A slow cooker is a convenient appliance found in most kitchens, but as long as you have a roaster, you can cook almost any slow cooker recipe without its specified appliance. Slow cookers have two temperature settings; low and high. The low setting is approximately equivalent to 200 degrees F in an oven or roaster, while the high setting is around 300 degrees. Knowing these two settings will allow you to convert any recipe.
Read through the recipe and determine the specified cooking times. Preheat the roaster to 325 degrees F. According to the USDA, this is the lowest safe temperature to cook meat to ensure that bacteria will be destroyed.
Place 2 tbsp. oil in a heavy skillet and heat over medium-high heat. Brown the meat in the recipe in the oil until the meat is seared on all sides. Place the meat in the roaster.
Add the remaining ingredients to the roaster.
Refer to a conversion chart for transferring oven cooking times to slow cooker times (see Resources) and translate the numbers in the opposite direction. If the recipe says 6 to 10 hours on low, cook in the roaster for approximately 30 to 40 minutes in the roaster. Likewise, if the recipe says 3 to 4 hours on high, you would cook the food in the roaster for 30 to 40 minutes.
At the end of the cooking time, check the temperature of the meat with a meat thermometer to ensure that it is done.
Tip
Roasters, just like traditional ovens, should be preheated to the appropriate temperature before adding the food.
Check the liquid levels after the dish has cooked for half of the specified time and add more liquid if necessary to keep the food from sticking or scorching.
You can also use this same conversion if cooking in a roasting pan in a traditional oven.