DeLonghi CKS420 Instructions Manual

instructions

Slow Cooker

CKS420

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Description of appliance

The following terms are used throughout the instruction manual

Tempered glass lid allows the food be monitored during cooking

Removable crock pot

Cool touch handles

Control panel

Plastic housing

Power indicator light

ON/OFF button
Turn power on or off

4 or 6 HRS for HIGH power cooking

8 or 10 HRS for LOW power cooking

COOK TIME button
Sets the time

Once cooking time
is reached, the cook­ing automatically
shifts to the WARM
setting, keeping your
food at the perfect
serving temperature

Control panel

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Thank you for choosing this De’Longhi appliance.To get the
best results it is advisable to read these instructions before
using the appliance. This is the only way to ensure optimum
results and maximum safety.

Before using the Slow cooker for the first time

Remove all labels and wash the crock pot and glass lid in hot soapy
water, rinse thoroughly and dry.
Do not immerse the slow cooker base in water.

Important

•Always use the appliance on a dry, level surface.

•Do not operate without food and liquid in the crock pot.

•Do not operate without the crock pot positioned in the stain­less steel housing.

•Always place the glass lid in position on the crock pot during
use unless the recipe advises differently.

•Do not place the removable crock pot when hot on any sur­face that may be affected by heat.

• The suggested maximum quantity to be used is 3.5
litre.

• The minimum quantity of liquid to be used is 1 litre.

Using your Slow cooker

1. Before placing the removable crock pot in the plastic housing,
ensure that it’s exterior is clean.This will ensure proper con­tact with the inner cooking surface.

2. Place the preparated food into the removable crock pot,
ensuring that denser foods are spread evenly across the bot­tom of the pot and not heaped to one side.

3. Place the glass lid into position.

4. Plug the appliance into a 230/240V, the power indicator starts
to flash indicating that the unit is plugged in, but not turned on.

5. Push the COOK TIME button to choose the desired cooking
time. Push once and 4HRS light will light on, twice and 6HRS
light will come on, etc. Select the time according the food
recipes.The 4HRS and the 6HRS settings are the HIGH power
setting and may be used when you want your food cooked
more quickly.The 8HRS and 10HRS settings correspond to the
LOW power setting and is used for all day cooking.

6. Push the ON/OFF button to confirm the cooking time and the
appliance will start. If you want to change the cooking time,
push the ON/OFF button and repeat point nr.5.

7. When the cooking time is completed, the slow cooker will

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automatically shift to the WARM setting and the WARM light
will come on.

Note: Don’t use the WARM setting for more than 4
hours.

8. To turn the slow cooker off, push the ON/OFF button.The
POWER light will flash and then unplug unit from the wall out­let.

9. WARM function: if you want to choose the function WARM
push the ON/OFF button a 2nd time after point 4.When the
WARM function is completed, turn off the appliance as
described in point 8.

Always lift and remove the glass lid carefully and angled away
from yourself to avoid scalding from escaping steam.

Using the temperature control settings
Low setting

The Low setting gently simmers food for an extended period of
time without overcooking or burning. No stirring is required when
using this setting.

High setting

The High setting is used when cooking dried beans or pulses and
will cook food in half the time required for the Low setting.When
cooking with this setting, some foods may boil; if so, extra liquid
may need to be added.
Occasional stirring of stews and casseroles will improve flavour
distribution.

Warm setting

The Warm setting is used to keep cooked foods at serving temper­ature. It is not a cooking setting and should only be used after first
cooking on the Low or High setting. It is not recommended to
keep food on the Warm setting for more than 4 hours.

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A beginner’s guide to slow cooking

In years gone by, food cooked in large pots and allowed to simmer
for hours was full of flavour, moist and tender.The Slow cooker is
designed to produce these same results, whilst leaving you the time
to do other things, making it perfect for today’s busy lifestyles.
Here is a guide to help simplify the process of slow cooking, allow­ing you to obtain maximum satisfaction from your Slow cooker.

Timing

Always allow sufficient time for the food to cook. It is almost
impossible to overcook in the Slow cooker, particularly when using
the Low setting.
Most of the recipes contained within this book can be cooked on
the High or Low settings, however the cooking times will vary
accordingly. Each recipe will give specific instructions indicating the
appropriate settings and suggested cooking times.

Note: High humidity, altitude, cold tap water and ingredi­ents and minor fluctuations in power may slightly effect
the cooking times in the Slow cooker.

Adapting cooking times

Your favourite traditional recipes can be adapted easily by halving
the amount of liquid and increasing the cooking time considerably.
The following is a guide to adjusting your favourite recipes.

Note:These times are approximate.They can vary
depending on ingredients and quantities in recipes.

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Traditional recipe time Slow cooker recipe time

13-30 minutes 4-6 hours on Low setting

60 minutes 6-8 hours on Low setting

1-3 hours 8-12 hours on Low setting

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Adapting liquid amounts

When food is cooking in your Slow cooker, most moisture is
retained. It is recommended to put less liquids than used in tradi­tional recipes.
However, after cooking if the liquid content is excessive, remove
the lid and operate the Slow cooker on the High setting for 30-45
minutes or until the liquid reduces by the desired amount.
Alternatively, the liquid can be thickened by adding a mixture of
cornflour and water.

Stirring the food

Little or no stirring is required when using the Low setting.
However, stirring the food when using the High setting ensures
even flavour distribution.

Preparing meat and poultry

Select the leanest cuts when purchasing meat.Trim the meat or
poultry of any visible fat. If possible, purchase chicken portions
without the skin. Otherwise, the slow cooking process will result
in extra liquid from the fat.
For casserole-type recipes, cut the meat into cubes, approximately

2.5cm to 3cm.

Slow cooking allows less tender cuts of meats to be used.

Suitable meat cuts for slow cooking

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Beef Beef chuck, skirt, round steak, boneless shin (gravy)

beef, bone-in shin (osso bucco).

Lamb Lamb shanks, drumsticks (frenched shanks) neck chops,

best neck chops, boned out forequarter or shoulder.

Veal Diced leg, shoulder/forequarter chops and steaks, neck

chops, knuckle (osso bucco).

Pork Leg steaks, diced belly, diced shoulder, boneless loin

chops.

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Browning before slow cooking

Pre-browning meat and poultry, prior to slow cooking, seals in the
moisture, intensifies the flavour and provides more tender results,
whilst producing richer flavours in other food, such as onions, cap­sicums and leeks. Pre-browning may take a little extra time, and
whilst not strictly necessary, the rewards are evident in the end
results. Use a non-stick pan to reduce the amount of oil required.

Roasting

Roasting meats in the Slow cooker creates tender, flavoursome
result that are easy to slice.The long, slow, covered cooking
process breaks down and softens the connective and muscle tissue
within the meat. Cheaper cuts of meat can be used to provide per­fect results cooked by this method.
Meat will not brown during the roasting process, so for browner
results seal in a frying pan before roasting.
The addition of liquid is not required for roasting.
Elevate the meat to be roasted on an inverted, heatproof saucer or
plate.This will assist in keeping the surface of the meat dry and
free from any fat released throughout the cooking process.

Suitable cuts for roasting

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Beef Blade, rump, rib roast, sirloin, fresh silverside, topside.

Lamb Leg, mid loin, rack, crown roast, shank, shoulder, mini

roasts.

Veal Leg, loin, rack, shoulder/forequarter.

Pork Loin, neck, leg, remove skin and fat, racks.

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Pot roasting

For pot roasting it is necessary to add liquid to cover up to a third
of the meat. Meat will not brown during the pot roasting process.
For browner results, seal in a frying pan before pot roasting.

Suitable cuts for pot roasting

Preparing vegetables

Ve getables should be cut into small even-sized pieces to ensure
more even cooking. Frozen vegetables must be thawed before
adding to other foods cooking in the Slow cooker.
When cooking vegetables and meat together, take note that veg­etables cook slower than meat;To gain the best results, position
the vegetables on the base and sides of the Slow cooker and place
the meat on top.

Preparing dried beans and pulses

If time permits, overnight soaking of dried beans and pulses is
preferable.After soaking, drain and place in the Slow cooker and
cover with sufficient water to reach double their volume. Cook
beans on the High setting for 2-4 hours or until tender. Pre-soaked
beans and pulses will cook a little faster.

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Beef Beef topside, blade, silverside roasts, rolled brisket.

Lamb Forequarter, shank, shoulder

Veal Shoulder/forequarter

Pork Loin, neck.

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Hints and tips

•Always thaw frozen meat and poultry before cooking

•Trim all visible fat from meat or poultry

• Meat and poultry require at least 6-7 hours of cooking on Low
setting

• Ensure that the food or liquid to be cooked fills half or more
of the removable crock pot.

• On completion of cooking, if there is too much liquid remove
the lid, turn the temperature control dial to the High setting
and cook for 30-45 minutes until the liquid reduces.

Do s

• Ensure the removable crock pot is at room temperature when
placing into the plastic housing prior to cooking.

•Avoid extreme temperature changes to the crock pot and glass
lid. Handle the crock pot and glass lid with care.

• Use oven mitts when lifting the crock pot containing hot liq­uids.

•Place the removable crock pot onto a heat proof placemat
when serving from the crock pot at the table.

Don’ts

• Do not place removable crock pot or glass lid into or under
cold water while still hot.

• Do not use the removable crock pot or glass lid if chipped or
cracked.

• Do not operate the Slow cooker without the removable crock
pot in position.

•Do not place the hot removable crock pot onto a wet surface.

• Do not cook with frozen meats or poultry.

Never

• Place water or liquids into the plastic housing of the Slow
cooker.

•Immerse the base, cord or plug of the Slow cooker in water.

•Touch hot surfaces with bare hands, always use the cool touch
handles.

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