This guide is designed to help you adapt recipes to the slow cooker —
your own favorites and prized recipes collected from friends, food
companies, newspapers and magazines. Our aim is to save preparation
time with fewer steps and dishes…and to keep cooking simple. In most
cases, all ingredients can go into your slow cooker in the beginning and
can cook all day. Many preparatory steps are unnecessary when using
the slow cooker. A few hints:
•Allow sufficient cooking time.
• Cook with Lid on.
• Do not add as much water as some recipes indicate.
• Remember — liquids don’t “boil away” as in conventional cooking.
Usually you’ll have more liquid at the end of cooking instead of
less.
• It’s “one-step” cooking: many steps in recipes may be deleted. Add
ingredients to stoneware at one time and cook 8 to 12 hours (add
any liquid last).
•Vegetables do not overcook as they do when boiled in your oven or
on your range. Therefore, everything can go into the slow cooker at
one time. EXCEPTION: milk, sour cream or cream should be added
during last hour.
TIME GUIDE
Most uncooked meat and vegetable combinations will require at least 8
hours on LOW ( I ).
GUIDE TO ADAPTING YOUR OWN RECIPES
15 to 30 minutes
35 to 45 minutes
50 minutes to 3 hours
4 to 6 hours
6 to 10 hours
8 to 18 hours
1
1
⁄2 to 2 hours
3 to 4 hours
4 to 6 hours
IF RECIPE
FOR OVEN SAYS:
COOK ON LOW
IN SLOW COOKER:
OR COOK ON HIGH
IN SLOW COOKER:
-E6- -E7-
PASTA AND RICE
• If you are converting a recipe that calls for uncooked noodles,
macaroni, or pasta, cook them on the stovetop just until slightly tender
before adding to slow cooker.
• If you are converting a recipe that calls for cooked rice, stir in raw rice
with other ingredients; add
1
/
4
cup extra liquid per
1
/
4
cup of raw rice.
Use long grain converted rice for best results in all-day cooking.
BEANS
• Beans must be softened completely before combining with sugar
and/or acidic foods. Sugar and acid have a hardening effect on beans
and will prevent softening.
• Dried beans, especially red kidney beans, should be boiled before
adding to a recipe. Cover the beans with three times their volume of
unsalted water and bring to a boil. Boil 10 minutes, reduce heat, cover
and allow to simmer 1
1
/
2
hours or until beans are tender. Soaking in
water, if desired, should be completed before boiling. Discard water
after soaking or boiling.
• Fully cooked canned beans may be used as a substitute for dried beans.
VEGETABLES
• Many vegetables benefit from slow cook times and low temperatures
and are able to develop their full flavor. They tend not to overcook in
your slow cooker as they might in your oven or on your stovetop.
• When cooking recipes with vegetables and meat, place vegetables in
slow cooker before meat. Vegetables usually cook slower than meat in
the slow cooker.
• Place vegetables near the sides or bottom of the stoneware to facilitate
cooking. Stir in chopped or sliced vegetables with other ingredients.
• Because eggplant has a very strong flavor, you should parboil or sauté
the eggplant before adding it to the slow cooker.
HINTS AND TIPS
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