Candace’s Tips Curb the Urge to Stir – Every time you lift the lid of your slow cooker you lose heat that is equivalent to twenty minutes of cook time. Stirring is not necessary for most slow cooker recipes so resist the temptation to lift the lid unless checking for doneness within the last 30 minutes of cook time or as the recipe instructs. Hosea’s Tips How Slow Can You Go? – Since both high and low settings stabilize at the same temperature, most dishes can be prepared using either cook speed – allowing for less hands-on time cooking and more hands-on time with family. Typically, the simmer point (209 ºF) is reached within 3-4 hours on high and 7-8 hours on low, with larger cuts requiring the longer cook time. Slow Cooker Seasoning: Whole vs. Ground – When cooking slow, it's best to use whole herbs and spices rather than ground or crushed forms. Hardy whole spices can stand up to extended cooking times, allowing your choice of pork to be fully infused with the individual spice flavors. If you decide to use ground herbs and spices, add in the last hour of cook time to yield the most effective results. Succulent and Savory Crock-Pot Creations To make Crocktoberfest the talk of your town this fall, cook up one of these five tasty recipes below. These original recipes beat out hundreds to land a spot at the first-ever Crocktoberfest in NYC and Linda Cifuentes' "Kapusta Pork" recipe was the pork that rocked the Crock. Shirley DeSantis’ “Harvest-Thyme Pork ‘N Pears with Fennel” Recipe Shannon Dolan’s “Herbes De Provence Sausage” Recipe Linda Cifuentes’ “Kapusta Pork” Recipe Laura Ploeger’s “This Little Figgy Stayed Home” Recipe Cheryl Bailey’s “Trip-to-Tuscany Pork Tenderloin” Recipe AND – if you haven't already – be sure to check out Candace and Hosea's inspiring recipes! |