1. Fish meat
Avoid using a slow cooker to cook fish; it is not recommended!
Chef Clare Langan in the New York Times shared, “Using a slow cooker is a good idea for stews or dishes containing a little liquid when cooked in a pot. Fish and poultry (white meat) can lose a significant amount of protein when cooked in a slow cooker. Instead, for these foods, steaming or grilling is best.”
2. Chicken breast
Similar to fish, you should also avoid cooking chicken breast in a slow cooker. Since chicken breast is mostly meat and contains very little fat, it can quickly become dry and unpleasant when cooked in a slow cooker.
Instead, you can use a slow cooker to simmer chicken bones, which is great!
3. Green vegetables
Never think that using a slow cooker can stew green vegetables! This will cause the loss of nutrients, especially a significant amount of vitamin. Normally, when cooking green vegetables with a steamer or pan at low heat, their fresh color may change due to the long cooking time.
Therefore, if you use a slow cooker to stew green vegetables together with meat, it is easy to lose nutrients and their color. Instead, add the vegetables a few minutes before the dish is finished.
For example, if you cook a beef dish with haricot vert, green peas, or snow peas, add these vegetables 10 minutes before the dish is cooked to protect the fresh color and nutritional content.
4. Cheese
Cheese and other dairy products should not be cooked in a slow cooker. Cooking cheese at a high temperature for too long can break down the milk protein and cause the cheese to clump. Even worse, the resulting dish may turn into fat and have an unpleasant taste.
Instead, stir the cheese and add it to the slow cooker 10 minutes before the dish is finished.
5. Vanilla extract
Many people use a slow cooker to make desserts like cinnamon rolls or sweet bread. However, when using a slow cooker to bake, you need to pay attention to the amount of flavoring added to the dough, specifically vanilla.
Using too much vanilla when cooking in a slow cooker can change its flavor and affect the taste of the dish.
6. Pasta
When boiling pasta or making pasta dishes, you should cook them in boiling water with a little salt. This method will allow you to control the cooking time of the pasta.
However, if you use a slow cooker, it will be difficult to know if the pasta is cooked or not. Even worse, if cooked for too long, the pasta will become a sticky mess due to the release of starch.
7. Fresh herbs
Like green vegetables, fresh herbs should not be cooked in a slow cooker. The color of the herbs will fade, and the amount of essential oils and other nutrients will decrease.
You should only sauté or sprinkle these herbs onto the dish, instead of cooking them for a long time in a slow cooker.
8. Steak
A slow cooker is a tool to make meat tender while preserving its flavor and quality. However, when it comes to cuts used for steak, you should not use a slow cooker.
Instead, use a pan to cook the steak to the desired level of doneness, such as medium-rare or medium, and enjoy it with a glass of wine!
9. Long-grain rice
If you want to cook rice, using a rice cooker is the most suitable option, not a slow cooker. This also means that you should not use a slow cooker to cook long-grain rice, even though it takes longer than other types of rice.
10. Alcohol
For certain recipes, alcohol is used to enhance the flavor. However, you should only use alcohol when cooking on a stovetop or in a pot directly, not in a slow cooker.
Since alcohol evaporates easily, if cooked in a tightly sealed slow cooker (to maintain the temperature), your dish will have a strong alcohol smell, especially wine, which can make the dish taste bitter.
11. Frozen food
Frozen food needs to be thawed and excess water should be removed before being added to a slow cooker to be fully cooked.
If you add frozen food directly to a slow cooker, the released water from the frozen food will dilute the dish and affect its quality and nutritional content due to the rapid change in temperature.
12. Smoked meat
Smoked meat usually cooks very quickly. Therefore, you should not use a slow cooker to cook smoked meat as it may become dry and brittle.
13. Various beans
Some types of beans need to be simmered for a long time to bring nutritional value to the eater. However, you should consider certain types of beans that need to be pre-processed or treated to reduce toxins (found in beans) before simmering them in a slow cooker.
For example, kidney beans contain toxins that need to be cooked in an open-topped pot so that the toxins can escape with the steam. Alternatively, you should soak the beans for 12 hours and then boil them for about 10 minutes before slow cooking them.
Increases in Energy Efficiency Achieved with Slow Cookers
As the demand for convenient cooking continues to rise, more and more families, especially those with young children, are turning to slow cookers as a way to create healthy and tasty meals with minimal effort. With so many settings and benefits, slow cookers offer a great solution for busy households.
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