One of the most popular ways of using a slow cooker is to prepare tough cuts of meat. These cuts are generally cheaper to buy because of the difficulty of preparing them. However, with a slow cooker, the meat is tenderised by the extended heating process. This makes them tastier and easier to chew. Some of the best, budget friendly, cuts of meat to use with a slow cooker are chuck steak, lamb shanks, pork shoulder, and skirt steak.
In addition to the meats mentioned above, poultry is a very popular option for slow cooking. You can use virtually every part of a chicken or turkey for slow cooking. However, pieces still attached to the bone work best, especially for broth-based dishes. So, choosing drumsticks or thighs are a great choice for a slow cooker recipe.
Whatever type of meat you choose, you will always want to cook it in some sort of liquid to prevent drying. Your best options for this are water, stock, broth, or cooking wine. To add flavour, various herbs and spices can be used. Dried or fresh options work great and their flavours will truly come out over the long cooking process.
Aside from meats, other additions can be put in a slow cooker to complete a main course in a single pot. Vegetables are the most obvious option and any variety may be used. You can also add grains to your meal such as pasta or rice. However, recipes incorporating these ingredients should include modified temperatures and cook times to accommodate the grains.
Dinner is not the only meal you can prepare in a slow cooker. In fact, there are a number of excellent breakfast choices that can be expertly prepared using this appliance. The most common slow cooked breakfast is oatmeal. It can take a long time to prepare fresh cut whole oats. However, this process is simplified by using a slow cooker. Your best bet is to get some old fashioned steel cut oats and cook them with some milk, cinnamon, nutmeg, and fruit. Leave it overnight for 7 to 9 hours and you’ll have a great breakfast ready in the morning.
Don’t stop with breakfast, though. There are plenty of other things you can cook in a slow cooker. You can even bake cakes using this one appliance. All you need to do is add the ingredients and cook for roughly 90 minutes. Turn the cooker over and you’ll have a perfectly round cake come out. You can also prepare hot beverages, like mulled cider, which is great for holidays or cold nights.
