Cook faster with a slow cooker

A slow cooker is sort of like having a personal chef. You take a couple of minutes to throw in food in the morning and by the end of the day, dinner is done. Here’s how to make the most of this magical appliance.

• Before adding food to the slow cooker, spray the inside of it with cooking spray to make cleanup easier.
• For food safety reasons, always cook and drain ground meats before adding them to the slow cooker.
• To shorten the cook time, turn the slow cooker to high for 1 hour, which counts as 2 hours on low.
• Recipes containing raw poultry or beef should cook a minimum of 3 hours.
• Tender vegetables, such as fresh tomatoes, mushrooms, and zucchini, should be added the last 30 minutes to prevent over cooking.
• Food can be kept on the low-setting for an hour without overcooking.
• Removing the lid of the slow cooker can delay the cooking time by 15 to 20 minutes. Try spinning the lid until vapours fall off so you can see inside rather than removing the lid.