Slow cooker is one of the best kitchen appliances. It’s truly is a must-have for every home because it’s a lifesaver. A slow cooker will save you so much time and you can cook almost everything in it. From baking bread and cakes to cooking soups and making casseroles. You will fall in love with it more on those busy weeknights, during holidays or when you hosting a party or a get-together. It’s perfect for making healthy and delicious dishes. Who doesn’t have the ideas of throwing everything into a pot and let it cook for you?
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Apart from making delicious slow cooker recipes, there are so many things you can do with your slow cooker. There are so many slow cooker hacks out there that will show you how to maximize it fully, save time and money.
Below are 13 amazing slow cooker hacks that will help you save so much time. You don’t have to be a pro to cook in a slow cooker anyone can use it. If you don’t own one I highly recommend you get one because it’s going to be worth every penny and it’s a purchase you will never regret.
I love and recommend the 7 quart slow cooker because It’s big enough to cater for a large family. You can use any standard 4-8 quart slow cooker. This one is my absolute favorite. It’s easy to programme meaning I don’t have to keep checking it and it’s easy to clean.
Make two dips in the same slow cooker
Source here
This is one of my favorite slow cooker hacks because it so effective and a big time saver. If you love throwing parties and hosting get together or game days this hack will come in handy. You simply use a few sheets of heavy foil to create divider cuts across slow cooker into two. Then use a slow cooker liner on each side of the divider to keep the two dips separate. Your guests will be mesmerized.
Slow cooker hacks: Trap condensation
Place a towel in between the lid and the pot. This hack will help you to get rid of any unwanted condensation that might tamper with what you are cooking. If untapped the condensation might drip and burn you or drip inside the slow cooker every time you lift the lid. If you are baking goodies such as bread and brownies they will become soggy. So this trick is perfect for slow cooker bread recipes. The towel will soak in all the condensation which makes sure no water drips when the lid is opened.
Slow cooker liners
Source Buzzfeed
Using Slow cooker liners is another genius slow cooker hacks that you will love. You no longer have to spend hours soaking your slow cooker and scrubbing off the food residue from the sides. Once you are done cooking, you just remove the liners and throw them away. Which means no soaking or scrubbing needed. No more hassle of cleaning your slow cooker.
You can also use aluminium foil which serves the same purpose as the slow cooker liners, it also help to distribute the heat evenly making sure that the food is cooked evenly without any burnt edges. The perfect trick for recipes such as cakes.
Make your candles
Source here
This is an awesome home DIY project. They are so easy to make. You just melt some wax, add color, your favorite essential oil, stick in a wick and let it cool. They make perfect gifts as well.
Browning your meat first
Before cooking your meat in the slow cooker brown it first in a pan. Doing this adds a richer flavor to your meat as it caramelizes the sugars and proteins in the meat which helps to maintain a much fuller and richer tasting meat. It also makes any extra fatty parts to crisp nicely.
Keep the lid closed
Every time you open the lid, the heat inside is released which means the slow cooker can take about 30 minutes to get the temperatures back to where they were before. Which means you are adding up to 30 minutes of cooking time. Unless you have to stir or add something then don’t open.
Cook main dish and side dish together
source Eat at home cooks
This hack is a big time saver. It allows you to cook everything together without the flavors blending. Wrap each piece of food nicely with tin foil and the flavors will remain intact because they all cook individually. You can do this with food such as corn on the cob, roasted chicken, potatoes, vegetables and much more.
Use it as a humidifier
This hack will come in handy if you have a cold or sinus or feeling a little under the weather especially in the cold winter days. It works so well. Fill your crock pot with water about three-quarter way, turn it on high and after like an hour you let the moisture escape into the air. Breathing in steam opens your sinus cavities and you will begin to feel better. Keep it far out of the reach of children and make sure to keep refilling it.
Slow cooker hacks: Make brownies
A slow cooker is versatile kitchen appliances. Did you know you can make delicious desserts like brownies in your slow cooker? Yes, you can and it’s pretty easy. All you have to do is to whisk everything all together, pour the brownie mixture in the cooker and set it for 3 hours. Of course, don’t forget to grease the inside first.
Removing stubborn residues
Source here
In some cases regardless of how much you clean your slow cooker, there will be a residue that is left along the sides. You can easily clean it up with baking soda. Just fill it to the top with water, add a few tablespoons of baking soda and a drop of dish soap. Turn it on low for about 6 hours, pour the water and clean it with a non-abrasive sponge and it should come off.
You can also use vinegar to clean the white residue that forms if you have used your slow cooker for a while. Simply sock your slow cooker with water and white vinegar for about 6-8 hours. After you wash it that white residue will come off.
Keeps food warm
One of the slow cookers hacks that I often do. A slow cooker helps to keep food warm. Just make sure before placing the food inside you first warm it up. Turn it on for 15 -20 minutes. This slow cooker hack is perfect for those days you are guests and you are not sure when you will be serving food.
Make your home smell amazing and so inviting by using your slow cooker as a potpourri warmer.
Source Serenity cove
Who doesn’t want their house to smell good? You simply boil cinnamon sticks, oranges, apple peels, whole cloves, 1 tsp of vanilla extract, lime, and fresh cranberries in water in your slow cooker. You can add more things to match your preferred scent. Whatever you put inside is optional. The best part is that it’s chemical-free.
Meal prep freezer meals
I love meal prepping because it saves me so much time and makes having lunch or dinner ready stress-free. Slow cooker is perfect for that. You can meal prep using a slow cooker in two simple ways.
The first one is where you throw all the ingredients into your slow cooker, once everything has fully cooked, scoop and put it the freezer bags. Then anytime you need to a quick meal, you just remove the food out of the freezer and thaw it.
The second way you just cut up all the ingredients together and put them freezer bags still uncooked. When you are ready to cook, you thaw the food and add it into your slow cooker.
I hope you have enjoyed these post on slow cooker hacks. A slow cooker has more uses than cooking so don’t let it just it collect dust on the counter put it into good use.
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