r Fai’mirtgPSattirdag. 1976 « -
Slow cooker means return to traditional meals
By SALLY BAIR
Feature Writer
In these days of TV dinners
and hurry-up meals, there’s
one appliance which is
allowing busy homemakers
to return to more traditional
meals without spending the
whole afternoon in the kit
chen. It is the slow cooker,
which is not new, but which
is gaining m popularity.
The slow cooker offers an
alternative in meal planning
which just could mean wider
variety in meals at your
home.
Lancaster County Ex
tension Home Economist
Aggie Amold-Norman says
that the maxim “you are
what you eat” is being taken
more seriously these days.
With housewives spending
more time reading labels in
an attempt to get the most
for their money, one-pot
cooking offers several ad
vantages - thrift, nutrition,
and ease of preparation.
The slow-cooker means
that a nutritious, hot, one-pot
meal can be waiting at
dinnertime after a day at
work or an afternoon of
shopping.
One big advantage of the
slow cooker, Aggie says, is
that it is an energy saver. At
its high setting, a slow
cooker uses less electricity
than a 100 watt light bulb; at
its low setting it uses just 75
watts.
Aggie does caution.
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however, that a slow cooker
is not for those who like to
“peep” while cooking,
because that reduces the
efficiency of the appliance
and increases cooking time.
Also, the slow cooker
requires some forethought
and planning since most
recipes are designed for all
day cooking.
If you’re looking for a slow
cooker for yourself or for a
gift, Aggie says there are
basically three kinds
available. There are
crockery cookers, glass
lined cookers, and teflon
coated aluminum cookers.
Heating of the units is
usually either through coils
which surround the unit or
with a separate heating unit
underneath the pot itself.
One important question
which is often asked
regarding the slow cooker is
whether it is safe to leave
foods cooking for such a long
period. Aggie explained that
bacteria in food is killed
when it is maintained at 165
degrees for two or more
hours. Most slow cookers are
designed with a low tem
perature setting of 200
degrees and a high tem
perature of 300 degrees,
which is an acceptable
range. Aggie said that in
choosing a slow cooker its
low temperature' setting
should not be less than 185
degrees for safety.
Aggie said, “Gravy and
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sauce lovers have it made
with slow cookers.” Sauce is
produced during the cooking
and it can be thickened
either with the addition of
tapioco at the beginning of
the cooking time or by using
a cornstarch or flour and
water paste at the end of the
cooking time.
One feature of slow
cookers which homemakers
must adapt to is that it takes
longer to cook vegetables
than meat. Therefore, Aggie
says, vegetables must be
placed on the bottom and
along the sides of the cookers
so they are next to the heat
source. Aggie also suggested
that vegetables be cut in
small pieces for best results.
One good use of the slow
cooker Aggie- said is for
making soups. “You can’t
mess them up.”
Sweet and white potatoes
can be baked in a slow
cooker and rice can be
cooked effectively but it
must be long grain or con
verted.
~ In the second of two
workshops on the subject of
slow cooking Aggie said she
learned some interesting
MEMBER F.D.t C.
uses for the slow cookers.
Applesauce can be made
easily in the slow cooker and
there were stories of suc
cesses with pear butter, rice
and bread puddings and
tomato sauce.
There are some foods
which require extra caution
when used in the slow
cooker. Pasta, for instance,'
must be cooked prior to
being added to the appliance.
Also, Aggie said, fish should
not be cooked for .long
periods because it-tends to
toughen so it should be added
during the last hour of
cooking. Dairy products, too,
must be added just before
serving for best flavor and
appearance.
Most slow cookers come
equipped with cookbooks and
there are other cookbooks on
the market. But that doesn’t
solve the problem of how to
make your family’s favorite
recipe into a slow cooker
meal.
Aggie offers some
guidelines as you make the
adaptation. In the slow
cooker don’t use as much
water or liquid as some
recipes call for because
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there is no evaporation. She the slow cooker. Aggie says
recommends using half the to try half the amount of
amount of liquid. herbs and spices because
For every 45 minutes a they will be concentrated in
casserole should be in the the slow cooker. If the taste
oven, Aggie advises using is n °t strong enough more
the slow cooker for 6-10 hours can be added at the end of
on low or 3-4 hours on high, the cooking time.
Anything up to 1% hours in There is no need to saute
the oven can be cooked in the vegetables for use in the slow
slow cooker for 8-10 hours.
Be sparing with spices in
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