We are used to cooking meat in a pan on the stove. However, modern housewives have found a new way to cook meat products - in a slow cooker. As practice shows, this is very convenient, because you don’t need to monitor the cooking process at all - the water does not boil away, and the smart machine itself regulates the cooking temperature. In addition, meat cooked in a slow cooker turns out juicier and healthier, because the technical characteristics of the unit are designed in such a way that the products do not lose nutrients. Cooking meat in a slow cooker is very simple; the main thing is to choose a quality product and set the desired program. In our article today we will tell you in detail how to cook meat in a slow cooker.
How to cook meat in a slow cooker: general recommendations
To obtain the ideal result in the form of juicy, cooked meat, you need to take into account some factors. It is not enough to simply throw any meat product into a multicooker and select the desired program, but you should make sure that the original product is correctly selected and prepared. Follow a few rules to prepare the perfect meat dish.
- Choose fresh, high-quality meat. You can evaluate a product according to several criteria. First of all, the meat should be pink and odorless. Old, stale meat, even with prolonged cooking, will never reach the desired texture and good taste.
- If you are going to cook meat that has previously been frozen, then you should pay special attention to defrosting the ingredient. Meat should be defrosted in the refrigerator compartment, but not at room temperature.
- Immediately before cooking, remove all tendons, film and pieces of fat. We also advise you to remove the seeds, if any.
- Before cooking, we recommend lightly frying the meat on all sides in a dry frying pan. This manipulation will preserve the natural juices in the meat and make its texture even more tender.
Meat in a slow cooker - recipe secrets and preparation of ingredients
- One of the simple recipes for cooking meat in a slow cooker involves stewing. The ingredient is prepared in a sauce or with the addition of various vegetables, which are loaded into the multibowl raw or pre-fried. But you can also cook meat in a sleeve, foil, steam, simply fry or boil.
- Any type of meat is used for the dish. But it is important to strictly follow the cooking recipe so that it remains juicy. For example, tenderloin or sirloin should be cooked in less time than bone-in meat. To preserve the juiciness of the ingredient, use creamy sauces, onions and tomatoes in cooking.
- The meat for any recipe is pre-prepared. First, the piece should be washed in cold water, then dried, cut off the film and remove the veins. The meat is cut into portions according to the instructions in the recipe or cooked whole. In this case, you only need to cut the ingredient across the grain to maintain juiciness. It is not recommended to grind the product too finely, as it will quickly become dry.
- If you are using a frozen ingredient, then defrost it completely before cooking. It is recommended to do this at room temperature or on a shelf in the refrigerator. Do not defrost meat in water, especially warm water.
- To enhance the taste, the meat is pre-marinated. The marinade can be dry and consist only of spices or with the addition of vegetable oil, various sauces and herbs. It is important not to add salt to the marinade, it draws out moisture. As a result, the meat will become dry in the finished dish.
- Pay close attention to the cooking time indicated in the recipe. The slow cooker requires time to warm up, in addition to the main cooking period. Therefore, it is important to take this fact into account, especially if the recipe is developed for a specific model of household appliance.
- To get a fragrant crust on the meat when frying, dry it well to remove excess moisture. Also, some housewives pre-dip each piece of meat in flour. For frying, you can use any vegetable oil, but only purified and odorless, otherwise the taste of the dish will be spoiled.
- Vegetables for use in the recipe also undergo preliminary preparation. First of all, they need to be washed and dried. Then they are cut according to the recipe. There are also specifics for preparing individual vegetables. For example, sliced potatoes should be left in cold water for 10-15 minutes to remove the starchy taste of the vegetable.
- If you want to brown a large amount of meat for one recipe, do it in batches. This way the ingredient will be evenly fried on all sides and an appetizing crust will appear. You can also pre-fry the meat in a frying pan and then load it into the multibowl for further cooking.
How to cook beef in a slow cooker
Beef is very difficult to spoil when it comes to cooking it. During the heat treatment of this type of meat, the fibers soften, the meat becomes incredibly juicy and tender. A multicooker copes especially well with this task. This dish can be eaten as an addition to a side dish. It is enough just to lightly dip the selected piece in salt immediately before use.
So, what ingredients are needed to cook amazing beef in a slow cooker:
- beef – 1 kg;
- onion – 1 piece;
- carrots – 1 piece;
- laurel leaves – 2 pcs;
- allspice peas – 4 pcs;
- salt to taste.
Step-by-step processes for preparing boiled beef in a slow cooker:
- Wash the beef under running water.
- If necessary, remove film, tendons, bone and excess fat from the meat product.
- Place the beef in a slow cooker.
- Pour water into the appliance bowl to the maximum mark.
- Add allspice and bay leaves to the slow cooker.
- Peel the carrots. Wash the vegetable and cut into thick slices.
- Peel the onion and wash under running water.
- Place the carrots and onions in the slow cooker with the rest of the ingredients.
- Set the “Soup” or “Cooking” program on the device display.
- Wait for the liquid to boil, skim off the foam.
- Add a small pinch of salt to boiling water.
- Cook the beef on the selected program for 2-3 hours, depending on the hardness of the meat and the technical characteristics of the multicooker.
- Remove the finished beef from the broth immediately after cooking.
It is very important not to leave the beef “swimming” in the broth. This greatly spoils the finished meat, because the fibers absorb moisture and the product becomes watery.
How to cook veal meat in a slow cooker
Veal is a valuable food product. Young meat is usually incredibly tender, tasty and has a pleasant aroma. You need to cook veal with special care. Excess spices and vegetables can spoil the original taste of meat, so you need to choose the bare minimum of ingredients.
What ingredients are needed to cook veal in a slow cooker:
- veal – 1 kg;
- laurel leaves – 2 pcs;
- prunes – 4 pcs;
- celery root – ¼ piece;
- allspice peas – 3 pcs;
- salt to taste.
Cook veal in a slow cooker:
- Wash the veal and remove unnecessary parts.
- Dry the meat with a paper towel.
- Turn on the multicooker to the frying program.
- Place the veal in a preheating bowl and fry it on all sides until lightly browned.
- Pour water into the multicooker to the maximum mark.
- Add bay leaf and allspice to the bowl of the device.
- Peel the celery root. Cut ¼ of the celery into pieces of arbitrary shape.
- Place the celery root in the slow cooker.
- Rinse prunes under running water. Cut the prunes in half and add to the ingredients in the kitchen appliance.
- Set the “Soup” or “Cooking” program on the multicooker display.
- When the liquid boils, collect the foam.
- Cook the veal for 1.5-2 hours, depending on the toughness of the meat and the power of the multicooker.
- 15 minutes before the end of cooking, lightly salt the contents of the multicooker.
Meat with cheese and mushrooms, baked in a Panasonic multicooker
Meat and mushrooms are an excellent option for a hearty dish. And the cheese will give it some piquancy.
We will prepare from the following products:
- pork loin – 800 g;
- mushrooms (fresh champignons or wild mushrooms) – 500 g;
- hard cheese – 100 g;
- onion – 1 head;
- garlic – 2 cloves or in powder form;
- salt and spices - to taste;
- vegetable oil – 3 tablespoons.
Cooking time – 1 hour 30 minutes.
The calorie content of the dish is 280 cal.
So, how to bake pork meat with mushrooms and cheese in a Panasonic multicooker:
- We thoroughly wash and dry the meat beforehand;
- cut the meat into pieces measuring 3 cm by 3 cm;
- Cut whole champignons and large wild mushrooms into several parts, wash, drain off excess water;
- pour vegetable oil into the bowl of the Panasonic multicooker;
- put mushrooms, meat, salt, spices, finely chopped onions, grated garlic into it and mix everything well;
- set the Panasonic multicooker to stewing mode for 60 minutes;
- 10 minutes before the end of the mode, sprinkle grated cheese on top of the dish and close the lid again so that the cheese melts.
After the cooking process is complete, the meat and mushrooms can be mixed with cheese, or served in portions with a cheese crust on top. It wouldn’t hurt to use fresh herbs – parsley, dill.
How to cook pork in a slow cooker
Pork is quite easy to cook in a slow cooker. This type of meat product is best cooked on the bone. In addition, you should cook pork by boiling without cutting it into pieces: the larger the piece, the juicier the resulting dish. Traditionally, pork is cooked with a lot of vegetables and spices. Such additives help diversify the taste of the most popular and ordinary meat.
List of products needed to prepare boiled pork in a slow cooker:
- pork – 1 kg;
- garlic – 1 clove;
- onion – 1 piece;
- carrots – 1 piece;
- sprig of fresh rosemary – 1 piece;
- bay leaf – 2 pcs;
- allspice peas – 5 pcs;
- salt to taste.
How to cook pork in a slow cooker:
- Wash the pork under running water, remove unnecessary parts.
- Make small cuts on the meat.
- Place pork in slow cooker.
- Fill the device with water to the maximum level.
- Cut off the tendrils and the place where the tops are attached to the bulb.
- Wash the onion thoroughly without removing the skin.
- Place the peeled onion into the slow cooker.
- Peel the carrots and wash the root vegetable under running water.
- Cut the carrots into thick slices.
- Add carrots to the ingredients in the slow cooker.
- Remove the top layer of garlic, cut it into large cubes and place in a slow cooker.
- Rinse the rosemary and place it in the bowl of the device.
- Add laurel leaves and allspice to the container.
- Set the “Soup” or “Cooking” program on the multicooker display.
- Wait for the water to boil, collect the foam.
- Add salt to the boiling liquid to taste.
- Cook pork in a slow cooker for 2-3 hours, depending on the size of the meat piece and the power of the appliance.
Pork baked in foil in a slow cooker
Cooking meat in one piece in foil is a classic. And having a multicooker at home will make this process several times easier.
Ingredients for the dish:
- 1 kg pork loin in one boneless piece;
- fresh garlic – 5 cloves;
- ground black pepper in the amount of 1 teaspoon;
- one and a half teaspoons of salt are needed;
- ground coriander – 1 heaped teaspoon.
We prepare the dish for 3 hours.
The energy value of pork in foil in a slow cooker is 256 kcal.
Prepare pork baked in foil in a slow cooker as follows:
- wash the piece of pork and dry it with paper napkins or towels;
- we make shallow punctures over its entire surface;
- divide the garlic cloves lengthwise into 2 or 3 parts;
- We place each of them in a hole on a piece of meat so that half of the garlic is in the pork pulp, and the other sticks out;
- mix salt and spices in a bowl, rub the mixture gently over the entire piece;
- place it on a sheet of foil and wrap tightly;
- place the workpiece in the multicooker bowl, pour a small amount of water into it (one third of the height of the piece);
- set the “Baking” mode for 2 hours;
- As soon as the time is up, carefully open the lid of the multicooker so as not to burn your hands with the steam, and leave the pork to “rest” for another 15-20 minutes.
We take the meat out of the foil, place it on a dish in one piece or cut it into portions.
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How to cook chicken in a slow cooker
Chicken is an irreplaceable source of beneficial microelements. Most often it is fried or stewed, but heat treatment in the form of cooking is used less often. As a rule, boiled chicken is considered a dietary food product or a dish from a children's menu. We will try to completely erase this stereotype, because in a slow cooker you can cook amazing chicken, which everyone in your household will surely enjoy. The main thing when cooking chicken is not to lose the juiciness of the meat and not make it dry. The smart kitchen assistant multicooker perfectly copes with this task.
What ingredients are needed to prepare boiled chicken in a slow cooker:
- chicken – 1 piece;
- tomato paste – 1.5 tbsp. l;
- garlic – 3 cloves;
- bay leaves – 2 pcs;
- allspice peas – 3 pcs;
- parsley root to taste;
- salt to taste.
Step-by-step processes for cooking chicken meat in a slow cooker:
- Wash the chicken and dry with a paper towel. If you want to reduce the fat content of the product, remove the skin from the carcass.
- Make small cuts on the chicken, especially in places where there are tendons.
- Rub the chicken with salt and leave to marinate for 30 minutes.
- Place the marinated carcass in a slow cooker.
- Dissolve tomato paste in a glass of water.
- Pour the diluted tomato paste into the multicooker bowl.
- Fill the device with water to the maximum level.
- Peel the parsley root and cut it into thick pieces of arbitrary shape.
- Place parsley root in a multicooker bowl.
- Remove the top layer from the garlic cloves.
- Cut the garlic into large pieces of arbitrary shape and place in a slow cooker.
- Add bay leaves and allspice peas to the contents of the multicooker.
- Set the “Soup” or “Cooking” mode on the multicooker display.
- After the liquid boils, remove the foam.
- Cook chicken for 1 hour. Homemade chicken will take about 2 hours.
How to cook rabbit meat in a slow cooker
Another common meat product for cooking is rabbit. This dietary meat is perfect for eating boiled. At the same time, gentle heat treatment does not impoverish the taste of the rabbit at all. However, before cooking you will have to sweat a little in the kitchen. The thing is that rabbit meat must be soaked in water before cooking. This is done to make the texture of the product soft and tender. The choice of high-quality meat is also important - rabbit meat should be white-pink in color with delicate but elastic fibers. As a rule, the most delicious rabbit meat is obtained when the animal is slaughtered at the age of 5 months. If the carcass weighs no more than 1 kg, then this is an indicator of slaughter at the right age.
What products are needed for cooking rabbit meat in a slow cooker:
- rabbit – 1 kg;
- dry red wine – 300 ml;
- onion – 1 piece;
- mixture of Italian herbs - 1 tsp;
- salt to taste.
How to cook a rabbit in a slow cooker:
- Wash the rabbit carcass under running water and remove excess parts.
- Place rabbit meat in water and soak for 7 hours, periodically changing the liquid.
- Cut the rabbit carcass and pour dry red wine.
- Marinate the rabbit meat in wine for 30 minutes.
- Rinse the rabbit meat.
- Place the meat in a multi-cooker bowl.
- Fill the container with water to the maximum mark.
- Peel the onion and cut it into rings.
- Place the onion in the slow cooker.
- Add a mixture of Italian herbs and salt to the ingredients in the unit.
- Set the cooking program on the device display.
- When the water boils, collect the foam.
- Turn on the multicooker in the “Multi-cook” mode, temperature 75 degrees.
- Cook the rabbit meat for 40 minutes - 1 hour, depending on the hardness of the product and the technical characteristics of the multicooker.
Is it possible to cook rabbit in a slow cooker?
Boiling rabbit meat in a slow cooker is very simple, but only if you know how long to set the timer. And this indicator depends on the quality of the meat.
- The best meat for boiling is animal meat aged 4-5 months. It is white and pink in color, the carcass weighs about 1 kg, the fibers are delicate and elastic. In this case, the duration of treatment should be within 1.5-2 hours.
- If the carcass weighs more, this indicates an advanced age of the individual. This meat is a little tougher; it will have to be cooked for at least 2.5-3 hours.
- The rabbit pieces will be ready in 35-55 minutes, depending on the age of the meat.
It is worth considering that any rabbit meat is cooked exclusively over low heat, so the optimal mode when using a multicooker will be “Stewing”. To make the final product soft, tender and aromatic, the carcass must first be soaked for 6-8 hours, periodically changing the water. The special taste of the dish is guaranteed if the rabbit meat is marinated in wine before boiling. To make sure the meat is cooked, pierce it with a toothpick. If the tool goes in easily and clear juice flows from the puncture site in a thin stream, the rabbit is ready.
Boiled meat is a dietary product, but only if it is properly prepared. In this case, the pieces will be easily separated into fibers, but will not be dry. If an unpleasant odor emanates from the broth after processing, it is better not to consume the dish.