While all types of cooking methods can result in nutrients being destroyed, the degree and quickness at which this occurs is directly related to how high the heat is and what method of cooking you are using. When food is exposed to high levels of heat, the minerals, vitamins, and enzymes are broken down and denaturalized.
So, do slow cookers also destroy nutrients? No, not nearly as quickly or as much as other cooking methods. The lower temperatures used in slow cooking actually help preserve the number of nutrients in the food, which is why the food often tastes better with slow cooked.
Is Slow Cooking Good For You?
Yes! Slow cooking is an extremely healthy way to cook and make homemade meals from scratch. Not only are you able to reduce your intake of processed foods, but you also control your consumption of macronutrients like calories, sodium, and fat.
How?
You determine the exact ingredients that go into your slow cooker, which will primarily be fresh produce and inexpensive cuts of meat. This means no chemicals, no unknown ingredients, and no excess salt or fat content. Want to know some more advantages of slow cooking? Keep reading!
How Does a Slow Cooker Work?
Regardless of what brand you buy, your slow cooker will be made up of three main components. The first is the base, which contains the heating element, the second is the vessel (the pot), and the third is the lid. The base is the main component that you will be working with, as it contains the handles, the temperature gauges, and the heating element/bands.
The slow cooker works by using electricity to heat up the element or bands that are housed within the base. These bands create heat, which transfers to the metal vessel that you place inside the base.
The heat will rise across the bottom of the vessel and up the sides, heating your food uniformly. There is a small gap between the bottom liner and the outer wrap of the base, as this is what allows airflow between the vessel and the sides of the base and is what keeps the base cool to the touch.
The lower the temperature, the less heat is put out by the heating element and the higher the temperature, the hotter the heating element gets. Therefore, cooking something on a lower setting will take longer. This is a very similar process to stovetop cooking.
What Are The Advantages and Disadvantages of Slow Cooking?
The Advantages of Slow Cooking Food
- It is Beneficial to Your Health. Due to the wide variety of foods that you can cook in a slow cooker, you are far more likely to consume vegetables, protein, and fibrous foods. This will help you push your macronutrients in the right direction and food will be easier to digest as it is tenderized throughout the day. Beyond this, a slow cooker gives you access to making bone broth which has massive benefits to those who need help with digestion, need help with inflammation, or joint pain.
- Slow Cooking Can Save You Money. First and foremost, a slow cooker uses less energy than your conventional oven and stove and none of the energy it uses gets wasted. In addition to this, you can purchase cheaper cuts of meat and still enjoy them as the slow cooker will tenderize them from rough to soft and tender. You don’t need to buy more expensive cuts when using a slow cooker.
- Slow Cooking Is Very Easy to Learn. The level of skill needed to figure out how to use a slow cooker or how to translate recipes into a fantastic meal with one is little to none. You simply need to know the basic instructions on how to cook and you’ll come out with delicious meals.
- Slow Cooking is Convenient and Smells Amazing. Slow cooking is convenient as you simply place all the ingredients into the pot, turn it on, and walk away for the day. Yes, you may need to do some preparation beforehand if your recipe calls for it, but generally, it’s very convenient, quick to use, and needs very little tending to. Plus, slow cooking can smell absolutely amazing but, it doesn’t fill your entire house. So, you don’t have to worry about strong food smells permeating through the entire house.
- Slow Cooking Kills Meat Pathogens. In order for meat to be cooked safely, it must be cooked above 140 degrees Fahrenheit. A slow cooker cooks at a minimum of 170 degrees Fahrenheit.
- You Can Cut Out Fat. You do not need to use oil, lard, butter, or any other type of fat to cook with a slow cooker. If you are looking to cut out fat, a slow cooker will help with this as it melts away any fat you do put in.
- You Are Less Likely to Burn Food. While it is possible to overcook food with a slow cooker, burning it is pretty hard to do. Why? You need liquids in the pot and because the steam cannot escape during the cooking process, your liquid stays at a relatively high level. Yes, some does evaporate, but not enough to have your food burn over a long period of time.
- Less Cleaning to Do. The only cleaning you will need to do is that of your slow cooker, the plates or bowls you used to eat with and your utensils.
The Disadvantages of Slow Cooking Food
- It Takes a Considerable Amount of Time. You simply cannot have a quick dinner when in a hurry with a slow cooker.
- Some Planning and Preparation is Needed. If you suddenly change your plans last minute for dinner, a slow cooker isn’t going to help you. Slow cooking recipes does require you to cook them for long periods of time, so you will need to plan out your meals and engage in minor meal preparation like thawing out meat beforehand.
- You Can Overcook Food Easily. If you leave your slow cooker on for too long, you can overcook your food. Now, overcooking your food is dependent on which ingredients you are using, as some ingredients have the structural integrity to last for long periods of time under light-medium heat. Canned vegetables tend to not work well because they don’t have the same structural integrity as raw produce, and frozen produce works but if not thawed beforehand, it can make your recipe very watery.
- Food Can Become Diluted Due to Trapped Steam. If you are cooking with already, very tender foods, you may run into some problems with diluted flavor or mushy foods. This is simply because the steam gets trapped by the slow cooker’s lid and therefore stays in the vessel, causing your food to be in a constantly moist environment. This leads to the breakdown of the food if not monitored carefully.
- Raw Bean Toxins. If you are planning on slow cooking a lot of recipes that call for raw beans like kidney beans, be careful. Beans must be cooked at a very high temperature in order to remove the toxic phytohemagglutinin, and a slow cooker doesn’t get hot enough for this. Please boil your beans first before using them in a slow cooker.
Is Slow Cooking Vegetables and Meat Healthy?
Yes! When it comes to slow cooking vegetables, any of the nutrients that you do lose will seep into the liquid, allowing you to recapture them in two ways. The first, is in so long as the lid of your slow cooker is tightly shut, the nutrients will stay trapped in the steam. The second is that any nutrients in the vegetables that leach into the water, can be recaptured by using the liquid as a broth.
As for meat, slow cooking any type is less likely to expose you to advanced glycation end products (AGEs), which are toxins that are formed when meat is cooked at high temperatures. The only way to minimize your risk to AGEs is to steam or boil foods, so slow cooking ends up being the healthiest method for cooking meats.