Recipe(tried): Crockpot Cooking Tips

If you are like me, when you bought your crock-pot you tried a few recipes init and thought "Yuck!" Food
tasted overdone, watery, and tasteless. I've learned a few tricks lately and am finding much more success
with thecrock-pot than I used to have. Here are some tips:

1. Most recipes are written for the 3 1/2 quart
size pot. If you were making them in a 5 quart pot, you will not get the same results!!! Buy a 3 1/2 quart
pot too, they are much less expensive than the 5 quart pots!

2. Every book will tell you that 1 hour on high
= 2 hours on low. But cooking on low will give you, for the most part, *much* better results. Meat will be
much more tender and juicy cooked on low than on high. On high you are cooking at a fast simmer, so
meat will be tougher. So plan ahead and cook on low.

3. Degrease and finish the sauce or gravy on the
stove top. Since liquids remain in the crock pot, the cooking liquid is always a bit watery. Simmer it on the
stove to reduce it, and add thickeners such as flour pastes and cornstarch.

4. Broil or brown meats before adding to crock pot for more flavor and to remove excess fat.

5. All slow-cookers are not created equal.
The ones that work best are by Rival and have a crockery insert (not always removable). West Bend slow
cookers heat from the bottom and do not produce the same results as Rival crock pots which produce heat
from both bottom and sides.A` (I have NO connection to Rival)