Why You Should Go Heavy On The Seasoning For Slow Cooker Meals

Slow cookers are heavy contenders for culinary MVPs. Whether you're planning to serve chicken tortilla soup for dinner, make mashed potatoes, use up extra fruit to make peach butter, or want to enjoy slices of creamy cheesecake, slow cookers can help you with all of these delicious recipes.

Yet as great as these contraptions can be, it is equally possible to mess up slow cooker recipes with some amateur cooking mistakes. Mastering the art of the slow cook takes practice, but once you're familiar with the process and required ingredients, you may have a tough time stepping away from your most trusted slow-cooker recipes. 

When you're preparing al pastor for tacos or any number of soups, the goal is to serve flavorful, delicious dishes that leave guests asking for seconds. But because slow cooking can dull some of the flavors you first add to the pot, you'll need to carefully consider what you toss inside. 

Although slow cookers produce some of our favorite dishes, the hours-long cooking process can also mute flavors as they cook. So that perfect blend of spices you added at the beginning of your recipe, can fall flat after they've simmered for hours. To combat this, use vibrant, strong ingredients to add more flavor to your favorite slow cooker recipes. Think garlic, lemon juice, soy sauce, and vinegar to help brighten up or add a bit of tanginess or consider adding anchovies, dried mushrooms, or aromatic spices to really bring dishes to life. And, of course, there's the matter of salt. Without enough salt, your meal may end up disappointing. 

Because you're working with volume and extended cooking time, carefully consider the spices and herbs that can make your casseroles and slow-cooker meals stand out. While you can easily taste-as-you-cook on stove tops, your choices of ingredients simmering away inside the slower cooker are more dependent on your culinary decisions. As tempting as it is to dump in the ingredients and leave the appliance alone, think carefully about the end result of your dish and use plenty of spices to give even basic recipes satisfying flavor.