6 tips to use your slow cooker even more often (and more efficiently)
Turn it on in the afternoon and by evening you’ll be greeted by the aromas of pumpkin soup, rendang or chili con carne. But did you know you can also heat two things at once and melt chocolate in your slow cooker? With these six tips, you’ll get even more enjoyment out of your slow cooker.
Paper towel under the lid
Baking bread or brownies in your slow cooker? Be careful that condensation drops don’t fall onto your baked goods, making them soggy. The solution is easy: place a sheet of paper towel under the lid to catch the moisture droplets.
Cream: add it at the last minute
A curry isn’t nearly as delicious without coconut milk. Do add it to the dish at the very end, though. The combination of acidity and heat can cause the coconut milk to curdle. The same applies to cream. Add cheese to your dish at the last minute too; otherwise, it will turn into an unappetizing lump of cheese.
Two ingredients at once
Stew, soup, rice dish: convenient, because you simply add everything together, put the lid on and you’re done. But did you know you can also heat two ingredients at once in that slow cooker without them mixing together? Wrap the ingredients in aluminum foil or make a divider out of aluminum foil in the inner pot, as we described earlier, and you’re done. Apparently, special aluminum foil bags are also available, but you don’t need them if you’re handy with foil.
Melting chocolate
Do you need melted chocolate to make your own bonbons or to mix into cake batter? You can use a bain-marie, with a pan in a pan of boiling water, or try melting the chocolate in your microwave, but you can also take your slow cooker out of the cupboard for this. Chop the chocolate into pieces or use chocolate drops, put them in a glass jar or a small bowl and place it in your slow cooker. Be patient for a moment and voilà: perfectly melted chocolate that hasn’t burned.
Get rid of the edges
White edges in the slow cooker? That’s limescale. You can get rid of it in no time with a little vinegar. Put warm water in the pot, add vinegar and let it sit for a while; then you can simply wipe the limescale away.
First in the frying pan, then in the slow cooker
Making a stew with meat? It will taste much better if you sear it briefly in a frying pan first. It’s also best to sauté onions, with a little garlic, while you’re at it.
Also read:
- An ode to the slow cooker, plus: a delicious recipe for slow-cooked onion soup
- Living in an Airfryer? It’s perfectly possible
- Pulled chicken from the slow cooker
Source: Kookfans
