Virtually any soup, stew or chili recipe can be adapted for use in a slow cooker/crockpot. Use the following time/temperature guide and ingredient suggestions.

Conventional Recipe	Low (200°)	High (300°)
15 to 30 minutes	4 to 6 hours	1½ to 2 hours
35 to 45 minutes	6 to 10 hours	3 to 4 hours
50 minutes to 3 hours	8 to 18 hours	4 to 6 hours

INGREDIENTS

BEANS: Beans should be soaked overnight before cooking in a clow cooker. If your recipe includes tomatoes, salt or other acidic ingredients, the beans should be softened first, either on the stove or in the slow cooker.

HERBS AND SPICES: The flavor of ground herbs and spices tends to dissipate over long cooking times, so it is best to add them toward the end. Taste and adjust seasonings as desired before serving.

LIQUIDS: Slow cooker recipes need less liquid -- about half the recommended amount for conventional recipes. Unless the dish contains rice or pasta, one cup of liquid is usually sufficient.

PASTA: If a recipe calls for cooked pasta to be added, cook it until just slightly tender before adding it to the slow cooker near the end of the cooking time.

RICE: Add ¼ cup extra liquid per ¼ cup uncooked rice, and use long grain converted rice for the best results. For long-cooking recipes (4 hours or longer), add cooked rice shortly before serving.

VEGETABLES: Potatoes, carrots and other dense root vegetables should be sliced no larger than 1" thick and placed at the bottom of the pot. Frozen vegetables can be rinsed with warm water to separate or added frozen directly to the soup if indicated by the recipe.