Slow cookers allow for hours-early food preparation

Like the outfits we see modeled on runways, food fashions come and go. Now, it seems, there is a renewed interest in slow cookers (also commonly called crock pots, although Crock-Pot is a registered trademark of the Rival Co.).

Asian-Spiced Chicken and Beans is a one-pot meal to make in a slow cooker. It combines navy and red beans with chicken, spices and soy sauce, and is served over rice and sprinkled with onions and peanuts. Associated Press

I got married in one of the interstices between waves of slow-cooker fashion, so I never received the slow-cooker wedding gift that so many other people I know did.

Last year, a friend and I separately decided we needed a slow cooker in our frantic lives and gave each other one for Christmas. As mothers, both of us felt we had the energy to get dinner together first thing in the morning using the slow cooker.

As a working mom, there are too many afternoons when I am off in the minivan chauffeuring the children to dance, sports or scouts. The time and energy I have left to go to the grocery store and get together a dinner is almost nonexistent.

Overall, I would have to say my experience with the new slow cooker was pretty great.

Things did not start out well, however. My daughter held the box as I slid out the sleek 6-gallon, all-white slow cooker.

The lid and crockery insert crashed down on my foot. I iced my foot; the slow cooker was OK (the foot recovered in a couple of days).

Making various meals

I started out making a barbecued beef brisket with beans, following directions. After the fact, I started to think about having added uncooked dried beans to a mixture that was salted.

Cooking beans in a salted liquid often prevents them from ever getting soft. The beans were a little chewy, so I cooked the mixture longer. When I reheated the dish, covered, in the oven a couple of days later, the beans were fine.

White Bean Turkey Chili calls for uncooked dried beans and a little bit of salt. It turned out tasty and the beans were soft enough. In the future, I think I may try soaking beans a little bit before adding them to the slow cooker.

A recipe for hot red cabbage and apples made the house smell sort of funky and didn’t taste especially great. (I made some bread in my bread machine to cancel out the smell of the cabbage.)

A recipe for ratatouille was OK, but a little watery and not the best I’ve had. I think this is a dish that benefits from being cooked on the stovetop where the liquids have the opportunity to condense.

Not surprisingly, slow cookery shines when it comes to stews. Lamb Dijon was wonderful and I will make it again. The lengthy cooking tenderizes the meat and the meat tends to shrink less. As the recipe suggests, I will try it another time with beef.

Another winner was a hot dip, Spinach Artichoke Dip. It is delicious and was devoured by my tasters.

My next step was to try the recipes from an as-yet unpublished cookbook. The first was a chicken soup recipe which called for putting the whole chicken in the pot. The next was for short ribs that were cooked in a small amount of liquid.

I am still alive, but in talking to Susan Conley, director of education for the Food Safety and Inspection Service of the USDA, I learned that these two recipes employed techniques that the USDA does not advise.

Trained as a registered dietitian, I learned in college that foods need to be kept in the refrigerator or hot. Conley reminded me that the danger zone is from 40 F to 145 F.

I asked her why slow cookers were safe.

"It is a hot, concentrated heat with a steamy liquid," she explained. "Slow cookers heat from the bottom and often from around the outside of the container. The food is kept at a temperature of 170 F to 280 F.

Safety tips for using slow cookers Associated Press Susan Conley, director of education for the Food Safety and Inspection Service of the USDA, reminds cooks that the agency offers advice on using a slow cooker. Among its safety tips are these: Make sure your hands, the cooker, work area and utensils are clean. Keep perishable foods refrigerated until you are ready to use them. You can cut items ahead of time, but store meat and vegetables separate from each other in the refrigerator. Defrost meat or poultry before putting it in the slow cooker. Select foods with a high moisture content such as soups, stews or spaghetti sauce. Fill the cooker no less than half full and no more than two-thirds full. Vegetables cook more slowly than meat and poultry in a slow cooker, so the vegetables should be placed around the bottom and side of the pot. Do not use a slow cooker for a roast or whole chicken, because the food will cook so slowly it may remain in the bacterial danger zone for too long. Keep the slow cooker’s lid on, removing it only to stir the food or to check for doneness. If the power goes out when you are not home, throw the food out. If you are at home, cook the food immediately by some other means such as a gas stove, on the outdoor grill or at a house where the power is on. If the food was completely cooked before the power went out, the food should remain safe up to two hours in the cooker with the power off. Store leftovers in shallow covered containers and refrigerate within two hours after cooking. Reheating leftovers in a slow cooker is not recommended. However, cooked food can be brought to steaming on the stove top or in the microwave and then put in the preheated cooker to keep it hot for serving.

Some recommendations

"We recommend that the items in the pot be cut into small pieces, say 2 to 3 inches, and that there be a lot of liquid surrounding the ingredients. The point is to get the heat quickly through the food so it is out of the danger zone.

"Do not use a slow cooker for a roast or whole chicken, because the food will cook so slowly it may remain in the bacterial danger zone for too long."

Family counselors say families should spend more mealtimes together, but my personal experience is that making this happen is a challenge. Here is one solution that I have now used a couple of times: In the morning I start the slow cooker and the bread machine. When we come in from whatever activity, I make a salad with a bag of salad, and microwave some vegetables.

Result: I’m able to sit down with the family and enjoy a wholesome meal, too! Try it. It worked for us.

Asian-Spiced Chicken and Beans

1/2 cup dry-packaged navy beans or 15-ounce can navy beans, rinsed, drained
1/2 cup dry-packaged red beans or 15-ounce can red beans, rinsed, drained
1 pound boneless skinless chicken breast, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
3 large carrots, diagonally sliced
2 to 3 teaspoons minced garlic, to taste
2 to 3 teaspoons minced ginger root or 1 to 2 teaspoon ground ginger, to taste
14 1/2-ounce can reduced-sodium fat-free chicken broth
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper
2 to 3 tablespoons reduced-sodium soy sauce
4 cups cooked rice
Sliced green onions and tops, for garnish
Chopped peanuts, for garnish

If using dry-packaged beans: In large saucepan, place navy and red beans and cover with 2 inches water; heat to boiling; let boil, uncovered, for 2 to 3 minutes. Remove from heat, cover and set aside for at least 1 hour and up to 4 hours. Drain soaking water and rinse beans.

If using canned beans: Omit above step.

Place beans, chicken, carrots, garlic, ginger and 1 1/4 cups chicken broth in slow cooker; stir well. Cover and cook on low until beans are tender, 5 1/2 to 6 hours.

Turn slow cooker to high. Combine cornstarch with remaining 1/2 cup chicken broth and stir into mixture in cooker; stir in crushed red pepper. Cover and cook until thickened, about 30 minutes. Stir in soy sauce.

Serve over rice; sprinkle with green onions and peanuts.

Makes 6 servings, about 1 1/2 cups each.

Nutrition information per serving: 375 calories, 3 g fat, 56 g carbohydrates, 285 mg sodium, 30 g protein, 10 g dietary fiber, 46 mg cholesterol.

Lamb Dijon

1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 pounds lamb stew meat
6 new potatoes (1 1/4 pounds), cubed
1/4 cup Dijon mustard
1/2 teaspoon grated lemon peel
1 tablespoon lemon juice
2 teaspoons chopped fresh or 1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary leaves
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
14 1/2-ounce can ready-to-serve beef broth
10-ounce package frozen green peas, thawed

Mix flour, salt and pepper in resealable plastic bag. Add lamb; shake until evenly coated. Heat oil in 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat. Cook lamb in oil about 20 minutes, stirring occasionally, until brown; drain.

Mix lamb and remaining ingredients except peas in 3?- to 6-quart slow cooker. Cover and cook on low heat setting 8 to 10 hours or until lamb is tender. Skim fat from the juices in cooker. Stir peas into lamb mixture. Cover and cook on high heat setting 10 to 15 minutes or until peas are hot. Makes 6 servings.

Ingredient substitution: For a Dijon-flavored beef dish, use the same amount of beef stew meat instead of lamb.

Finishing touch: Gremolata, which is served with Italian braised veal shanks, would also be yummy sprinkled over this lamb dish. Just mix 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley, a finely chopped clove of garlic and 1 teaspoon grated lemon peel. Sprinkle it over each serving of lamb.

Recipe reprinted from "Betty Crocker’s Slow Cooker Cookbook" (Hungry Minds, $21.95, 1999)

White Bean Turkey Chili

1 pound ground turkey breast
2 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons chili powder
1 tablespoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon sweet Hungarian paprika
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon seasoned salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
7-ounce can diced green chilies
16-ounce package dried small white beans, rinsed, drained and sorted
4 cups very hot water
2 medium onions, chopped

Crumble the turkey into a large hot skillet. Cook over medium-high heat, stirring often, until the turkey is cooked through, 7 to 10 minutes. Drain off any liquid. Turn into a 4-quart electric slow cooker. Add the chili powder, cumin, paprika, garlic powder, seasoned salt and pepper. Mix well. Stir in the green chilies, beans, water and onions.

Cover and cook on the high heat setting 1 hour. Reduce the heat setting to low and continue cooking 8 to 9 hours, or until the beans are tender.

Makes 6 to 8 servings.

Recipe reprinted from "The Best Slow Cooker Cookbook Ever" (Harper Collins, $18.95, 1995) by Natalie Haughton

Spinach and Artichoke Dip

Two 8-ounce packages cream cheese, softened
3/4 cup heavy cream (use half milk, if desired)
1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
16-ounce bag frozen cut leaf spinach, thawed and well-drained
13 3/4-ounce can quartered artichoke hearts, rinsed and well drained
2/3 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese
1 cup prepared salsa
Crackers or tortilla chip, for serving

In a food processor fitted with a metal blade, process the cream cheese, cream, Parmesan cheese and garlic powder until smooth and creamy. Add the spinach and process until thoroughly mixed. Add the artichokes and process just until coarsely chopped.

Turn the mixture into a 3 1/2-quart electric slow cooker; smooth the top. Cover and cook on the high heat setting 1 1/4 to 1 1/2 hours until hot in the center. Sprinkle the top evenly with the Jack cheese and spoon the salsa in a ring around the inside edge of the slow cooker. Cover and continue heating on high 15 minutes longer, or until the cheese is melted. Reduce the heat to the low setting and serve warm with crackers or tortilla chips for dipping. Refrigerate any leftovers.

Makes 10 servings.

Recipe reprinted from "The Best Slow Cooker Cookbook Ever" (Harper Collins, $18.95, 1995) by Natalie Haughton

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