5 ­ 6 QUART SLOW COOKERS Instruction Manual Register this and other West Bend® Housewares products through our website: www.westbend.com Important Safeguards............................................................................................... 2 Precautions For Use Around Children...................................................................... 2 Electricity Precautions .............................................................................................. 3 Heat Precautions...................................................................................................... 4 Using Your Slow Cooker .......................................................................................... 4 Cleaning Your Slow Cooker ..................................................................................... 6 Care and Use for Insulated Carrying Bag................................................................. 7 Slow Cooking Tips.................................................................................................... 8 Temperature Guide ................................................................................................ 10 5-6 Quart Recipes .................................................................................................. 11 Warranty................................................................................................................. 18 SAVE THIS INSTRUCTION MANUAL FOR FUTURE REFERENCE IMPORTANT SAFEGUARDS To prevent personal injury or property damage, read and follow all instructions and warnings. When using electrical appliances, basic safety precautions should always be followed including the following: · Read all instructions, including these important safeguards and the care and use instructions in this manual. · · · · · Do not use appliance for other than intended use. The use of accessory attachments not recommended by West Bend® Housewares may cause injuries. Do not use glass cover if it is chipped or has deep scratches. Weakened glass can shatter during use. Discard immediately. Do not place glass cover with metal ring in the microwave oven. Glass is breakable. Care should be taken not to drop or impact the glass cover. If the cover breaks, it will do so in many pieces. Avoid or discard any foodstuffs exposed to broken cover. Do not attempt to repair this appliance yourself. Do not operate if the appliance is not working properly or if it has been damaged in any manner. For service information see warranty page. For household use only. · · · To prevent burns or other personal injuries to children, read and follow all instructions and warnings. PRECAUTIONS FOR USE AROUND CHILDREN · · · Always supervise children. Do not allow children to operate or be near the slow cooker, as the outside surfaces are hot during use. Do not allow cord to hang over any edge where a child can reach it. Arrange cord to avoid pulling, tripping or entanglement . 2 To prevent electrical shock, personal injury or property damage, read and follow all instructions and warnings. ELECTRICITY PRECAUTIONS · · · · · To protect against electric shock do not immerse cord, plugs, or other electric parts in water or other liquids. Do not operate any appliance with a damaged cord or plug. Do not operate if the appliance is not working properly or if it has been damaged in any manner. For service information see warranty page. Do not use this appliance outdoors. Always attach cord to heating base first, then plug cord into electrical outlet. After cooking, unplug cord from electrical outlet letting heating base cool completely before removing cord and before cleaning. Always unplug from outlet when not in use and before cleaning. Allow to cool before putting on or taking off parts and before cleaning. Your slow cooker has a short cord as a safety precaution to avoid pulling, tripping or entanglement. Position the cord so that it does not hang over the edge of the counter, table or other flat surface area. While use of an extension cord is not recommended, if you must use one, make sure the cord has the same or higher wattage as the slow cooker (wattage is stamped on the underside of the slow cooker base). If the appliance is of the grounded type, the extension cord should be a grounded-type 3-wire cord. Position the extension cord so that it does not hang over the edge of the counter, table or other surface area. Do not use an outlet or extension cord if the plug fits loosely or if the outlet or extension cord feels hot. Keep the cord away from hot parts of the appliance and hot surfaces during operation. · · · · · 3 To prevent burns, personal injury or property damage, read and follow all instructions and warnings. HEAT PRECAUTIONS · · · · · · · · · Do not touch hot surfaces. Use handles and hot pads or oven mitts if you lift or carry the slow cooker when it is hot. Extreme caution must be used when moving an appliance or vessel containing hot liquids or hot foods. Be extremely cautious of steam when removing cover. Lift cover slowly, directing steam away from you. Set metal cooking pot and cover on hot pad, trivet or other heat protective surface. Do not set directly on the counter, table or other surface. Do not heat covered and empty slow cooking pot on top of range. If preheating of cooking pot is necessary, preheat without cover on. Do not allow covered pot to boil dry on top of range unit. Do not set glass cover on hot burner or on oven heat vent. Sudden temperature change may cause the cover to crack or shatter. Do not set hot cover on cold or wet surface; let cover cool before placing in water. Do not place the electrical base on or near the stovetop, under the broiler, in the oven, in the refrigerator or freezer. SAVE THESE INSTRUCTIONS USING YOUR SLOW COOKER ­ FIRST USE 1. 2. 3. Before using, wash slow cooker pot, cover and roasting rack (if included) with hot soapy water, rinse and dry. Wipe non-stick finish of slow cooker heating base with a damp cloth and dry. Wipe the non-stick finish on inside of cooking pot with a teaspoon of vegetable cooking oil using a paper towel. This will condition the non-stick finish to prevent sticking. NOTE: Do NOT use shortening or butter to condition the finish. Leave a light film of oil on finish. The non-stick finish will need to be reconditioned after each time the cooking pot is 1) cleaned in an automatic dishwasher, 2) the finish is treated with a special cleaner, 3) the finish is cleaned with lemon juice or vinegar is used to remove a mineral film, or 4) when sticking becomes a problem during use. DO NOT CONDITION NON-STICK SURFACE OF SLOW COOKER HEATING BASE BEFORE USING AS A SLOW COOKER. Non-stick finish of heating base should only be conditioned when it is used as a griddle. 4 · · Some smoke and/or odor may occur upon heating due to the release of manufacturing oils ­ this is normal. Some expansion/contraction sounds may occur during heating and cooling ­ this is normal. USING YOUR SLOW COOKER ­ EVERYDAY USE 1. 2. Place heating base on dry, level, heat-resistant surface, away from any edge. Place foods into slow cooker pot, cover and place cooking pot onto heating base. If you wish to brown or precook any foods before slow cooking, place slow cooker pot directly on range top unit over medium heat. After foods are browned or cooked, transfer cooking pot to heating base. Note: Use only plastic, rubber, wooden or non-metal cooking tools in metal cooking pot. Use of metal cooking tools will scratch the non-stick surface. Attach cord to base, then plug cord into a 120 volt AC electric outlet only. Slow cooker base will offer heat settings Keep Warm, LO, Med and HI, or be numbered 1-5. Heat setting #1 should only be used to warm dinner rolls, muffins, etc. Heat setting Keep Warm (#2) should only be used to keep cooked foods warm for serving, whereas LO (#3), Med (#4) and HI (#5) are to be used for actual cooking of foods. Set dial directly at setting or anywhere between for complete temperature control. NOTE: DO NOT USE A HEAT SETTING BELOW LO (#3) FOR ACTUAL COOKING OF RAW FOODS AS THE SLOW COOKER WILL NOT GET HOT ENOUGH TO COOK FOODS. DO NOT USE THE GRIDDLE SETTING FOR SLOW COOKING- OVER COOKING WILL OCCUR. Set heat setting and cook food for recommended time as given in recipe. As a general guideline, most meat and vegetable combinations need 7 to 10 hours of cooking at LO (#3), 4 to 6 hours of cooking at Med (#4) or 2 to 3 hours of cooking at HI (#5). Meats will become most tender when cooked for the longer time at the lower heat setting. Avoid removing cover when slow cooking as cooking time will be increased due to loss of temperature. Remove cover only when needed to stir occasionally or when adding ingredients. Do not strike utensils against pot or cover rim. Glass cover may shatter as a result. 3. 4. 5 CLEANING YOUR SLOW COOKER 1. Allow the entire unit (base, metal cooking pot, rack, cover) to cool completely before cleaning. Set metal cooking pot and cover on dry, heat-protective surface for gradual cooling. NOTE: Do not run cold water over hot glass cover as it may crack if cooled suddenly. Wipe heating base and cord with a damp cloth. Metal cooking pot, rack and glass cover may be washed using hot soapy water by hand or cleaned in the dishwasher. If dishwasher cleaning, avoid contact between pieces to prevent damage. The non-stick surface of the cooking pot must be reconditioned with cooking oil after it is cleaned in a dishwasher to restore the non-stick properties. Plastic lid can also be cleaned in dishwasher, top rack only. Use a non-abrasive cleanser or baking soda paste to remove stains. Do not use metal scouring pads or cleansers as damage can occur. Wipe with distilled vinegar to remove water spots or mineral deposits. Rewash with hot soapy water, rinse and dry. 2. 3. Condition Non-Stick Finish: Just before using base as a griddle, condition the nonstick finish with a teaspoon of cooking oil. Wipe oil evenly over finish, leaving a light film of oil. DO NOT use shortening or butter to condition finish. Cleaning Griddle: Always unplug cord from electrical outlet and allow base to cool completely before cleaning. With a spoon or baster, remove any fat or grease that has collected on the griddle surface. Wipe oil residue from base with paper toweling. Wipe non-stick finish with a damp soapy dishcloth or nylon-scouring pad recommended for non-stick finishes. Clean finish thoroughly, wiping base several times with a clean damp cloth to remove soap residue. If a tacky oil film forms on the non-stick finish of base, wipe with a dry cloth to remove. If this residue is not removed, it will adhere to the finish when reheated and become impossible to remove. 6 CARE AND USE FOR INSULATED CARRYING BAG (IF INCLUDED) Tips For Safe Use: · Food must be prepared in slow cooker to retain safe serving temperature during transportation. To help retain this temperature, cover cooking pot with plastic lid and slow cooker cover, place slow cooker in carrying bag and zip closed as quickly as possible. · Food must always be properly prepared and thoroughly cooked before placing slow cooker in insulated carrying bag. · Food should not be kept in insulated carrying bag for more than 2 hours to avoid food spoilage. This time will be reduced if bag is kept in a cold area. · Always use plastic lid when transporting slow cooker in carrying bag. · DO NOT USE PLASTIC LID FOR COOKING. Plastic lid is designed for use during transporting and/or storage in refrigerator or freezer ONLY. · Plastic lid does not completely seal cooking pot. Do not overfill cooking pot as spillage may occur. · When removing plastic lid from heated foods, use care as condensation may form on underside of lid. · Insulated carrying bag must be completely zipped and carried level to help reduce leaking or spilling. · Do not put carrying bag or plastic transport cover in any oven. · Do not plug appliance into an electrical outlet while the slow cooker is still in the carrying bag or has the plastic transport cover on. To Use: Unzip insulated carrying bag and open cover. Position interior straps one to the front and one to the back. 2. Remove cord from slow cooker heating base, fold and place in carrying bag behind back strap. Don't forget to include the cord. 3. Remove cooking pot, set on heat-resistant surface. Remove slow cooker glass cover and carefully place plastic lid onto cooking pot. 4. Place heating base in carrying bag, covered cooking pot on base and slow cooker glass cover on top of plastic lid. 5. While securing slow cooker cover, carefully lift back strap over covered slow cooker, being sure to go over top knob of cover if featured on your slow cooker. Bring front strap up, insert clip in notch of back strap, securing slow cooker in carrying bag. 6. Close cover and zip bag closed. Bring exterior handles around bag and secure ...