The ‘Slow Cook’ Setting
12
The ‘Slow Cook’ setting on the oven thermostat is used for slow cooking,
keeping food warm and warming plates for short periods.
1. All dishes cooked by the ‘Slow Cook’ setting should be cooked for a
minimum 6 hours. They will ‘hold’ at this setting for a further hour
but marked deterioration in appearance will be noticed in some
cases.
2. Joints of meat and poultry should be cooked at Mk. 6 for 30
minutes before turning to the ‘Slow Cook’ setting and never be
cooked lower than the middle shelf position.
3. Joints of meat over 2.7 kg (6 lbs) and poultry over 2 kg
(4 lbs 8oz) should not be cooked using the ‘Slow Cook’ setting.
4. Always stand covered joints on a rack over the meat tin to
allow good air circulation.
5. Pork joints and poultry must be checked for an internal
temperature of at least 88
o
C.
6. This method is unsuitable for stuffed meat and stuffed poultry.
7. Always bring soups, casseroles and liquids to the boil before
putting in the oven.
8. Cover casseroles with foil and then the lid to prevent loss of
moisture.
9. Always thaw frozen food completely before cooking.
10. Root vegetables will cook better if cut into small pieces.
11. Adjust seasonings and thickenings at the end of the cooking
time.
12. Use the zones of heat in the oven, e.g. meringues and milk
puddings can be cooked lower in the oven whilst other dishes
requiring greater heat can be cooked above them.
13. Egg and fish dishes need only 1-5 hours cooking and should
be included in day cooking sessions, when they can be
observed from time to time.
14. Dried red kidney beans must be boiled for a minimum of ten
minutes after soaking, before inclusion in any dish.
Using the ‘Slow
Cook’ Setting for
Slow Cooking