Slow-Cooker Success

The Ingredients

Knowing which ingredients to use and when to add them can help you be a slow-cooking pro.

• Meats with more marbling or connective tissue stay moister in the cooker. Chicken thighs and beef stew meat are good choices.
• Dairy products don’t hold up well to long cook times, so add them at the end.
• Slow cooking gives flavors time to build so you’ll need smaller amounts of seasonings if you’re adapting a stove-top or oven recipe.

General Tips
These tips can help you be a better slow cooker:

• Fill your slow cooker at least half way. Smaller amounts can take as much as 2 hours off of your cook time.
• Foods give off a lot of moisture during cooking. Adding a little flour at the beginning can give you thicker sauces.
• Always thaw meats before adding to the slow cooker. Cooking frozen meats results in an unsafe cooking environment.
• Don’t open the lid. Heat and moisture can escape, adding to your total cook time.