Tips On Using a Slow Cooker

A slow cooker can be your best friend. It saves time and it is perfect for the working mom who wants to come home to a nutritious hot meal. The non-working mom will also appreciate how handy it is. If you have one gathering dust on a shelf it is time to dig it out, clean it and search for recipes.

All I do is cut up some meat and vegetables and throw it in the slow cooker while I am at work. There are ton of things that you can make in a slow cooker including soups, pudding, casseroles, stews, curries and chilis. Some really efficient mothers sometimes have two slow cookers going at once – one for the main dish and the other for desserts. You can get these slow cookers in different sizes as well.

A slow cooker also uses less electricity than a standard electric oven. Another benefit is that you can use a very cheap cut of meat as it tenderizes the meat.

In the summer I don't mind using a slow cooker as it prevents the kitchen from getting too hot. Stuff baking in the oven can definitely raise the temperature sky high.

Another good thing about a slow cooker is that it does not need stirring. You just leave it and it takes care of itself. It is so low maintenance it is ridiculous. Also, incredibly. Also the food does not dry out at all like it would if you cook into tan oven. The slow cooker is also great for cooking puddings, custards and cakes with creamy insides.

One thing I found is that the food turns out better if you preheat the slow cooker before adding ingredients. Make sure you brown any meat before adding it to the cooker so it looks more attractive. This is especially true of meat like chicken which can look a little rubbery or unpleasant if it is not browned.

Another thing I have learned is to not peek under the lid. The more you do that the more you add cooking time to the whole ordeal. I also am sure to soak the pot after each time I use it as lifting the lid on the pot can add fifteen to twenty minutes onto cooking time.

It is also crucial not to fill the cooker too full. Slicing and dining up vegetables is also a good idea. The smaller the pieces are the faster they will cook.

Thaw out everything before slow cooking. Failure to do so could actually cause food poisoning. Be sure to test chicken or large cuts of meat with a meat thermometer to make sure it is done.

A slow cooker is not really intended to reheat food. It does not get hot enough quick enough for that. Instead use your slow to simmer and cook in stages and use the microwave to get food really hot.

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Cooking When It’s Hot

When it's hot who feels like cooking a heavy meal? Not me. Why heat up the kitchen. It is time to make lighter meals for you and the kids because the heat reduces the appetitive anyway.

In the summer I just go for the fresh fruits and vegetables. You can make all kinds of different simple and delicious dishes with them. Most need very little preparation to make them absolutely delicious.

You can also use spices to add some pep to a meal that might seem too plain (as is often the case with dishes that consist of just cut up vegetables.) Use spices to add pep to a meal instead of drowning everything in a heavy sauce. There is also no need to cook anything. I like grating vegetables in the summer to make them more palatable.

You can also experiment with lettuces. They can be used as a base for a dish as in making a bed of lettuce or as part of the salad. You should also not use too much dressing as it can be really fattening for both you and the kids. I like to make my own oil and vinegar dressings for a salad. These dressings give a light taste that adds a spicy taste to the dressing for different flavors.

Lettuce of all kinds is a good platform to start building a meal on. You can add potatoes, macaroni, chicken, shrimp, turkey and other things to lettuce. I sometimes just pour hamburger made with taco mix and grated cheese over a bed of lettuce. You can make a complete meal like this in a matter of minutes and you won't bore your kids taste buds (or your own!). Also these types of meals can be very nutritious as well.

To save time I sometimes buy precooked meat or that chicken that is part soy in the store and just dump it in the salad.

One of the most nutritious meals you can make is a macaroni salad. My kids love it with peas, cheese and tuna. They love this mix of foods whether they are cold or hot. Sometimes I add chopped up boiled eggs or a few chopped up raw tomatoes to this mix as well.

Another macaroni recipe I like is eggs, onions, tuna, relish, mayonnaise and cup of mustard. This makes a cool spicy macaroni salad dish. Of course you could add a little yellow or red curry powder to this to spice it up.

Of course if it is really hot I make sure there is a lots of cool fruit on hand for dessert. My kids love frozen fruit chunks, especially grapes. Frozen bananas with chocolate drizzled all over them are also a nice idea.

Don't bother slaving over the oven in the summer. Instead save energy, air conditioning bills and keep your kitchen cool.

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