Slow cooker is probably one the most used cooking appliances in most homes. It’s easy to use, big time saver, and it’s a great way to make healthy and delicious meals.
I love the idea of setting it up and it practically does all the cooking for me. You dump all the ingredient in and walk away. It’s perfect for those days you are away from your house, maybe you are at work or out running errand let the slow cooker do it magic. You can make almost anything in it, sweet right?
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If you don’t own a slowcooker and you are thinking of getting one I highly recommend the 7 quart slow cooker because It’s big enough to cater for a large family. You can use any standard 4-8 quart slow cooker. This one is my absolute favorite. It’s easy to programme meaning I don’t have to keep checking it and it’s easy to clean.
Below are simple slow cooker hacks to help you get the most out of it, save time and money. Want to be a slow cook pro? Then keep reading.
11 Brilliant slow cooker hacks you should know
I. Use slow cooker liners
Use a slow cooker liner for mess-free cleaning and cooking. They make the cleaning up process so easy, you don’t have to keep scrubbing. Once you are done you just remove the liner and throw it.
If you are out of liners, you can also use a foil which serves the same purpose as a liner and it also distributes the heat evenly making sure the food is cooked evenly and you don’t get burnt edges on recipes such as cakes.
2. Slow cooker hacks:Two Dip Crock cooking
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Are you hosting a party soon? This slow cooker hack is perfect for you. Divide your slow cooker into two sections and heat two dips at once. Use a heavy duty foil to create a wall or rather a barrier across the slow cooker. A heavy duty foil will stand on its own without crumbling. Then use a slow cooker liner to separate the two different dips.
3. Use white vinegar and baking soda to get rid of the stubborn stain.
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This will make your work easier by leaving your slow cooker spotless clean. Ever washed your slow cooker for it to dry and find it still got dirt spots? Disappointing right? White vinegar and baking soda will sort you and also help you to erase the white residue that comes from scrubbing and cooking.
4. Slow cooker hacks: Keep the lid closed.
Don’t open the lid unless the recipe requires you to add an ingredient or stir. Reason being, every time the lid is opened,the heat inside is released and the slow cooker can take another 30 minutes to get the temperatures back to what it was before.
5. Use it as a double boiler
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This has the same concept as cooking two dips together mentioned in point 2. Is there something you want to melt like chocolate? This slow cooker tip is simple and brilliant and it makes sure that you don’t overcook melted chocolate (or whatever you are melting).
All you need to do is fill in mason jars with whatever you are melting,in your slow cooker put hot water until halfway and turn it on high. After about 30 minutes uncover, stir and if fully melted set the slow cooker to low.
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6. Catch condensation
Do you find condensation annoying? Imagine you are cooking your favorite brownies or bread in your slow cooker and the condensation keeps dripping off? It will make your brownies or bread soggy and the condensation can even burn.
A slow cooker hack for this is place a towel in between the pot and the lid and it will catch the unwanted drips. The towel soaks in the condensation making sure no water drips when the lid is opened.
7. Set your slow cooker from anywhere
Do you have a recipe that requires 8 hours cook time and you won’t be around for at least 10 hours? Worry not, I got you sorted out. Some slow cookers are equipped with Wi-Fi which means you can control it from anywhere with an app on your phone.
You can easily turn it off, on or even change the settings. You don’t have to rush home from work or put your errands on hold, throw in the ingredient and go on with your schedule with no worry.
8. Prepare freezer meals
Sometimes you don’t have a lot of time to meal prep every time you want to use your slow cooker. The cool part is that you can do your meal prep in advance and freeze them.
This is perfect for those busy days because all you do is throw them in your slow cooker whenever you want to cook. One of the easiest and awesome slow cooker hacks because it will make sure you are eating healthy.
9. Brown your meat
Before putting your meat in the slow cooker brown it first in a pan. This will give your dish a fuller and a richer meat flavor because all the meat natural flavor will be released. This hack makes any extra fatty parts to become crispy.
10. Cook main dish and side dishes together
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This is a super genius and it’s a time saver. You need to use tin foils to wrap each of the food separately. This hack is perfect for when you don’t want the flavors to blend. You can cook potatoes, vegetables, roasted chicken corn on the cob and so much more with these trick.
11. Make your house smell heavenly using your slow cooker as a potpourri warmer
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This little hack will make your house smell so good and inviting. Choose the scent ingredients you want such as cinnamon sticks, oranges, and fresh cranberries and boil them in your slow cooker. This is perfect for holidays or any other time you have visitors. The cherry on the cream is that it’s chemical free.
There you have it, 11 brilliant and simple slow cooker hacks that will make you enjoy cooking more.It’s time to take out your slow cooker and enjoy it to the maximum now. If you have any other hack you would love me to add,let me know in the comment section.
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