Top 5 Slow Cooker Tips

Slow cookers make great meals and they’re so easy to use! Just dump all the ingredients in, let the meal cook for a few hours, and voila, a delicious dinner is ready to serve! While slow cookers are easy and simple to use, there are a few tips you can use to take your meals to an even higher level of deliciousness. Check out our top 5 slow cooker tips and take your slow cooker technique to the next level. If you have a tip for fellow slow cooker fans, let us know by leaving a comment below, we want to hear your tips!

Cook your favorite oven recipes to slow cooker recipes!,Keep your slow cooker lid closed unless…,Use dried, not fresh herbs for recipes.,Add dairy at the end of your cook.,Brown your meat before adding it to the slow cooker.

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Just because a recipe calls for roasting in the oven doesn’t mean that you can’t make it in the slow cooker! Making a recipe in the slow cooker may fit your schedule better, be an easier clean up, or be easier to transport. There are lots of great reasons to make a meal in a slow cooker, and using our chart above, you can convert your favorite oven roasted recipe to a slow cooker recipe!,We know it’s tempting to open your slow cooker up to enjoy the delicious smells while your meal is cooking, but don’t do it! If you have to open the lid to stir or add ingredients, then it’s okay, but otherwise you’re letting heat escape. It’ll take up to 30 minutes for the slow cooker to heat back up, which will cause unevenly cooked food. There is one exception to this rule, and that’s if there is too much liquid in your slow cooker. If you find that you have too “soupy” of a broth, open the lid for the last 30 minutes of cooking. This will allow some of the excess liquid to reduce down!,Many times, fresh herbs add an extra boost of flavor to a dish, but for slow cookers, they’re not necessary. Over the long cooking time, they’ll become dried out, acrid and event burnt. That’s not something you want! Using herbs that are already dried will add the flavors you want without the negative side effects. You can use them to garnish the meal when it’s done cooking. The extra flavor and color boost will be the cherry on top of a delicious meal!,If you add diary products like milk or cream to a slow cooker too early, it can curdle, which can be a little disgusting! This generally happens if you expose it to heat for a long time, so by adding dairy over the last hour of the cook, you can avoid this problem. To really avoid this problem, mix a little bit of corn starch in with your milk or cream. It will help make a thicker, richer sauce and avoid the curdling problem!,Slow cookers make perfect meals that are full of flavor, but the one thing they don’t do is give you a sear on the outside of your meat. This little bit extra flavor and crispy texture can transform your meal – especially if you’re making a shredded product like pulled pork! While optional, if you have the time, sear your meat for a few minutes on all sides before putting into your slow cooker.

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