These days, people have schedules to keep track of their schedules! People are busy and finding time to fix a hot meal can be quite challenging. This is especially true for those who work outside of the home. The slow cooker allows you to prepare a piping hot supper to serve to your family any time of the year.
Other benefits include less clean up because you only have one pot to wash, and no excessive heat in the kitchen due to the oven and stove working overtime.
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Slow cookers are wonderful for potlucks, church or social gatherings, parties, and travel. After cooking all day, it's easy to unplug your slow cooker and transport the entire meal to another location to be plugged back in. This is ideal for holidays at a relative's house where you have agreed to bring a portion of the meal.
Safe Slow Cooking
To be considered safe, a slow cooker must be able to cook food slow enough so that it can be left unattended, yet it must be fast enough to keep food at a safe temperature.
How can you tell if your slow cooker will heat to a safe temperature? Follow these steps to ensure slow cooker safety:
1) Fill your slow cooker with 2 quarts of tepid water.
2) Heat on low for 8 hours.
3) Using a thermometer, check the temperature of the water quickly as the temperature can drop dramatically when the lid is removed.
4) The temperature of the water should be 185 degrees F. If the temperature is higher than 185 degrees, this would indicate that a meal cooked for 8 hours without stirring would be overdone. If the temperature is below 185 degrees, this could mean that your slow cooker does not heat food to an adequate temperature in order avoid potential food safety problems.
About the Author:
Amanda Formaro is the entrepreneurial mother of four children. She is the Chief Editor of FamilyCorner.com Magazine. Visit her blog by clicking here. Subscribe to her free newsletter by clicking "sign up" below.
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