Instructions: Time Guide

Low (200F): High (300F):
15 - 30 min 4 - 6 hrs 1 1/2 - 2 hrs 35 - 45 min 6 - 10 hrs 3 - 4 hrs 50 min-3 hrs 8 - 18 hrs 4 - 6 hrs

Ingredients

Vegetables

Dense vegetables like potatoes, carrots, and other root vegetables should be cut no larger than 1" thick, and placed in the bottom of the pot, since they take longer to cook.

Liquids

Usually liquids may be decreased in slow cooking - about half the recommended
amount. Unless the dish contains rice or pasta, one cup of liquid is usually enough.

Pasta and Rice

If a recipe calls for cooked pasta to be added, cook it until just slightly tender before adding to the pot. Add 1/4 extra liquid per 1/4 cup uncooked rice, and use long grain converted rice for the best results. For long-cooking recipes, add cooked rice
shortly before serving.

Beans

I find it best to soak beans overnight before cooking them in the crock pot. The Rival brochure recommends pre-soaking then boiling for at least 10 minutes in unsalted water, draining, then add to the recipe. Before adding sugar or acidic ingredients, the beans should be softened first, either in the slow cooker or on the stove top. If your recipe includes tomatoes, salt, or other acidic ingredients, the beans should be
tender before beginning. Someone wrote
recently that instead of pre-soaking, she cooks her beans (in the crockpot) on low for about 8 hours through the night in water with a little baking soda. In the morning, she drains the beans, adds the ingredients with fresh liquid, then cooks per recipe directions. Cooking times might be shorter using this method.

Herbs and Spices

Whole herbs are recommended over ground
because their flavors hold up over long
cooking times. Add ground herbs and spices near the end of the cooking time for best flavor.

Milk/Cheese

Milk, sour cream, and cream break down
over long periods of cooking, and should be added during the last hour.

Condensed
cream soups are good substitutions for milk and can be cooked for extended times.

Cheeses dont generally hold up over
extended periods of cooking, so should be added near the end of cooking, or use
processed cheeses and spreads.

Soups

Add water only to cover ingredients in
soup, and add more after cooking if
necessary for a thinner soup.

For milk based soups, add 1 or 2 cups of water and during the last hour, stir in milk, evaporated milk, or cream as called for.

*Tinas note: obviously, some of the mentioned ingredients are things that we wont be using. Make your usual substitutions, such as lf soymilk, lf evaporated milk, etc.

Preparation

Over long cooking, some dishes may lack
flavor, but some extra preparation steps can be worthwhile. Though it isnt necessary to brown meats first, flavor is often enhanced by browning, and fat is decreased. Dusting meat or chicken in flour, browning, then deglazing the pan with wine, a little vinegar, or broth and adding that to the pot can make quite a big difference in flavor.

To make a flavorful sauce or gravy from your cooking liquid, first make a roux of flour and water (roughly 1 tablespoon of each for each cup of liquid) in a medium saucepan. Skim the fat from the cooking liquid in the slow cooker then add the liquid to the roux. Simmer, stirring, until the sauce is thickened and reduced. Serve with or over meat and/or vegetables. You can also add cornstarch
dissolved in water (1 or 2 tablespoons
cornstarch to 2 or 3 tablespoons cold water, depending on how much liquid you have)

directly to the slow cooker near the end of cooking to thicken the liquids.

obtained from web site:
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NOTES : Many of your favorite recipes can be successfully adapted to the Crock-Pot
* if you follow a few simple rules. Here youll find a basic time/temperature guide for converting recipes, some dos and donts for specific ingredients, a few tips for making your crock pot dishes more flavorful, and eight recipes.

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