The term crock pot (which is actually a brand name) has become synonymous with a slow cooker. A slow cooker is a countertop electrical appliance that cooks food slowly at a low temperature, usually between about 170 degrees and 280 degrees Fahrenheit (77 degrees and 138 degrees Celsius). The low temperature allows less expensive, leaner cuts of meat to become tender and shrink less. The direct heat from the pot, the lengthy cooking and the steam created with the tightly covered lid, combine to kill bacteria and make slow cooking a safe way to cook foods. A crock pot usually has two settings, low and high. You can start your cooking on the high setting and then lower the temperature to the low setting. It's perfectly safe to cook food entirely on the low setting [source: USDA]. We will now tell you how to slow cook a turkey.
Ingredients
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- One 3 pound (1.36 kilograms) breast of turkey roast
- Three medium potatoes, cubed
- One bag of baby carrots
- One onion, chopped
- One can (10.75 ounces, 304.76 grams) condensed celery soup
- ½ cup water
- 1 teaspoon poultry seasoning
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- Non-stick cooking spray
Here's what to do:
- Spray the inside of a 5-quart (4.73-liter) slow cooker with non-stick spray.
- Place the potatoes, carrots and onions in the slow cooker.
- Combine the water, condensed soup, poultry seasoning and salt in a bowl. Pour the mixture evenly over the vegetables.
- Remove the turkey from the packaging and sprinkle poultry seasoning on it.
- Place the turkey on top of the vegetables.
- Cover the pot with the lid.
- Set the crock pot on the low setting and let everything cook for six to eight hours, or until the center of the turkey reaches 170 degrees Fahrenheit (77 degrees Celsius). Use a meat thermometer to check the temperature.
- Remove the turkey from the pot [source: Butterball].
You can refrigerate the turkey after it has completely cooled down.
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