A Few Words on Slow Cooker Safety

Bacteria and food borne microorganisms grows in the temperature range 41-135° Fahrenheit (temperature danger zone) and most rapidly between 70-125 ° (extreme danger zone). Make sure your slow cooker heats food quickly to get it out of the temperature danger zone: food cannot stay in the 41-135° range for more than four hours, and must reach 140°within two hours. This is the reason some recipes call for heating food on high for one hour, and then lowering the heat. Make sure you cut meat bigger than two pounds in half (or smaller), so that it will quickly register above 135 °.

• Vegetables cooked for extended periods of time at low heat loose trace elements and vitamins. Blanching vegetables quickly in hot water or quickly sautéing them will help prevent denatured enzymes and helps preserve vitamins. Green vegetables will also keep their color if they are cooked quickly.

• Some beans (particularly raw kidney beans) contain a toxin, phytohaemagglutinin, which is killed by boiling. It is advisable to pre-boil beans 10 minutes before adding them to the slow cooker.

• Keep children away from slow cookers and be careful when you are moving the appliance. Remember, slow cookers can be heavy, and they contain a large amount of extremely hot liquid.