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If you are use to coming home from work having to prepare dinner. You will love the VitaClay Rice and Slow Cooker Pro because dinner will be all done when you get home from work just by spending a few minutes in the morning. Add your ingredients to the slow cooker before your leave for the day. Clean up is easy since your meal is in one pot and the pot is removable so you can immerse the inner clay pot in water to clean after it has cooled.
Slow cookers cook at a low temperature between 170 degrees and 280 degrees F. This temperature is a perfectly safe temperature for cooking foods. The minimum safe temperature you want food to reach is 140 degrees. The advantage of the VitaClay Rice and Slow Cooker Pro is its programmable settings. You can set it to start cooking at a future time and set it to keep food warm until you are ready to eat. The food will stay safe as long as the cooker is operating even if it is done. Once you turn off the Slow Cooker, it is best to store the leftovers in a sealed container in the refrigerator with in 2 hours of turning the cooker off. You should reheat leftovers on the stove, in a microwave, or in a conventional oven until it reaches 165 degrees F.
Always fill the slow cooker one half to two thirds full. If it is filled to the brim it will take too long to get to the proper temperature and you risk the liquid over flowing when it does reach its high temperature. On the other hand, if the food and liquid level is lower, the foods will cook too quickly.
Some spices and seasonings retain their flavors and enhance the flavor of the food you are cooking oregano and garlic. Other seasonings like cayenne pepper and Tabasco sauce tend to become bitter if cooked for long periods of time. These seasonings should be added during the last hour of cooking or when the cooking process is done.
Liquids do not boil away in a slow cooker, so if you are making a recipe that wasn't specifically developed for a slow cooker you may want to reduce the liquid by 1/3 to 1/2 unless you are making rice or soup.
It is best to add tender vegetables like tomatoes, mushrooms and zucchini during the last 45 minutes of cooking time so they don't overcook. Also keep in mind, vegetables may not take as long to cook as some grains. Follow the directions of the slow cooker recipe for best results.
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