and a ruler, preferably plastic or metal.
Using Imperial Measures
1.Count the number of measuring cups of water needed to fill the slow cooker stoneware one-half to three-quarters full.
2.Measure the depth of the water to the nearest quarter-inch.
3.Divide the number of cups by the depth of the water in inches to calculate the number of cups per inch.
Example
You’ve poured 12 cups of water into the stoneware of a 6-quart slow cooker, and measured the depth of the water as 2¾ inches (or 2.75 inches).
12 (cups) ÷ 2.75 (inches) = 4.4 (cups per inch)
4.Use the value you obtained in Step 3 to calculate a table of volumes for various depths (rounding to the nearest cup), as follows:
Example
| Depth | x 4.4 = Volume |
| 2.25 inches | 10 cups |
| 2.5 inches | 11 cups |
| 2.75 inches | 12 cups |
| 3 inches | 13 cups |
| 3.25 inches | 14 cups |
Keep this table handy for quick reference when you are preparing meals in your slow cooker.
5.After you have prepared a meal in your slow cooker, measure the depth of the food, then refer to your table of volumes to determine how many cups of food you have. Divide this number by the number of servings stated in the recipe to determine the size of a serving.
Example
You’ve prepared chili, and the recipe states that it makes 10 servings. You measure the depth of the chili and find that it is 3 inches deep. Referring to your handy table of volumes, you see that you have 13 cups of chili. You divide the number of cups (13) by the number of servings (10), and learn that each serving will be 1.3 cups (roughly 1⅓ cups). This 1⅓-cup serving will provide the nutrients and America’s Exchanges/Canada’s Choices stated in the recipe.
Using Metric Measures
1.Count the number of 250-mL measures of water needed to fill the slow cooker stoneware one-half to three-quarters full, then calculate the volume (in mL) of water currently held by the slow cooker:
Example
You’ve poured thirteen 250-mL measures of water into the stoneware of an 8-quart slow cooker.
13 × 250 = 3,250 mL
2.Measure the depth of the water to the nearest 0.5 cm.
3.Divide the volume of the water by the depth of the water in centimeters to calculate the number of mL per cm.
Example
You’ve calculated the volume of the water as 3,250 mL, and measured the depth of the water as 8 cm.
3,250 (mL) ÷ 8 (cm) = 406 mL per cm
4.Use the value you obtained in Step 3 to calculate a table of volumes for various depths, as follows:
Example
| Depth | × 406 = Volume |
| 6.5 cm | 2,639 mL |
| 7 cm | 2,842 mL |
| 7.5 cm | 3,045 mL |
| 8 cm | 3,248 mL |
| 8.5 cm | 3,451 mL |
Keep this table handy for quick reference when you are preparing meals in your slow cooker.
5.After you have prepared a meal in your slow cooker, measure the depth of the food, then refer to your table of volumes to determine how many mL of food you have. Divide this number by the number of servings stated in the recipe to determine the size of a serving.
Example
You’ve prepared soup, and the recipe states that it serves 12. You measure the depth of the soup and find that it is 7.5 cm deep. Referring to your handy table of volumes, you know that you therefore have 3,045 mL of soup. You divide this number by the serving size (12), and learn that each serving will be about 250 mL. This 250-mL serving will provide the nutrients and America’s Exchanges/Canada’s Choices stated in the recipe.
Tip
If you are refrigerating a slow cooker soup, chili or similar mixed dish for a later meal, measure out single-serving amounts into individual storage containers.
Food Safety in the Slow Cooker
Because it cooks at a very low temperature for long periods of time, cooking with a slow cooker requires a bit more vigilance about food safety than does cooking at higher temperatures. The slow cooker needs to strike a delicate balance between cooking slowly enough that it doesn’t require your attention and fast enough to ensure that food reaches temperatures that are appropriate to inhibit bacterial growth. Bacteria grow rapidly at temperatures higher than 40°F (4°C) and lower than 140°F (60°C). Once the temperature reaches 165°F (74°C), bacteria are killed. Slow cooker manufacturers have designed the appliance to ensure that bacterial growth is not a concern. As long as the lid is left on and the food is cooked for the appropriate length of time, that temperature will be reached quickly enough to ensure food safety.
Unless you have made part of the recipe ahead and refrigerated it, most of the ingredients in my recipes are warm when added to the slow cooker (the meat has been browned and the sauce has been thickened on the stovetop), which adds a cushion of comfort to any potential concerns about food safety.
Tip
Leaving the lid on when you’re slow cooking, particularly during the early stages, helps to ensure that bacteria-killing temperatures are reached in the appropriate amount of time.
The following tips will help to ensure that utmost food safety standards are met:
•Keep food refrigerated until you are ready to cook. Bacteria multiply quickly at room temperature. Do not allow ingredients to rise to room temperature before cooking.
•Do not partially cook meat or poultry and refrigerate for subsequent cooking. If you’re browning meat before adding it to the slow cooker, do so just before placing it in the slow cooker. When cooking meat, try to get it to a high temperature as quickly as possible.
•If cooking a large cut of meat, such as a pot roast, that has been added to the stoneware without being browned, set the temperature at High for at least 1 hour to accelerate the cooking process.
•If preparing ingredients in advance of cooking, refrigerate precooked meat, such as ground beef or sausage, in a separate container from vegetables. Assemble when ready to cook.
•Pay attention to the Make Ahead instructions for those recipes that can be partially prepared in advance of cooking — they have been developed to address food safety issues.
•Do not put frozen meat, fish or poultry into a slow cooker. Unless otherwise instructed, thaw frozen food before adding it to the slow cooker. Frozen fruits and vegetables should usually be thawed under cold running water to separate before being added to recipes.
•Don’t lift the lid while food is cooking. Each time the lid is removed, it takes about 20 minutes for the slow cooker to recover the lost heat. This increases the time it takes for the food to reach the “safe zone.”
•If you are away and the power goes out, discard the food if it has not finished cooking. If the food has cooked completely, it should be safe for up to 2 hours.
•Refrigerate