Add cheese at the end
If you make the common mistake of throwing some cheese into your slow cooker early, you’ll be in for a very unpleasant surprise. A delicious cheesy recipe will quickly become a gooey curdled disaster if your cheese stays in the slow cooker for just a little too long. To avoid this catastrophe, simply add your cheese 5 to 10 minutes before serving.
Easy clean-up
We all hate the dreaded clean-up at the end of the meal. Depending on your recipe of choice, pans can become sticky, greasy, or even crusty. If you’re using a slow cooker, however, there is an easy way to avoid long and painstaking clean-ups. By using a slow cooker liner, you might just avoid the cleaning process entirely!
Brown your meats before cooking
By browning your meat in a skillet before throwing it into the slow cooker, your dish will come out tastier for numerous reasons. First, when meat is browned ahead of time, extra flavor will be locked in and the meat’s tasty juices will be sealed in. If you want even more flavor, try adding some spice or a rub to your meat as well.
Don’t fill your slow cooker to the brim
Keep in mind that food needs space to expand while cooking. If you’ve been filling your slow cooker to the top, you’ve also been preventing your food from reaching its full potential. Next time, try filling your slow cooker to about 2/3 of the way to the top. This will allow steam to collect and your food to expand.
Use your slow cooker to warm tortillas
Next time you’re making some slow-cooked chili con carne for taco night, try swapping out your slow cooker lid for a glass baking tray and placing your tortillas inside it. It works just as well as the oven, but with less hassle.
Get creative
Sure, it’s great to cook up a delicious stew in a slow cooker. However, did you know that you can also use your slow cooker for rice pudding, mulled wine, or even cheesecake?
