By Patrice Powers-Barker, OSU Extension, Lucas County
The Truth Contributor
Happy new year! It’s a time where we reflect on the last year, possibly set some goals or resolutions for the new year and stay bundled up for January weather. From a food and nutrition perspective, it’s always a good time to make meals easier on yourself. Whether you are looking to eat a little healthier or eat less meals out, don’t forget to use the slow cooker!
Less Hands-on Work
For many recipes, food ingredients can be put in the crock and it cooks during the day without any other attention. It’s simple to prepare recipes all in one step. Many slow cooker recipes can cook for 8 to 10 hours. The exceptions to this rule are milk products and some tender vegetables and herbs and some starches like past. They do not need to cook for many hours and should be added during the last hour of cooking.
Economical
Using a slow cooker to prepare recipes can be a good value. First, it’s economical to operate. Low wattage over a long-time costs less than high wattage for a short time. Cooking food slowly helps keep it tender. This allows for the use of less expensive cuts of meat because slow cooking tenderizes the meat. Liquids do not boil away like on the stovetop and slow cooking keeps more of the natural juices and flavors of foods.Lastly, having a healthy home cooked meal can limit the need for picking up food at a restaurant, which in turn can help with the household food budget.
Food Safety Tips
- Completely thaw frozen meat in the refrigerator before cooking it in the slow cooker. The slow cooker is great for cooking meals all day but it will not reach a high enough temperature fast enough for frozen meat.
- Do not fill food to the very top of the slow cooker. When adding ingredients, only fill the crock pot halfway or three fourths of the way full.
- Do not leave cooked food to cool down in the slow cooker. Once you turn it off and eat the meal, place left-over food in the refrigerator.
- Don’t use the slow cooker for reheating food. You can use the slow cooker to keep food warm on a buffet table but for reheating food, use the stove or microwave.
Additional cooking tips:
- Most slow cookers have clear lids so you can see the food while it’s cooking. Every time you lift the lid, you have to add an additional 15 -30 minutes of cooking time.
- Most recipes offer you the option of a longer cooking time on low or a faster cooking time on high. Usually 1 hour on high is equal to 2 hours on low.
- As mentioned before, a few ingredients like milk products and some tender vegetables and herbs should be added during the last hour of cooking.
- In the slow cooker, steam collects on the lid and the contents can get watered down. The recipe might call for thickeners like flour or cornstarch to thicken the sauce.
- Spray with cooking spray for ease of cleaning or look for coupons or sales on slow cooker liners which are placed in the crock before the food and can be thrown away when done cooking.
- If you already own a slow cooker, use it! If it’s an older model, make sure the cord is in good shape, that the legs and handles are heat-resistant and that it conducts heat evenly. If you are looking to purchase a new slow cooker, there are many options from size, cost and other features to make cooking the meal easier for you.
This recipe for Moroccan Beef and Sweet Potato Stew is from the Cattlemen’s Beef Board and National Cattlemen’s Beef Association. This can be make in a 3 ½ to 5 ½ quart sized slow cooker.
- 2-1/2 pounds beef stew meat, cut into 1 to 1-1/2-inch pieces
- 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon ground red pepper
- 1-pound sweet potatoes, peeled, cut into 1-inch pieces (about 3 cups)
- 1/2 cup regular or golden raisins
- 1 can (14-1/2 ounces) diced tomatoes with garlic and onion
Optional ingredients for serving: hot cooked couscous or other grain, chopped toasted almonds and/or chopped fresh parsley.
Prepare ingredients in the slower cooker:
- Combine flour, cumin, cinnamon, salt and red pepper in slow cooker.
- Add beef stew meat, sweet potatoes and raisins; toss to coat evenly.
- Pour tomatoes on top.
- Cover and cook on HIGH 4 to 6 hours or on LOW 8 to 9 hours or until beef and potatoes are fork-tender. (No stirring is necessary during cooking.)
- Season with salt, as desired.
Optional ways to serve the stew: You can serve it over a cooked grain such as couscous. Garnish the top with almonds and parsley, if desired. Best wishes for 2025.