The slow cooker is a great kitchen invention, especially for working mums, dads and flatters. "It cooks all day while the cook's away."
Although we tend to think of these cookers as relatively new, the first appeared in 1940 after American Irving Naxon was inspired by his mother's story of preparing a Jewish stew. She would start the cooking on the Friday, and at the beginning of the Jewish Sabbath that night - a time of rest - the ovens would be turned off and the residual heat would continue to cook the beans until the end of Saturday services the next day.
Classic dishes such as boeuf bourguignon and Moroccan tagines are melt-in-your-mouth wonderful from the slow cooker. The recipes were developed long ago by people who could only afford small portions of tough meat, so they are custom-made for the low heat cookers.
To obtain the best flavour, meats and vegetables should be lightly browned before you put them in the cooker. If time is limited, this step can be eliminated but it is important to precook any onion either by sauteing in a frying pan or in the microwave.
Very little moisture is lost from slow cookers, so if you're using a favourite casserole recipe, reduce the amount of liquid by a third to a half. Little or no stirring is required when cooking on low but occasional stirring may be necessary to distribute the heat evenly when cooking on high.
