Recipe Station

Here are our top three mistakes people make when using a slow cooker. Correct these, and your slow cooker skills will improve immediately!

1. Wait until after work to get started.
The name of this appliance says it all. It certainly won't get dinner on the table in a hurry, but what the slow cooker lacks in speed it makes up for with convenience. Instead of waiting until 5 p.m. to reach for the slow cooker, I always make sure to plan accordingly with my schedule. Getting the slow cooker started earlier in the day means dinner will be ready at a reasonable hour.

2. Start with a cold slow cooker.
I never take out my slow cooker, plug it in, and then immediately toss in the ingredients for a recipe — especially when using a recipe that starts with sautéed vegetables or seared meat. Instead I preheat my slow cooker on the high setting while I prep ingredients (usually for about 10 minutes).

Adding warm ingredients to a cold slow cooker can tack on an extra 15 to 20 minutes of cooking, while preheating takes no extra effort.

3. Cook large, tough cuts of meat without getting a good sear first.
Whenever I make a slow-cooked chuck roast, pork shoulder, or any other large cut of meat, I never add the raw meat into the slow cooker, as I would with chicken or ground meat. I always start by searing the meat on the stovetop or under the broiler to give dinner even more flavor.

Have you ever made any of these mistakes? What are some of your top tips for using a slow cooker? Please share your thoughts in the comment section below!

Source: The Kitchn