Tips For Getting The Most Out Of Your Rival Crock Pot Slow Cooker

If you have just purchased or are planning on purchasing a Rival Crock Pot Slow Cooker, congratulations! You have just added a valuable tool to your arsenal of kitchen appliances. Rival Slow Cookers really open up the options of what you can make in the kitchen, since you can now let a meal cook all day with minimal supervision or maintenance. Though slow cookers are generally very easy to use, here are some tips that will help you get the most out of your new Rival Slow Cooker Crock Pot.

Crock pots are ideal for cooking things that require slow cooking, such as hearty stews, braised meats such as pot roast, and chili. One thing to remember is to add the ingredients to the slow cooker before heating it up. If you add cold ingredients to a hot slow cooker, you may crack the slow cooker's bowl. Add cold ingredients to the crock pot while it is still cold, and then heat it up slowly. If you are cooking your Rival Crock Pot Stoneware Slow Cooker to make something like a stew or a chili, where you'd like to cook it for a long time, make sure to cook on the low setting.

This is especially true if you plan on leaving the house. Cooking on the low setting will allow the flavors to mingle gradually and will keep the stew from burning - and it will also be less of a fire hazard if you are not home. You may not have known that Rival Crock Pot Slow Cookers can also be used to roast meats like chicken. Just cover the bottom of the slow cooker in aluminum foil, add the meat (premarinated to your taste), and cook slowly for several hours. If you are using ground meat in your slow cooker, in something like chili, it is a heart-healthy idea to brown the meat on the stove top first before adding it to the crock pot.

This reduces the amount of fat in the meat and also improves its taste. And if you're cooking with heavy or root vegetables, like potatoes or carrots, you should cut them into small chunks and put them towards the bottom of the slow cooker so they have access to more heat. These vegetables take longer to cook than most foods, so you want them to cook easily. And even though crock pots are generally used for slow cooking, there are some ingredients that shouldn't be added until the end of the cooking process. Foods like pasta, noodles, milk, cream, and ground or dried herbs can burn or break down if cooked for too long and can actually ruin the taste or composition of your stew or chili.

So if you are using these things, it is fine, but just add them in the last 30 to 60 minutes of cooking. One last thing - even though it is tempting, try not to open the lid of the slow cooker while you are cooking! The whole point of using a crock pot is to seal in the heat, and when you open the lid you lose heat - enough to need an extra 20 minutes of cooking every time you open that lid! So keep the lid closed - you will be able to enjoy the aroma of your cooking anyway! Hopefully these tips will help you get the most out of your Rival Crock Pot Slow Cooker. Enjoy your crock pot and the many versatile things you can use it for in the kitchen!