How To Properly Use The Slow Cooker

Cooking for your family can be a very enjoyable experience, especially if you've got the right equipment and kitchen setup to make the job go smoothly and without any issues. When preparing a meal using your slow cooker, it's important to keep in mind the size of the meal and whether or not you have the right size slow cooker for the job.

Meals that are to be prepared in the slow cooker will typically require a slow cooker which is about 12 inches in diameter, give or take an inch or two. Meals such as roasts, beef stew, pork roasts, and others will generally require this size of slow cooker.

There are exceptions to the rule though that involve dishes that may require a smaller crockpot instead of the traditional larger crockpot. Any type of dish that is typically served in smaller amounts would fit this category and that might include hot dips, sauces, desserts, and other dishes. In these cases, you would use a smaller crockpot, perhaps 6 to 8 inches in diameter. This would be big enough to hold the entire contents, but not too big for the smaller amount of food that is to be cooked.

The main thing to keep in mind is that you never want to attempt to cook a meal in a crockpot that is too small. This would prevent the dish from being cooked correctly and it would not turn out the way you would like it to turn out. A good example would be that you would not want to try to cram a roast into a 6 or 8 inch crockpot because it just simply would not fit. Even if you did manage to fit the roast into the small crockpot, it would not cook correctly because there would be no room for the food to breath and absorb the juices and steam from the cooking process.

The other important tip to keep in mind when using a slow cooker is to be aware of the cooking time that is needed for your dish. You don't want to undercook the dish because that would be unhealthy. You don't want to overcook the dish because that could dry it out and make it less desirable.

When using a slow cooker it's important that you keep these few simple facts in mind. Doing so will help you get better results when cooking your meals and will also result in less frustration because of poorly cooked dishes. Your family will appreciate the great tasting meals that you are able to provide, and you'll be satisfied with the work you have accomplished by yourself.