Slow cookers — sometimes called Crock-Pots for their famous brand name — are one of the most reliable kitchen appliances. They’ve been around for decades and while they’ve gotten more modern in appearance over the years these countertop stoves have remained essentially the same. Using a slow cooker is easy but the best part about these appliances is that you can leave them on all day long so you can start a meal in the morning and have it ready by the time you get home from work. But there are a few tips to follow when using one including avoiding common slow-cooking mistakes like opening the lid. There is however one time when you can open the lid: to thicken your contents.
| Channel | Publish Date | Thumbnail & View Count | Actions |
|---|---|---|---|
 Taste of Home | 2019-02-22 12:00:00 |  108,674 Views |
How to Use a Slow Cooker: Our Best Slow Cooker Hacks and Tips
Slow cookers are sealed and the heat creates steam. That steam evaporates but because it can’t escape into the air it condenses on the lid of the slow cooker. Because of this very little moisture escapes while the food cooks which is fine for some dishes but can be a problem if you’re trying to make a thick soup or sauce.
Slow cookers are designed to cook at lower temperatures than your oven but opening the lid is like opening the oven door: the heat dissipates and the food doesn’t cook. For this reason you shouldn’t open the lid for most cooking. However you can and should open the slow cooker lid if you’re thickening something like a soup or sauce because keeping the lid open helps reduce the water content through evaporation.
As a slow cooker cooks food condensation builds up on the lid as steam rises and has nowhere to go. That water buildup eventually drips back down into the food. The constant humidity means that soups and sauces don’t have a chance to thicken. By holding the lid open tightly like with a pair of chopsticks the moisture turns to steam and that steam has a chance to evaporate meaning that your sauce soup or even stew loses the moisture it needs to thicken.
