Slow cookers are, as the name suggests, a selection of cookers that cook food at low temperatures for a long period of time. The cooker itself comes with three primary parts;
- The lid.
- The pot (both inner and outer casing).
- The heating element.
Together, these parts make it possible for the slow cooker to operate for hours and hours, resulting in a delicious meal.
Because I never jump head first into a purchase without justifying the cost of the product (this is done by writing the cons and pros in two columns and see which one outweighs the other), I decided to do some research on the appliance prior to purchasing it.
Now that I’ve owned and used my slow cooker for years, I want to share with you the information I collected prior to the purchase and the things I’ve learned by using the cooker.
This leads us to our first question (Yes, we’ve answered the question simply put up above – but there’s more to know about slow cookers before actually buying one)
What is a slow cooker? Slow cookers are small electric appliances used to cook meals over a long period of time at low temperatures to make even the toughest cuts of meat tender and juicy. The slow cooker’s container and lid are sealed shut while cooking, this traps condensation inside the cooker which, in turn, keeps the food moist.
Because slow cookers operate at such low temperatures, they can be left unattended. However, when doing so, it is important to actually understand how slow cookers work and what they do – even the safest appliance has to be operated according to instructions.
How Does a Slow Cooker Work?
The slow cooker is, oftentimes, a constellation of the three aforementioned parts. Each part has its own purpose and without it, the slow cooker would not be able to do what it does.
The outer casing is a metal shell that holds the heating coils used to heat the inner pot throughout the cooking cycle. Unlike the outer casing, the inner pot is often made of ceramic (stoneware) but there are stainless steel and aluminum alternatives too. This is where the ingredients are held while cooking.
Alas, the appliance is closed and sealed shut by placing the lid on top of the main unit.
Now that we know what the actual unit is composed of we can dig deeper to understand how it makes use of these components to cook our meals.
When powered up, the slow cooker’s heating coils start heating the cooker’s outer shell and the space between the casing and the pot. As the heating elements continue to produce heat, the indirect heat will warm the inner pot (to somewhere between 180 – 300 degrees Fahrenheit or 82 – 149 degrees Celsius depending on the setting used, the size of the cooker, and the wattage)
Because the actual pot doesn’t reach high temperatures, anything placed inside it will be left to simmer for several hours. When simmering, the foods inside the slow cooker will release steam, and much like a pressure cooker, the steam has nowhere to go and, therefore, creates a vacuum seal which keeps the lid locked to the pot.
Additionally, the steam inside the slow cooker keeps the cooker’s contents moist, this ensures that anything cooked in the slow cooker will come out juicy and tender (assuming the time was set properly for that dish and the ingredients it contains).
On most models, the cooker will go into “keep warm” mode when it has finished a cooking cycle to ensure that you come home to a warm meal. That’s the beauty of the slow cooker; it can be left to simmer for hours while you spend time doing other things you enjoy and still produce amazing results.
Cooking with a slow cooker doesn’t have to be time-consuming, even though it takes several hours. Before I leave for work, I make sure to add all the ingredients to the slow cooker and set it to cook on the desired setting (low, high or off). Then, after a few hours, I come back home to a delicious meal.
Most of the recipes I follow call for 6-8 hours on low for the best results, however, sometimes it can take close to 10 hours to slow cook a meal.
What Are the Advantages Of Using a Slow Cooker?
- Save Time: Because the slow cooker is as automated as it is, you can leave it unattended and have it prepare a delicious meal with very little effort.
- Energy Efficient: You would have thought that it would be expensive to run an appliance for hours, but the slow cooker isn’t expensive to use at all. Running a small slow cooker is as energy consuming as running one and a half 100 watt light bulbs, according to Everydaygoodthinking.
- Save Money: First of all, cooking in a slow cooker is a simple way of making sure that there’s always food at home which, in turn, keeps you from ordering food. In addition to that, the slow cooker can cook a delicious meal using even the cheapest cuts of meat because of how tender and juicy they turn out.
- Easily Maintained: Cleaning a slow cooker is a simple process that rarely takes longer than a minute. Instead of using multiple pots for different ingredients, the slow cooker is capable of handling all of your ingredients in one pot.
- Transportable: Slow cookers are, depending on the size, quite easy to transport back and forth. This can be useful if you tend to travel a lot or live at two different locations.
How Much Does a Slow Cooker Cost?
When it comes to kitchen appliances, especially new ones, you’ll have to pay a hefty sum to get your hands on them. Thankfully, the slow cooker isn’t a new appliance, it has merely been reintroduced to the market. Yes, the slow cooker is a very popular high-quality product that delivers great results but it isn’t a new appliance.
When new products are released and millions of dollars are thrown into advertising, it creates hype for the product. The slow cooker has already gone through the hype and now landed. I tend to follow the motto “You get what you pay for” but in the case of the slow cooker, I believe you get more than you pay for.
Now for the actual price, which varies depending on model, brand, size, features and more. On the lower end of the range, you can expect to purchase a slow cooker for as little as 20$ while the multi-feature slow cookers on the high end can cost as much as 100$.
Both 20$ and 100$ slow cookers can be found on Amazon’s best seller list.
What Are Slow Cookers Used For?
Slow cookers are typically used to cook food that would otherwise be boiled but can be used for a wide variety of different foods. Things that are commonly cooked in a slow cooker include:
- Meat
- Vegetables
- Soups
- Stews
- Dips
- Grains
- Bread
- Desserts
- Cakes
- ….and more.
As you can see, the slow cooker doesn’t come with a lot of restrictions when it comes to ingredients. However, there are some items that you should avoid when slow cooking:
- Dairy: Will most likely curdle in the slow cooker
- Pasta, Rice, and Couscous: These are better cooked in a separate pot.
- Lean meat: Tougher pieces of meat turn into tenderized snacks while lean meats such as chicken breast, cook to tough leather. The same thing applies to seafood (with an exception for octopus and squid).
- Soft vegetables: Yes, the slow cooker is great for vegetables, but I recommend that you only use it for tough root vegetables as other soft vegetables (think peas, asparagus) will turn into a mushy pudding.
- Raw meat: Meat should, preferably, brown in a pot prior to cooking it in the slow cooker. This enhances the flavors.
- Spices: Hot ingredients such as chili should be added once you’ve finished cooking as they will turn hotter the longer they are cooked. Unless you’re into extremely hot meals, I recommend you add the hot spices post-slow cooking.
Are Slow Cookers Safe?
Generally speaking, slow cookers are safe to operate at low temperatures for hours at a time, but it’s still important to keep a couple of things in mind to reduce the risk of an accident when cooking with a slow cooker.
- Don’t reheat food in your slow cooker: Any meal, cooked in the slow cooker or not, should not be reheated in the slow cooker as it takes too long for the meal to reach safe temperatures. If cooked in the slow cooker, the meal should be stored and refrigerated 1-2 hours after you’ve finished cooking. For reheating purposes, opt for a microwave.
- Place the slow cooker on a safe surface: Your slow cooker should, preferably, be placed on a kitchen countertop or any other heat-safe surface. Make sure that there’s no water or any flammable objects close to or under the slow cooker.
- Stay close to the cooker the first times: Preachers will say that the slow cooker is a Godsend because it can be left unattended. Yes, it can, but I recommend staying close to it the first couple of times to ensure that the cooker works as intended.
- Thaw food prior to cooking: Most manufacturers recommend that you thaw or defrost ingredients before you put them in the slow cooker. This should be done to ensure that all the ingredients in the cooker are cooked properly and evenly once the cooking cycle has finished. The slow cooker doesn’t handle big chunks of frozen food very well and you will risk eating undercooked food.
- Get a slow cooker with a keep warm function: New programmable slow cookers come with a keep warm mode, which I mentioned earlier. Instead of turning off once it has finished cooking, the slow cooker goes into keep warm mode to ensure that your food is held at safe temperatures. This prevents the accumulation of bacteria.
Is a Slow Cooker a Crock-Pot?
I’m sure you’ve heard of both slow cookers and crock-pots but what’s the difference between the two? Are slow cookers and crock-pots the same thing? The line that separates crock-pots from slow cookers is non-existent.
That’s because a “Crock-Pot” is, in fact, a brand of slow cooker that has gained a lot of attention and paved the way for a certain type of slow cookers. Therefore, a Crock-Pot is a slow cooker but a slow cooker doesn’t have to be a Crock-Pot. Does that make sense?
The Crock-Pot, introduced to the market in 1970, was the first slow cooker of its kind and has, over time, received upgrades which have improved the appliance and turned it into the convenient cooker we know and use today.
With that said, both Crock-Pots and slow cookers look pretty much the same, produce likewise results, and come with a lid, a casing, and a heating element.
As you can see, they are very similar to one another. However, the material used to craft the cookware and the features they come with may vary depending on which brand you purchase.
What Should You Look For When Buying a Slow Cooker?
If I have persuaded you into buying your first slow cooker or upgrade your current one, let me highlight what you should look for in a new slow cooker. Of course, the answer to this question varies greatly depending on your needs and ambitions. Here are some things to keep in mind.
- Lid material: The slow cooker’s lid plays an important role as it keeps the heat within the pot, which is essential when slow cooking. Opening the slow cooker’s lid would reduce the temperature inside the pot, therefore, it is recommended that you look for a slow cooker with a glass lid that lets you check on the food without opening the lid.
- Size: There’s a range of different slow cooker sizes. Which one suits you best depends entirely on what you plan to do. If you’re looking for a slow cooker to make sauces, dips, or small one-portion meals, then you’ll probably be fine with a small cooker. For families and bulk cooking, I recommend getting a larger slow cooker, 6 quarts or more.
- Warming function: The warming function allows the slow cooker to keep your food warm once it has finished cooking. This feature is great if you plan on slow cooking while you’re at work and want to come home to a warm meal.
- Pot material: The slow cooker’s crock is often made of ceramic or porcelain but metal alternatives exist too. They’re all viable picks. In the end, it comes down to personal preference.
My all-time favorite is the Hamilton Beach 33195, it has everything I need and is large enough to cook for my family. The fact that the cooker is listed at a very good price on Amazon doesn’t hurt one bit.
Can You Leave a Slow Cooker On Overnight?
I used this magic cooking apparatus more frequently during the day when I was working – but after a while, I started cooking in the slow cooker overnight – while I was asleep. This way, I woke up to a finished meal which I could bring to work and keep the leftovers for later.
You’re probably wondering if this is safe, I mean, we’re handling an appliance with a heating element. Isn’t that a bad idea?
Well, if you follow the manufacturer’s instructions, you should be safe. The first couple of times I suggest you stay nearby your cooker. In fact, I don’t recommend doing this unless you’ve read everything provided by the manufacturer.
I’ve done it, my family does it, a lot of people all over the world do it. With that said, I don’t want to take responsibility if something goes wrong. Make sure you’ve done your research before you choose to leave your slow cooker unattended. There’s plenty of information available on the topic both on- and offline.
While I’ve mentioned the general guidelines regarding slow cooker safety up above, I still recommend reading more. Here’s an article from Huffpost that covers the topic.
Conclusion: Do You Need a Slow Cooker?
To “need” something sounds a little bit too dramatic, to be honest. With that said, a slow cooker is definitely a kitchen appliance that has made my everyday life more comfortable and less stressful. That’s what I needed, more time to do the things I actually enjoy doing, things that provide me with the energy I need to work, take care of my family and myself.
In my army of kitchen appliances, the slow cooker is still praised as one of my favorites. It simplifies the process of cooking tenfold, and it is easy enough for anyone to use. It has helped me to stay on track with my diet by always making sure that I have something to eat at home. This prevents me from purchasing things I shouldn’t eat.
If you’re looking for an affordable product capable of producing great tasting meals with very little effort from your part, then the slow cooker is a great pick. If you still have a hard time imagining what you would use the cooker for – visit Pinterest and search for slow cooker recipes, you’ll find an endless supply of delicious recipes.