Hints and tips to succulent meals with the Sunbeam HP8555 slow cooker

May 23rd, 2015

Appliance Talk Kitchen Ovens & Cooking Small Appliances

A slow cooker can be a busy families best friend, especially in the cooler months.

The Sunbeam HP8555 Slow cooker is affordable, and features a large 5.5L capacity, ideal for families of up to 4.

For an easy dinner that cooks itself while you’re focusing on other household duties, all you need to do is prep the ingredients (this could even be done the night before if you face a busy schedule everyday, by chopping, and measuring out ingredients, then placing them in individual ziplock bags or containers, and storing them in the refrigerator until the morning) sear the ingredients, then press start and let the HP8555 do all the work.

With two heat settings in slow cook mode, you can have the choice of two different finish times with some slow cook recipes. Slow cooking tenderises cheaper, tougher cuts of meat, so if you are using these cuts of meat, it’s better to choose the low heat option to cook the food for longer.

The below hints and more, can be found in the Sunbeam slow cooker’s manual.

1. It is not uncommon for meat to cook faster than root vegetables. It is for this reason that Sunbeam recommends chopping all vegetables to a similar small size. Meat can be cut into larger chunks because if it is cut too small, it will break up once cooked and tenderised.

2. Slow Cooking prevents evaporation, resulting in the flavours and juices being maintained. Keep this in mind when creating your own recipes, as you may not require as much liquid as you would when using other cooking methods.

3. Roasting in the Slow Cooker will not brown your meat or chicken, as roasting in an oven does. If you want your roast to be golden, we recommend using the browning mode to sear the meat first.

4. To make a sauce or gravy with the roast juices, remove the meat and cover with foil to keep warm. Set the Browning mode to SEAR and stir through some cornflour mixed with a little water. Allow to simmer, stirring until thickened. You can also add some stock or wine to stretch the gravy a little further and add great flavour.

5. Leftover roast makes great sandwiches the next day. Try the caramelised onion or tomato chutney recipe and make burgers with the leftovers!

6.Many slow cooker recipes use stock as part of the ingredients. A good stock is also the base of a great soup. Stocks can be bought at supermarkets; however, nothing beats the flavour of a homemade stock.

7. Fresh made stock will keep in the refrigerator for up to 4 days, but can be frozen for up to 3 months.

8. Always label and date your stock before storing. It’s a good idea to freeze stock in portioned sizes. So for example if you generally use stocks in stews, casseroles, curries etc, then freeze your stock in 1 cup portions. If you tend to use your stock more for gravies and sauces, then freeze it in smaller ¼ cup portions or even in ice cube trays, so that you don’t need to defrost large quantities at a time.

9. To boil water, set your Slow cooker to 120°C with the lid on.

10. Don’t be scared to experiment with the HP8555. With your Sunbeam slow cooker there are a myriad of possibilities.