Slow Cooker

A slow cooker is a term which is fairly self explanatory, it's a cooker which runs slowly because it runs at a low temperature. The major benefit of a slow cooker is for cooking food over a long period of times, an afternoon or longer, unattended.

A slow cooker is also known as a,

1. Slo cooker
2. Pot cooker
3. Crock cooker
4. Crock pot cooker
5. Ceramic pot cooker
6. Desktop cooker
7. Countertop cooker

The receipes which are most commonly associated with a slow cooker are as follows,

1. Stew
2. Roast

A slow cooker usually comes in an oval pot of differing dimensions, usually between one and eight litre's of liquid containment. The amount of temperature settings is usually limited to a couple, usually ranging between one hundred and seventy and one hundred and ninety Fahrenheit. The material of the pot is usually ceramic, and it is why the device is sometimes referred to as a crock pot.

A lid is also placed on top of the pot when in operation. The cooking technique is one of heat pressure and boiling. Most recipe's for a slow cooker require some form of liquid such as water, wine or gravy, and that's why stewing is perhaps the most popular recipe for a slow cooker.

To be most effective, a slow cooker needs as much time as possible. The ideal meats for a slow cooker are the cheaper cuts. These cuts of meats, with time, are ideal for stews, they remain a high level of flavour, but the slow cooking over many hours also ensures they do not toughen up.

The one problem with slow cooking is that the cooking time withdraws all the vital vitamins and properties of vegetables.