4
COOKING MODES
• 1 (low) for traditional “slow cooking”. You must preheat the cooking pot in the slow cooker
on high for at least 20 minutes before cooking on low.
• 2 (high) for “fast cooking”, using the slow cooker as an electric stewpot. Keep an eye on it,
to make sure that the food doesn’t dry out. If it looks like drying out, add hot water.
• O (warm) for keeping food warm – but only after it has been cooked to readiness in the
slow cooker.
CAUTION Don’t use the low setting to heat food up – you won’t kill the bugs.
GENERAL
• Thaw frozen food completely before adding it to the cooking pot.
• Brown the meat and sauté the vegetables in a pan or the cooking pot.
• You can use the cooking pot for searing browning, sautéing or frying,suitable for gas and
electric hobs only, prior to using the slow cooker.
• Don’t cook on low without first preheating the cooking pot in the slow cooker on the high
setting for at least 20 minutes.
• Soak dried peas and beans for 8 hours (or overnight) before cooking, to soften them.
WARNING boil dried beans (e.g. red kidney beans) for at least 10 minutes before adding to
the slow cooker. They’re poisonous if eaten raw or undercooked.
• You don’t need to soak lentils overnight.
• Store ingredients prepared beforehand (e.g. the night before) in containers in the fridge.
Don’t put the slow cooker or the cooking pot into the fridge.
• Root vegetables, tubers, and bulbs (carrots, potatoes, onions) take much longer to cook
than meat, so cut them down to about 5mm (¼ inch) thick slices, sticks or dice, and sauté
them gently for 2-3 minutes in the cooking pot on a hob.
• All vegetables (including dried veg) must be immersed in the cooking liquid.
• When cooking with rice, use at least 150ml (¼pt) of cooking liquid for each 100g (4oz) of
rice. We’ve found that “easy-cook” rice gives the best results.
• Pasta isn’t suitable for slow cooking, it becomes too soft. If your recipe requires pasta, it
should be stirred in 30-40 minutes before the end of the cooking time.
PREPARATION
1. Decide when you want to eat and when you want to start cooking.
2. If you want to eat at 6 p.m., and you need to start cooking at 8 a.m., find a recipe that takes
8-10 hours. If you’re slow cooking at low power, an extra hour or so at the end of the
cooking time doesn’t make much difference, as long as there’s sufficient cooking liquid to
prevent the food drying out.
3. Prepare the food in accordance with the recipe.
4. Sit the slow cooker on a stable, level, heat-resistant surface.
5. Check that the slow cooker is off – turn the control to low.
6. Plug the slow cooker into a wall socket (switch the socket on, if it’s switchable).
7. For recipes without searing put the cookpot in the slow cooker, fit the lid.
8. Turn the control to high, and leave the slow cooker to preheat for 20 minutes.
9. Boil the cooking liquid in a pan. If you use a tinned cooking sauce, add it to the pan before
bringing it to the boil.
23160 Slow Cooker IB T22-5003021.indd 4 03/02/2016 09:13:28
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