Slow Cooker: Recipe says Medium, mine has high and low only
I want to cook a recipe that says to cook at medium-high for eight hours, however my slow cooker only has high and low. How do I cook my recipe so the meat doesn't resemble old shoe leather?
Thanks :)
Best Answer
If it's a wet recipe (casserole, pot roast) you're more likely to find the meat falling apart than tough.
Medium is non standard and there's actually quite a bit of variation between slow cookers. Medium on our current model is pretty much the same as high on our old one; high on the new one is a bit fierce for most recipes without adaptation.
I suggest that you cook it on high, but if you're around when it reaches the minimum cooking time, then turn it down to low (not warm) until you're ready for it.
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Is medium the same as low on slow cooker?
Slow cookers typically have a high and low heat setting, many also have a medium setting. Generally it is accepted that the low heat setting will heat food to 77\xb0C / 171\xb0F and the high setting will heat food to 90\xb0C / 194\xb0F. The medium setting will heat food to somewhere between those two temperatures.Can I cook a slow cooker recipe on high instead of low?
If timing does not allow the recipe to be cooked on low for as long as required, the slow cooker can be turned up to high and the cooking time reduced. Convert cooking time by using a ratio of 2 hours of cooking on low as being equal to 1 hour of cooking on high.Is 4 hours on high the same as 8 hours on low?
The difference between the two settings isn't a higher temperature, it's the time it takes for the slow cooker to reach the simmer point. On high, that's around three to four hours, and on low, it's seven to eight, according to Crock-Pot. So imagine if your dinner is cooking away on high all day while you're at work.What setting should I use on my slow cooker?
To qualify as a safe slow cooker the appliance must be able to cook slow enough for unattended cooking yet fast enough to keep food above the danger zone. In general, Low setting on a slow cooker = 190 degrees F and High setting = 300 degrees F....Slow Cookers \u2013 Times, Temperatures and Techniques.HighLow3 hours7 hours48596102 more rows•Feb 6, 2014Mistakes Everyone Makes Using The Slow Cooker
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Answer 2
The good news is that the low and high settings are probably not far apart. In "Slow Cooker Revolution" (2011, The Editors at America's Test Kitchen), the editors remark that you can test your slow cooker by cooking 4 quarts of water for 6 hours on either the high or low setting. An instant-read thermometer should register between 195 and 205 degrees, regardless of the setting you chose.
What does that mean for you? Using the "high" setting on your slow cooker will not adversely affect the final product, but do expect the cooking time to be quicker than the recipe states. Based on my own experience, I'd suggest that you start taking the temperature of the meat with an instant-read thermometer when you've reached 2/3 of the stated cooking time. If the recipe gives a range of times (4-6 hours rather than just 6 hours), then just start testing at the beginning of the given range.
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