Slow Cooker Appliance Tips

McCORMICK Slow Cookers recipe bases were created with the convenience of cooking with an electric slow cooker appliance in mind. While slow cooker appliances range in sizes and styles, they generally operate in a similar way. However, there will always be a few differences between manufacturers, so our kitchen have tested a few commonly available models to offer you some helpful hints.

Some brands cook at a higher heat intensity than others. We have timed our results on the Sunbeam Slow Cooker 3.5lt / 4.5lt and the Breville Advance Meal Makers series (around 4 - 5L models), however if you are using a brand such as Tiffany or Kambrook, or an older crock-pot you may need to increase the liquid slightly.

- A good guide to look at is the appliances' accompanying manual or cooking instruction book. If a common timing for beef is 3 hours on HIGH, or 8 Hours on LOW, then reduce our cooking time to match, and increase liquid slightly.

-Tiffany brand cookers tend to cook very quickly, so monitor your recipe so it does not run out of liquid or burn. We recommend adding a ½ cup of extra liquid at the beginning and reducing the cooking time by one third.

-Kambrook, Russell Hobbs and Ronson cookers tend to cook slightly quicker so just add a 1/4; cup of extra liquid at the beginning and reduce time by approximately one quarter.

-Sunbeam and Breville cookers do not need any extra liquid.

If using a very large, banquet sized or wide slow cooker, or if the lid is not very snug, you may need to add up to a 1/2 a cup of extra liquid stirred through during, or near the end of the cooking time. This will not be the case for small and medium cookers, as they will turn out as per the instructions.