Slow cookers emerged in the 1970s as a tool for busy adults to prepare meals. Although these cooking appliances fell out of favor in subsequent decades, they have re-emerged as time-saving tools in recent years, according to Robin Robertson, author of "Fresh from the Vegetarian Slow Cooker." While slow cookers have traditionally been used to prepare meats, they are also useful for preparing a variety of vegetarian entrees, soups and sauces.
Step 1
Place food in the slow cooker before adding liquid, so that you do not overfill the slow cooker. After you have placed food in the slow cooker, fill the ceramic insert to about 1 inch from the top to help make sure the food does not dry out while cooking.
Step 2
Replace water with vegetable broth to add flavor to vegetarian dishes. Make your own vegetable broth by slow-cooking leftover vegetable ends and pieces in water for six to eight hours, or buy vegetable broth that is labeled vegetarian. Some commercially available vegetable broths contain chicken or beef stock.
Step 3
Add one or two tablespoons of olive oil to your vegetarian dishes. Meats naturally contain fats that help the food cook and tenderize; however, many vegetarian foods lack these fats. Olive oil can help replace these fats to help vegetarian dishes cook properly.
Step 4
Soak dried beans in water overnight before preparing them in a slow cooker. Most dried beans will not become tender during slow cooking if they are not soaked first for several hours. Lentils are an exception--these beans can be slow-cooked without pre-soaking.
Step 5
Brown tofu by pan-frying it in a tablespoon of olive oil for three to five minutes before placing it in a slow cooker. This helps improve the texture of tofu, giving it a more meat-like consistency.
Step 6
Double the quantity of herbs and spices that you would use to prepare a vegetarian dish on the stovetop, especially if you are using dried herbs. Although some of the taste and aroma of herbs and spices will be absorbed by the food, much of it will remain in the water or broth used to prepare the dish in the slow cooker.
Tips and Warnings
- Add delicate ingredients, such as fresh basil or scallions, near the end of the cooking process. This will help these ingredients retain their flavors.
- Do not put cold foods in the slow cooker. This can crack the ceramic insert. Instead, allow the food to warm to room temperature first. Avoid lifting the lid of the slow cooker during the cooking process. This reduces the internal temperature of the slow cooker.
Things You'll Need
- Slow cooker
References
- "Fresh from the Vegetarian Slow Cooker"; Robin Robertson; 2004
- "The Gourmet Vegetarian Slow Cooker"; Lynn Alley; 2010
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