As I jumped into the world of slow cooking, I made numerous blunders. This post contains useful information about how slow cookers work and how to read recipes you find online.
Cooking Time and Food Safety
The most important thing to learn about your slow cooker is what times you need to cook various cuts of meat and various types of vegetables. You’ll find recipes all over the internet with wildly varying cook times. Should you cook your chicken thighs for 3 hours or for 7? How can these recipes possibly be so different??
The MOST IMPORTANT thing to know here is that a few years ago, manufacturers of slow cookers increased the temperatures that these devices cook at to improve food safety. The idea is that your food will spend less time in the danger zone where bacteria can multiply. So if you have a newer model slow cooker, your cook times will be greatly reduced from an older model. This explains the huge disparities in cook time.
The only way to find this out is by testing with a food thermometer. Some slow cookers come with a built in thermometer probe, which is fantastic for large cuts of meat. If yours doesn’t, buy a food thermometer. Always ensure your meat is cooked to a safe temperature. I usually use 160 F for chicken – 165 F is the true safe temperature, but even after you turn the heat off, the meat continues cooking.
While we’re on the topic of food safety, never cook frozen cuts of meat in a slow cooker. Frozen meat will not heat up quickly enough, which can encourage the growth of bacteria. Defrost your meat safely by placing it in the fridge 24 hours before you plan to cook. If you’re in a hurry, you can place the meat in a bowl of cold water to defrost in a few hours, or you can defrost in the microwave. You must start cooking your meat immediately if you defrost in the microwave.
My slow cookers were purchased in 2019, so my cooking times reflect that.
Cooking Temperature
Should you cook your food on high or low?
Generally for almost all things vegan/vegetarian, high works well and will speed up your cooking time. High is also fine with ground meats.
For most cuts of meat, you’ll want to cook on low to prevent them from drying out and getting rubbery.
Meat Cuts to Use
Slow cookers are great for tenderizing touch cuts of meat over long periods of time. Fattier cuts tend to work better as well.
As for poultry, chicken thighs are going to be better than chicken breasts almost every time. You’re not going to find any chicken breast slow cooker recipes here.
Slow Cookers I Use
My current favorite is this 6 qt Hamilton Beach programmable model with a temperature probe, $32 on sale. The timer function allows you to set a cook time in increments of 30 minutes, and when the cook time completes, it turns itself to warm. This makes my life so much easier!
My first 6qt model was this manual Hamilton Beach model, $20 on sale.
I also use this casserole Crock Pot, which I received as a gift. It’s great for making lasagna or other casserole shaped dishes.