Slow Cooker Smoked Turkey and Noodle Soup
EB: Slow cooking's not just about soups, stews and pot roasts!
You can make hot drinks, like Red Cranberry Mulled Wine, or you can make various kinds of dips, like the White Bean and Garlic Spread. You can even make desserts, some of which only take 2 hours.
There are also fondues and that sort of thing that you can make that are lots of fun when friends are over. If you're going to be entertaining, there's a lovely brisket that you rub and marinade overnight, and is more of a special occasion thing.
CL: Why should we brown meat before putting into the slow cooker?
EB: You can just put everything in the slow cooker, but I think you'd be robbing yourself of an essential experience. When you brown meat first, there's a reaction between the protein and the carbohydrates, called the Maillard reaction. This reaction creates a wonderful flavour that you get in the edge of a steak or in a really good broth.
While not every recipe in the cookbook calls for browning, a lot of them do and it's recommended because of how much better the dish will taste.
We also often soften the vegetables before putting them into the slow cooker because they will become more mellow and give up their flavour. Interestingly enough, some root vegetables take longer to cook than meat.
CL: I've heard we shouldn't peek at the food while cooking. Will it really affect the end result?
EB: Everytime you peek it takes 20 minutes to compensate. You have to peek every once in awhile – to turn a pot roast over, or to rearrange and give a quick stir – but it's not recommended that you dilly-dally with the lid off.
Page 2 of 2 – On page 1, Elizabeth Baird dishes on the best freezer-friendly slow cooker recipes.
