Free – food and drink recipes

There are things to consider when using a slow cooker or crock pot. There are also various roast beef recipes you can make with your slow cooker.

Slow cookers or crock pots are countertop electrical cooking appliances that maintain a low temperature for several hours. This enables cooking stew or pot roast without the need to check on it from time to time.

Amateur cooks will find it very easy to handle and maintain. All you need to do is to fill it up, and then turn it on. After several hours, dinner can be served. However, when using the slow cooker, there are some things you need to consider. It is best to get one that has a removable liner, making it very easy to clean. If you already have one with a non-removable liner, you can just use a cooking bag; then, use cooking spray on the inner liner.

Make sure you only fill your slow cooker ? up to 2/3 full. The food will not be cooked properly if filled to the brim. However, if the liquid and food level is a bit lower, it will cook quickly.

You will find that the food along the bottom part of the slow cooker are moister and become cooked faster. This is because they are continuously immersed inside the simmering liquid. Since fats have a tendency to melt and cook easily when heated for a long time, resulting to an unpleasant texture, it is best to trim the excess fat formed and remove the skin from poultry.

During the last 30 minutes of cooking time, you can remove the lid and cook it on high to thicken the juices and add more flavors. It is best to cook on High during the 1st hour of cooking so that the temperature would easily reach 140 degrees, ensuring food safety. When you are almost done with your cooking, you can turn the dial to Low.

Do not place frozen foods inside your slow cooker. It should be defrosted first before cooking it. This way the temperature would easily reach 140 degrees. It also protects the appliance from being damaged.

Use cheaper cuts of meat because this requires about 8 hours of low cooking. Aside from being able to save money, they have less fat, moist and they result to more tender meats.

Ground meat should be cooked inside a skillet prior to cooking it in the slow cooker. If you will be cooking seafood in a slow cooker, this should be added in the last hour of cooking; otherwise, it will become overcooked and it will showcase a rubbery texture. Take note, 1 hour on high setting is actually equal to 2 hours on low setting.

Only use small amounts of Tabasco sauce and cayenne pepper because they become bitter when they are cooked for a long time. It is best to add them during the end of your cooking time.

Make sure you only add tender vegetables such as mushrooms, tomatoes and zucchini on the last 45 mins. of cooking time. This way, you will not overcook them.

Dairy products, on the other hand, must be added only during the last 30 minutes of cooking time.

Prior to storage, take out cooked food from the slow cooker or liner. Since the slow cooker’s liner is composed of thick material, cooked food will not be able to cool down quickly so as to prevent the growth of bacteria.
Only stir in spices during the last hour of cooking time. If you cook this for a long time, it will lose its flavor.

Carefully follow the layering instructions. Since vegetables are not cooked as easily as meat, you need to place them in the bottom of your slow cooker.

If you are using low temperature, do not lift the lid when you stir. This is because the heat will escape and extend the cooking time to 30 minutes more. You can check the cooking progress by spinning the cover so that the condensation would fall off, giving you a chance to look inside your slow cooker.

Here are some of the best Roast Beef Recipes you can cook with your slow cooker:

Roast Beef a la Mushroom Soup

Ingredients are 1 can of Cream of Mushroom Soup, small to medium shoulder or chuck of beef roast, 1 can of French Onion Soup, a dash of pepper and ? can of water (for cleaning the soup can).

Procedure:
Place the first 3 ingredients inside your slow cooker. Mix the ingredients until thoroughly blended. Sprinkle a dash of pepper. Put the settings on Low and allow cooking for the entire night. The next day, remove the meat and prepare your gravy. If your gravy seems too thin, add about 1 to 2 tsp. of cornstarch with ? cups of cold water. Set the cooker on high. Stir in the mixture to thicken and serve.
Roast Beef with Gravy
Ingredients are olive oil, 3 to 3 ? pounds Boneless Rump Roast, 8 garlic slivers, salt and pepper. You will also need a meat thermometer. For the gravy, you will need some beef stock or red wine and corn starch.

Procedure:
One hour prior to cooking remove the roast from the refrigerator at put it in room temperature.
Using a sharp knife, you need to cut about eight small incisions around your roast. You will place one sliver of garlic on each incision. Place one tablespoon of olive oil around your roast and then sprinkle it with salt and pepper. Put your roast on the oven rack with the fatty side up and a drip pan over a rack under the roasting rack. This way, you will not be required to turn the roast.
Brown your roast at 375oF for 30 minutes. Then, put it on 225oF. It would still 2 to 3 hours to cook but if it starts to drip and is already brown externally, use your meat thermometer to check its temperature. After this, pull your roast from the oven once the temperature reaches 135 to 140oF. Place it on an aluminum foil for about 15 minutes and carve to serve.

For the gravy:
Take out the dripping pan from the oven. Place it on the stove top while it is on medium heat. Collect the drippings, add water, beef stock or red wine. This will loosen the drippings off the pan. Then, dissolve one tablespon of cornstarch with water and add this on the drip pan. Stir it quickly as the gravy thickens. You can also add some butter, salt and pepper. Aside from this, you can also add some fresh thyme.

Barbecue accessories are essential tools that help make the perfect barbecues.

Who does not love barbecues? It is a staple food in almost any kind of gathering especially in children’s parties. People coined the term barbecue parties to mean gathering in their backyards or in any parks and socializing while grilling delicious barbecues for everyone.

Having a barbecue grill is given. There are many different types. The most common is that powered on gas. A gas-powered grill should have a smoker box and side burner convenient in heating sauces. A drip tray makes after-cooking cleaning very easy.

There is also that which uses charcoal for grilling. It should have a tight fit lid. It should also have air vents to push flames upwards. But whatever kind of grill you use, the barbecue party will not be complete without important accessories within your reach.

First is a spatula. It is useful in turning over thin, soft and large meats, especially foods that easily break when turned over with tongs. It looks like a flattened rectangular spoon with a handle. It is often made of hard plastic or wood.

Next are the tongs. These are used to pick up or turn over meats. Avoid tongs with a sharp edge. Meat loses its juices and flavor when pierced.
A tong looks like a big pair if tweezers with a handle. If the two handles are squeezed together, the tong is able to hold the meat. Tongs can be used in place of bare hands for hygienic purposes also. It can be made out of plastic or metal. If you get a metal tong, be sure it has insulations in the handle.
Forks can also be used alternatively to tongs, but pricking meat will be unavoidable. It is not good to prick meat because it lets out the juice along with the flavors.
The rack usually comes with a hinged basket and a handle for holding meats. This is essential in preventing food from falling into the gaps of the grill.
A thermometer is only needed if you are cooking meat joint or thick meat. It indicates if meat is already medium, rare or well done.
A skewer set is helpful in cooking kebabs. It secures tiny vegetable and meat pieces. It also helps turn food easily.
Oven gloves protect hands from burns. Grills can be handled comfortably even when hot with these gloves.
A basting brush is used for marinating. Spread oils and sauces in your meat with this brush while grilling.
Mentioned above are accessories used directly in the grilling process. There are other accessories that indirectly help perfect your barbecue experience. For one, a table is important, where food will be served.
Chairs complete the dining setup. Choose plastic materials as these are lighter to carry around.
Parasols give shade against the sun or rain. It also protects food from dirty elements.
Outdoor lighting is important especially if barbecue session will be done at night.
Always practice safety measures when barbecuing. Never leave your grilling unattended. Keep children and pets in a safe distance from the barbecue.
Once the charcoal is lighted, never attempt on moving your barbecue. Make sure that the ashes or charcoal is already cold prior to cleaning your griller. Store your charcoal bags in a dry, cool place, far away from heat or flammable sources. Never light your barbecue inside your house or any confined space. Charcoal actually produces carbon monoxide, a poisonous substance to inhale, especially in high amounts. Make sure your barbecue firmly placed on top of a stable and flat surface.