Did you know that when you add alcohol such as wine and liquor to a slow cooker that it doesn’t burn off and reduce like it would on a stove top? Because the lid is kept on the slow cooker, and the heat in a slow cooker is kept at a lower temperature than you would do on a stove top, you can end up with a harsh alcoholic taste in slow cooker meals – and with too much alcohol period.
If you are browning meat before adding it to the slow cooker, you can then add alcohol to the frypan to heat and reduce the alcohol. It also has the added bonus of deglazing the pan of meat drippings to add to the slow cooker. Once the alcohol has been reduced, simply add it to the slow cooker.
Apple juice makes a really good substitute for wine in a slow cooker recipe if you are concerned about alcohol content. Or you can skip it all together or substitute water if it is more than about 1/4 cup called for.
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