Most of the slow cooker recipes I utilized were based on meats and poultry. Here are 14 easy ideas to make your slow cooker recipes safe and tasty:1 - According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, bacteria in food are eliminated at a temperature of 165 ° F. Meats cooked in the sluggish cooker reach an internal temperature of 170 ° in beef and as high as 190 ° F in poultry. It is important to follow the advised cooking times and to keep the cover on your sluggish cooker during the cooking process.2 - It is best not to use the slow cooker for large pieces like a roast or entire chicken due to the fact that the food will prepare so slowly it could stay in the bacterial "threat zone" too long.3 - Always defrost meat or poultry prior to putting it into a sluggish cooker.4 - Meats generally cook quicker than the majority of vegetables in a sluggish cooker.5 - Trim all fat from meat and poultry. Fat can increase the temperature of the liquid in the slow cooker and reduce the cooking time. This will cause the food to be overcooked. Fats will likewise melt with long cooking times and will add an unpleasant texture to the ended up dish.6 - Cooking at higher temperatures will typically offer you a tougher piece of meat. for throughout the day cooking or for less-tender cuts of meat, you may want to utilize the low setting.7 - The slow cooker recipes are best used with the tougher cuts of meats.8 - For the finest color and texture, hamburger is best browned prior to utilizing, except in meatloaf or other similar dishes.9 - It is not necessary to brown meat prior to sluggish cooking, however, it provides more depth of taste in the food and gets rid of a few of the fat, especially in pork, lamb and sausages. If the meat is lean, well-trimmed and not extremely marbled, it doesn't need to be browned.10 - For roasts and stews, put liquid over meat. Usage no more liquid than specified in the sluggish cooker recipes. More juices in meats and veggies are kept in sluggish cooking than in standard cooking.11 - Dark meat takes longer to prepare, so if a whole cut-up chicken is utilized, put the thighs and legs on the bottom.12 - The somewhat coarser texture of corn-fed, organic or free-range poultry is perfect for sluggish cooker recipes.13 - Most meats require 8 hours of cooking on LOW. Usage less expensive cuts of meat - not just do you conserve cash, however, these meats work much better for slow cooker dishes. More affordable cuts of meat have less fat, which makes them more suited to crockpot cooking. Moist, long cooking times result in very tender meats.14 - Farberware FSC600 6-quart Oval Slow Cooker oval design accommodates large-scale roasts, whole chickens, hams, and/or ribs. It features a large, 6-quart capacity stoneware liner, which nests inside a chrome slow cooker base and the automobile setting switches to a lower 'keep warm' setting after cooking food.For those who are not worried about cooking in aluminum the West Bend Versatility 6-quart, Oval Slow Cooker will work well to prepare meats. It has a removable aluminum insert that can be utilized on the stovetop to brown meats and caramelize onions before slow cooking. The bottom unit can likewise be used by itself as a little frying pan. Its dishwasher-safe insert has a nonstick interior and an included roasting rack.

Originally published on Live Positively.