18 Common Slow Cooker Mistakes: Prevention and Solutions

A slow cooker, or crock, pot has bought convenience into the lives of many Americans. Despite this, you might not be using your slow cooker correctly while making mistakes that can be dangerous or result in your meals being less tasty. What mistakes should you avoid while using your slow cooker?

Some mistakes to avoid when using a slow cooker include overfilling the cooker, using it to reheat meals, removing the lid while cooking, adding vegetables in the wrong order at the wrong time, using tender cuts of meat, and forgetting to defrost your meat before putting it in the slow cooker. 

If you want to learn about the common mistakes you never knew you were making with your slow cooker, keep reading. 

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Common Slow Cooker Mistakes

Most of the time, you can just throw your ingredients into a slow cooker and forget about it until dinner is served. But there are some mistakes that will ruin any dish or make slow cooking more difficult than necessary! Here are 10 common slow cooker errors to avoid at all costs:

1. Cooking Fragile Vegetables With Hearty Vegetables

Not all vegetables are created equal, as some take a longer or shorter time to cook. If you do not gauge the timing correctly, you will end up with undercooked or overcooked vegetables. Delicate vegetables like mushrooms should be put in at the very end of cooking to prevent them from turning into mush.   

The order in which you put your ingredients matters and should go in your slow cooker in the following order:

• Hearty root vegetables
• Meat
• Delicate vegetables
• Herbs and spices
• Liquid 

2. Ingredients Are Too Large to Cook

A slow cooker operates at a temperature anywhere from 200℉ to 300℉ (93℃ to 148℃), which is much lower than the stovetop. The larger surface area allows heat to permeate the foodstuff more quickly so that it gets cooked. With a slow cooker, any items you use should be chopped into small pieces, or your meal might be cooking for several hours and it can still be undercooked. 

3. Overfilling Your Slow Cooker

In many recipes that involve vegetables or meat, additional liquid comes from these items after cooking them in a slow cooker. Your cooker should be at least ⅓ full to prevent overcooking, but keep the quantity low as the additional liquid can result in spillage. 

If you need to cook larger meals for your family, consider investing in a slow cooker that can support the size you need.

Want to find out what size slow cooker you need? My article will help you choose the correct size for your needs.

4. Adding Too Much Liquid

An excessive amount of liquid can result in a soup becoming too watery and thin or meats becoming overcooked. If you are following slow cooker recipes on the internet, ensure that you are using the exact amount of liquid. 

If you end up with a watery broth, try boiling it on the stove top or using thickening agents like corn starch to achieve a more viscous consistency. 

5. Adding Dairy

One of the most common is adding dairy too early in the cooking process. Dairy products such as milk and sour cream can curdle when exposed to high temperatures for too long, resulting in an unappetizing mess.

For best results, add dairy products towards the end of the cooking time, or when the Slow Cooker’s “Warm” setting starts if you need to keep your dish warm for a longer period of time.

6. Forgetting to Defrost Meat

Meat is usually frozen to prevent bacterial growth, but if you start cooking frozen meat in a slow cooker without defrosting it, you might encourage a hub of bacteria to grow because the slow cooker’s low temperatures will not be able to kill these bacteria off. 

Even if you are very busy, you should never forget to defrost your meat with a method like cold water thawing, you could inadvertently cause E.Coli or salmonella to your family, which might not be a wise idea.  

Safety Tip: Defrost frozen foods in your refrigerator.

7. Raw Meat

Adding raw meat to the pot without searing or browning it first. While it may seem like a time-saving shortcut, raw meat can actually lead to subpar results.

When raw meat is added to a slow cooker, it can release excess moisture and fat into the cooking liquid, resulting in a watery, fatty dish.

Browning all sides of the meat’s exterior keeps the moisture and flavors sealed inside.

This simple step will help ensure that your slow cooker meals are flavorful, nutritious, and safe to eat.

8. Using Tender Cuts of Meat

A slow cooker is meant to make incredibly thick cuts of meat tender and juicy. If you start with a lump of tender meat, it will end up falling apart in the cooker. Instead, keep those cuts for the stove and use cheaper, thicker cuts of meat for the slow cooker.

9. Chicken Breast

Many people believe that chicken breasts, void of chicken skins, are the best choice for slow cooker recipes.

However, this is not always the case. Chicken breasts can easily become dry and tough when cooked for a long period of time. Chicken thighs, on the other hand, are much more forgiving.

They have more fat and connective tissue, which helps to keep them moist and flavorful. In addition, chicken thighs are usually cheaper than chicken breasts, making them a more economical choice for slow cooker recipes. So next time you’re planning a slow cooker meal, reach for chicken thighs instead of chicken breasts. You’ll be glad you did.

10. Adding Raw Pasta or Rice

This seems like a time-saving shortcut, but it doesn’t work. The pasta will absorb too much of the liquid in the pot and become overcooked and mushy. It’s better to cook the pasta separately and add it to the slow cooker in the last half hour. That way, you can control how much liquid it absorbs and ensure that it’s cooked to perfection.

11. Alcohol

Alcohol is often used in cooking to add flavor or as a tenderizer. In traditional high heat cooking the excess alcohol content evaporates leaving behind a flavorsome rich taste.

In the case of a slow cooker, the low cooking temperatures do not allow this process to happen therefore you will end up with a dish that does not taste great, and your delicious meal will be ruined

Maybe you could add just a dash, but not too much alcohol. Remember that the slow cooking process is naturally tenderizing your slow cooker recipes.

12. Food Thermometer

To be really safe when cooking large cuts of meat or meat on the bone in a slow cooker, it’s important to use a food thermometer to ensure that your food is cooked properly.

13. Undercooking Food

Undercooked food can be especially dangerous with meat and poultry, as there is a risk of foodborne illness. As such, it is important to make sure that slow cooker recipes are followed carefully and that food is cooked thoroughly before eating.

14. Overcooking Food

Overcooking food could result in mushy or dry, tasteless food. You should also ensure that if you cook for an extended time that there is enough liquid to stop burning. Stick to the correct cooking times your recipe requires. If the dish is ready before you want to serve it. Turn it to the keep warm setting or turn it off and reheat it on a stovetop when you are ready to eat.

15. Reheating Food in Your Slow Cooker

The slow cooker does not have the high temperatures needed to reheat food properly, as it is only meant to cook food. Although it is possible to get a warmed-up meal if you wait a few hours (or years), you will have a food safety disaster on your hands. 

Reheating food in a slow cooker can create an environment where bacteria and viruses run rampant, which can get you potentially very sick. Instead, reheat your food at a safe temperature in an oven, on the stove, or in the microwave. 

16. Removing the Lid While Cooking

The slow cooker creates an even temperature that is built over a long time. When you remove the slow cooker’s lid before your food is done to check up on it, you are causing all the heat to escape, which will significantly increase the cooking time. You will have to wait much longer for your food to be ready if the heat escapes. 

17. Putting Cold Water Into a Slow Cooker

Pouring room temperature water into a slow cooker that has not been heated up is perfectly fine. However, if you are pouring ice-cold water onto a ceramic pot, the pot will crack, making your slow cooker unusable and forcing you to spend money on a replacement. If you use filtered water from a refrigerator dispenser, try heating it up on the stove until it comes to room temp before filling your slow cooker.

18. Cooking Meat on High

If you are cooking meat in a slow cooker, choose the lower temperature setting. Cooking meats on the high temperature setting makes them tougher, while meats cooked on low have that tenderness and flavor that you are looking for.

19. Fresh Herbs

Adding fresh herbs too early in the cooking process. If you do this, the herbs will lose their flavor and won’t be as potent. It’s best to wait until the very end to add fresh herbs, right before you’re ready to serve the dish. This way, they’ll still have all of their flavor and aroma, and they’ll be a delicious addition to your slow cooker meal.

Related read how slow cookers work

Why Should You Buy a Slow Cooker?

A slow cooker is an electrical cooking appliance that is traditionally used for cooking food items for hours at a time, making it ideal for soups, stews, or cooking meat. The cooking duration can range anywhere from an hour to ten hours at a time. 

Buying a slow cooker does not come cheap, with a price range of anywhere from $40 to $200 for good quality cookers. So why should you invest in one? 

Convenience

A slow cooker is very easy to use because all you need to do is put the required ingredients inside, set the duration, and let it cook. While cooking, the slow cooker has an even temperature within, meaning you do not have to suffer the inconvenience of checking up on your food. 

It is perfect for working adults or students who cannot dedicate long hours in the kitchen to making a dish and need something quick and easy. 

Cost

Although investing in a slow cooker might initially be expensive, you will save money over time as the types of food cooked in a crockpot are usually the cheaper ones. In addition to this, the cooker uses less electricity than other types of electric cookers like a rice cooker, so you will end up saving money on electricity while helping to save the environment. 

Healthier Foods

Foods made in the slow cooker are usually much healthier than those prepared on a stove because you do not need to use additional oils or fats. The food simmers in its own juices, preserving vitamins and minerals lost during traditional cooking. 

Learn about how your slow cooker gives you healthy meals – are slow cookers healthy?

More Flavorful Meals

Meals prepared in the slow cooker are more flavorful than if they were prepared through any other means. For example, when you are cooking meat, after stewing for hours, the meat becomes more tender, the sauces become richer, and the meat becomes more flavorful as it thoroughly absorbs the sauce. 

As the food is sealed within the slow cooker, you do not have to deal with flavors being lost through evaporation. 

Cleaning & Maintenance

Minimal effort is required at cleanup time easy most slow cooker inserts and lids go in the dishwasher. The electric cooker cannot go in the dishwasher as you will ruin the control panel and electric cord. It’s a good idea to use a damp paper towel to wipe the slow cooker of any debris as soon as it cools down.

Can you put a slow cooker in the dishwasher check out my article for parts information?

Conclusion – Avoiding Most Common Slow Cooker Mistakes

A slow cooker is meant to make your life convenient, and it is almost foolproof, as it can forgive a multitude of mistakes. But when you are following a slow cooker recipe, just take note of the mistakes to avoid mentioned in this article, and you will be producing delicious meals.

A great read is my article about what you should not put in a slow cooker Things not to put in a slow cooker

One-Pot Cooking Rocks!