5 slow-cooked favourites By The Canadian Living Test Kitchen

These easy-to-make classics simmer while you're at work so dinner is ready when you are.

Photography by Yvonne Duivenvoorden

Slow-cookers are a great way to prepare terrific-tasting, fuss-free suppers. This popular appliance is one of the easiest tools to use to streamline dinner. A slow-cooker simmers away while you are out, then you come home to a tasty, home-cooked meal that's ready when you are. Tasty comforting dishes make filling weeknight suppers, and we've included some fancier ones, too, for weekend (or occasionally, midweek) entertaining.

Stove-top method
All slow-cooker recipes are simple to prepare on top of the stove, following the conventional method of browning meat, sautéing vegetables with spices, then deglazing and slowly simmering. Here are some tips.
• Season meat. In large Dutch oven or large heavy-bottomed saucepan, heat half of the oil over medium-high heat; brown meat all over. Transfer to plate. Drain off fat in pan.
• Reduce heat to medium; add remaining oil. Add vegetables and any spices, decreasing spices by half; fry, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 4 minutes. Add any wine and tomatoes, stirring to scrape up brown bits. Double any water or stock. Decrease any tomato paste by half.
• Return meat and any accumulated juices to pan; bring to boil. Reduce heat to medium-low; cover and simmer, stirring occasionally, until meat is tender, 1-1/2 to 2-1/2 hours.
• Add thickeners; simmer until thickened, about 5 minutes.
• Cooking green peppers for hours in a slow-cooker can make soups and stews bitter, so they're usually added in the last 30 minutes of cooking. On the stove top, however, you can sauté them with onions or other vegetables.

Secrets of slow-cooking
• Pot roasts and stews are best cooked on the low setting to keep them from boiling. Cooking at a higher temperature may result in slightly stringy meat.
• If you're leaving your slow-cooker unattended all day, it's best to set it on low rather than high. This way, food cooks gently and it's not a concern if you leave it a little longer than planned.
• Use lean cuts of meat and trim off visible fat. Fat left on meat melts in the heat, creates a puddle on top and raises the cooking temperature.
• Meats such as cross-rib or blade pot roasts are tender and juicy, and they slice well. Fattier cuts, such as pork shoulder roasts, are fall-apart tender and are best served shredded or pulled.
• If you are planning a slow-cooker meal for the next day, brown vegetables and mix seasonings or sauces the night before. Trim meat so you can sear it quickly in the morning. Make sure to refrigerate raw meat in a separate container from the other ingredients.
• Cool food completely in the refrigerator. Reheat any leftovers on top of the stove or in the microwave.
• If you make a dish in the slow-cooker a day ahead, the fat is much easier to skim off once it is cold and solid out of the refrigerator.