How to cook in a slow cooker

A multicooker is an indispensable assistant in the kitchen of any housewife. With its help, you can pamper your family members with not only tasty, but also healthy dishes.

Features of cooking in a multicooker

One of the assistants in the modern kitchen is the multicooker, which first appeared in 1950. But it has gained real popularity recently. The multicooker has the ability to automatically prepare some recipes. This allows you to free up time from monitoring the cooking process. Such dishes include simple recipes, for example, porridge or boiled vegetables.

Also, the advantages of the device include its ability to switch itself off and maintain the temperature of the finished dish.

Important! Cooking in a slow cooker requires basic knowledge and cooking skills.

The multi-helper is often compared to an old Russian stove. When preparing first courses, all ingredients are placed into the bowl at the same time. This allows you to get a rich taste and whole, not overcooked ingredients.

How to cook in a slow cooker

When choosing a cooking mode, remember that some recipes are not suitable for the standard program parameters. So for vegetables, the cooking time frame should be reduced than that established by the standard. This will preserve a large amount of useful elements in vegetables.

When preparing cereals for breakfast, it is convenient to use the delayed start mode.It turns on the device at a specified time (or after a certain period depending on the model) and starts working. This software trick saves the housewife’s morning time and allows her to delight her family with fresh, delicious breakfasts.

The time it takes to cook porridge in the multi-helper differs from cooking on the stove. When using a regular multicooker, it takes longer. But in pressure cooker models, the time indicator is less important.

Step-by-step instruction

When using equipment for the first time, many of its lucky owners often encounter an unpleasant plastic smell. As with other household appliances, the first use should be done without food. For the first time, you can pour a little water into the bowl of the device, add a few drops of lemon juice and turn on the “Cooking” mode for 5–10 minutes. After this, the multicooker should be wiped and it is ready for use.

Attention! The heating device is located under the cup. Therefore, when preparing food, those ingredients that require the longest heat treatment are placed at the bottom of the bowl.

Today, many ordinary recipes have already been adapted to the peculiarities of cooking in a slow cooker. Finding them on the Internet is not difficult.

For example, the recipe for jelly is very simple.

Ingredients used:

• pork feet;
• carrot;
• onion;
• salt, black peppercorns, garlic, bay leaf.

First of all, prepare the ingredients: wash the meat, dry it and place it in a container. Onions and carrots are peeled and added to the meat. Seasonings are added to taste. Then pour in the required amount of water. Set the “Stewing” or “Cooking” mode for 6 hours. After this, the meat is cooled and sorted into trays.Then pour in the broth and let it harden.

It is also easy to prepare milk rice porridge for breakfast using the Delayed Start program. To do this, add rice, fresh milk, salt or sugar to taste. Set the required program (“Soup” “Cooking”, Milk porridge”) for 30 minutes, then turn on the function and set the delayed start parameters, for example, by 7 am. The proportion of products is calculated based on the number of servings. For 1 serving of viscous porridge, take 1 part cereal and 3 parts milk or other liquid. For a thicker dish, the ratio of liquid to cereal is 2:1. The liquid dish is cooked in a ratio of 1 part rice to 4 parts liquid.

In a slow cooker you can prepare meat for sandwiches, which will serve as a good alternative to store-bought sausage. For this recipe, 1 kg of pork neck, salt, pepper, and spices of your choice are suitable. Instead of the neck, the adrenal part and turkey, which are cut into small pieces, are perfect. The meat is coated with salt and pepper and marinated in the refrigerator for a day. Then it is taken out and sprinkled with spices to taste (for example, paprika, coriander, garlic, etc.). The marinated meat is then wrapped in a baking sleeve in several layers to protect it from moisture. Place the sleeve in the multicooker, add hot water and turn on the cooking program for 1 hour 30 minutes.