Top 7 Features You Should Look For When Buying A Slow Cooker

Slow cookers or crock pots are a must-have kitchen appliance for those who are on a budget or who are off working all day and still want to come home to a hot meal without spending hours in the kitchen after work or school. They can turn just about any cheap cut of meat into a tender morsel, and you can use them to make everything from sauces and soups to complete dinners. However, you do have to look for those features that will give you the most versatility when it comes to slow cooking and help you prepare the best tasting meals. So here the top 7 features you consider when purchasing one. It is funny that I did not understand the term "slow cookers save time" until I did the research for this article. What I learned was that it is not about the overall time saved but the miracle of coming home to a "meal done" with a starving family waiting in the wings.

Size-When it comes to slow cookers, size does make a difference. If you are mainly going to be using yours to make soups and casseroles for a single person or sauces to pour on that meal you made in the oven, then a small 3-4 quart will be your best bet. However, if you are plan to make whole meals on a regular basis, or want to make food ahead to freeze to save money then a 6-7 quart large cooker works best. Some people end up buying two different sizes to cover all their needs.

Shape-While it may not seem like the shape would not make much difference it definitely can. While round slow cookers are good for soups, stews, and sauces. An oval slow cooker will let you make all that as well as whole hams, chickens, and pot roasts.

Cooking Seafood With Summer Vegetables - Turbot And Asparagus

The summer months give us a wealth of choices of vegetable accompaniments to enhance a seafood meal.

This dish is a wonderful combination of the flat fish Turbot, a handful of Asparagus spears and freshly made Hollandaise sauce, and is probably my favourite pairing of fish and vegetable. Cook the dish in three sections at the same time. Don't worry it is simple. To start poach a 170 g fillet of Turbot covered with fish stock, if it is reasonably thick it will take around 10 minutes to cook, check that the temperature has reached 62 degrees Celsius with a digital thermometer. Meanwhile prepare the Asparagus. Blanch for a couple of minutes and the drain. Place in a lightly oiled griddle pan and cook until you can see the burnt effect on the sides of the vegetable, it will only take a couple of minutes, the vegetables should still be crunchy.

To prepare the sauce, place the white and yolk of a cracked egg along with a tablespoon of fresh lemon juice in a blender, and blend on full speed fro 5 seconds. In a pan or microwave heat 125 g of unsalted butter until bubbling. Slowly add to the egg and lemon mix with the blender at top speed.

To serve the dish start with a layer of four Asparagus tips, in the middle of the plate, top with another four at 90 degrees and finish with the last four also turned by 90 degrees. So you will end up with a stack of Asparagus. Top with the Turbot and drizzle around with the Hollandaise sauce. The sauce will be enough for two to three portions, so if you have any left over place in the fridge and eat with a cold seafood, vegetables or salad.

Cooking Seafood Tips - Kedgeree

Kedgeree is a great dish packed with flavour and nutritious ingredients. However it is also a seafood dish that is covered in mystery. Where did it originate, India or North East Scotland, and with which type of fish, Haddock or Salmon? The answer is probably both.

The dish consists of spices from the far east. These were to become used as an ingredient as part of the rich traditional spiced Dundee Cake, and were also used to flavour the fish dish. It is also accepted that smoked fish from Scotland was originally used, the area around Dundee is famous for the curing and smoking of Haddock, Salmon and Herrings. However the question is was the fish cured to take to India and be consumed on the voyage and upon arrival, or did the spices and rice meet the fish in Scotland. The most likely is that it is a combination of both, which have produced this traditional and tasty fish dish.

Tip 1. Smoke the fish yourself

Don't be put off, because it is simple and adds to the fun of cooking the dish. Traditionally the process would start with the curing of the fish in water and salt, by covering the bone less fillets of fish in the liquid solution then removing and allowing the fish to dry. This was to start the removal of water from the fish which would help in the preservation. However for your own needs at home, preservation is not needed, and in addition by removing this stage you will be reducing the chances of excessive amounts of salt being in the finished dish. Salt which is vital in small amounts to control the electrolytic balance of the body, but is hazardous in large amounts because of it increasing our blood pressure levels.

Cooking Seafood With Summer Vegetables - Mackerel And Apple

The refreshing taste of summer will be yours with a dish of grilled Mackerel fillets with sliced and mashed apples. With a small amount of preparation in the kitchen, you can serve the dish in your garden or from the BBQ in your city apartment.

You will need one Mackerel around 450 g in size per person. Fillet the fish with emphasis on removing the fine pin bones. Very gently make slight incisions in the skin side of the fish, no more than just skin deep. This will speed the cooking time and stop the fillet curling when grilled.

Select a type of apple that is quite sharp and preferably green. The purpose is to produce a sharp accompaniment to balance the oily nature of the Mackerel, so do not add sugar. If you have a sweet tooth adjust accordingly. Treat the apple will need in two ways, some peeled and seeded for the mash, and some unpeeled slices for char grilling. For each serving you will need 150 ml of diced apple and 5 slices of unpeeled apple.

Add the chunks of apple to a pan with a knob of unsalted butter, cover with a lid and cook until soft, then blend and keep warm. Lightly coat the slices of apple with vegetable oil and place on the griddle, after a few seconds turn through 45 degrees to give a diamond effect, then turn over and repeat the process, and keep warm. The apple slices should still be very crisp. Now place the Mackerel fillets on the char grill or under an eye level grill, turning once until cooked. Check that they are 62 degrees Celsius with a digital thermometer.

Cooking Seafood With Summer Vegetables - Salmon And Peas

The ingredients are for one person, so please scale up subject to the numbers you are cooking for. To give the dish uniqueness, only use fresh peas straight from the pod. You will need the volume of 250 ml of peas quickly cooked in lightly salted boiling water with a sprig of mint. Reserve a third of the peas for garnishing. In vegetable oil soften half a chopped small onion, a chopped clove of garlic and 75 g of chopped raw potato. Add 70% of the cooked peas with 250 ml of fish stock, bring to the boil and remove from the heat. Add a sprig of mint and allow to infuse for 4 minutes. Blitz the soup in a processor, and add 50 ml of cream. Keep warm.

For the garnish, wilt a handful of washed spinach leaves with a knob of butter and add the reserved third of the peas to warm. Place a 150 g of fillet of Salmon in a lightly oiled griddle pan. After 3 minutes rotate through 45 degrees to create a mark with a diamond shape. Turn over the fish and repeat the process. Check that the fillet is at 62 degrees Celsius with a digital thermometer.

Place the spinach and pea mix in the centre of a bowl and top with the cooked Salmon. Surround with the soup, and a poached egg per bowl. Garnish with roughly chopped mint, and serve with the accompaniments of your choice. You will have created a novel and light summer meal.