!

You can make almost anything in a slow cooker from simple cream cheese layer dip to pot roast, veggies, and even complex meals such as spicy paella. They also function as an excellent warmer for your holiday side dishes. With a few good cooking tips, a slow cooker can take the stress right out of a busy day.

Discover eight additional tips on how you can save a ton of money on your cooking equipment. Take advantage of Charles Carr’s extensive cooking experience as a home cook, and what he has learn from a few master chefs by getting his free limited special report Master Chef Secrets. For more great tips click cooking tips.

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