KitchenAid KSC6222 User Manual

Over the past few decades, as schedules 

have become more hectic and lifestyles 

more fast-paced, more and more people 

have turned to slow cookers to help them 

get a better handle on their time.
This KitchenAid

®

 Slow Cooker offers 

refinements in control that help the cooker 

be a more useful tool and power to add 

responsiveness and peace of mind.
Sure and Steady Cooking
A Slow Cooker is designed for you to put 

food into it, walk away from it without a 

worry, and return to a well-cooked meal. 

So it’s important to let it do its job. That 

means you should always cook with the 

ceramic pot and glass lid in place, because 

removing the lid reduces the temperature 

inside the slow cooker and increases 

cooking time. 
Except where a Slow Cooker recipe 

specifically directs you to remove the 

lid, do not remove or lift the lid until the 

minimum suggested recipe-cooking time 

has elapsed. If you want to view the food 

you’re cooking, tap the glass lid to remove 

the condensation that has collected, and 

look through the lid.
Start With Food at the Right 

Temperature
Common sense is a good guide to knowing 

the right temperature for food when you 

start cooking in a Slow Cooker. Foods 

typically stored in the refrigerator should 

be added at their refrigerated temperature. 

Frozen food, on the other hand, should be 

thawed. And if you need to sear meat or 

poultry, do that just before adding it to the 

Slow Cooker – do not partially cook meat 

or poultry and then refrigerate before using.
Avoid adding liquids colder than normal 

refrigerated temperatures. Adding near-

freezing liquids to a warm or hot pot may 

cause the pot to crack.
A Slow Cooker is a Moist Environment
Slow Cookers use a food’s own moisture to 

cook the food. With the lid kept on while 

cooking, very little moisture evaporates and 

natural juices from the food accumulates. 

For that reason, use less liquid when using 

your favorite traditional recipes for slow 

cooking.

Enhancing Texture and Flavor
The amount of seasonings, types of 

ingredients, and when you add ingredients 

can improve the texture and flavor of your 

slow-cooked meals. 
As a general rule for using your favorite 

recipes in the slow cooker, increase the 

amounts of herbs and seasonings to offset 

the effect of longer cooking times. 
Add garnishes, fresh herbs, and quick-

cooking vegetables toward the end of the 

cooking cycle. For example, you can add 

peas, corn and freshly sliced squash in the 

last 10 to 20 minutes.
Also consider the differences between 

related ingredients when cooking for 

extended times. Dark meat poultry will 

retain moisture better than white meat in 

recipes cooked more than 7 to 9 hours. 

Whole-grain rice, such as brown or wild 

rice, retains its texture better than white 

rice when it’s slow cooked. Over extended 

periods, white rice can overcook and 

become mushy.
When cooking soups and stews, leave a 

2-inch (5 cm) space between the top of the 

ceramic pot and the food so the recipe can 

come to a simmer without spilling over. 
Do not use frozen, uncooked meat in the 

slow cooker. Always thaw meats prior to 

slow cooking. 
Some foods are not suited for extended 

cooking. Pasta, seafood, milk, cream or  

sour cream should be added 2 hours  

before serving. 
If cooking a vegetable-type casserole, 

there will need to be a liquid in the recipe 

to prevent scorching on the sides of the 

ceramic pot.
Cut Food to Proper Size
The size you cut food into can affect its 

taste and texture. To assure uniformity of 

cooking, cut vegetables of similar density, 

such as potatoes, carrots, and parsnips 

into similar-sized pieces. In general, dense 

vegetables should be slightly smaller than 

more tender vegetables.
Cutting meats into large pieces allows 

longer cooking times and avoids 

overcooking.

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