How to use a slow cooker: settings, timings and safety tips
A slow cooker is one of the easiest ways to get a warm, tasty meal on the table on a busy weekday. You add the ingredients in the morning, put the lid on, and in the evening a stew, soup or curry is ready and waiting. How it turns out, though, depends on how you use it.
In this guide we explain how a slow cooker works, what the low and high settings mean, which ingredients suit slow cooking, how to convert a normal recipe for the slow cooker and what to remember about food safety.
How does a slow cooker work?
A slow cooker has an electric heating element that warms a ceramic or metal inner pot slowly and evenly over several hours. The tight lid keeps the steam in: it condenses on the lid and drips back into the food, so nothing dries out and the liquid barely reduces.
Most models have two settings, low and high, and some also have keep warm. Both settings eventually bring the food to the same gentle simmer, but high gets there faster. As a rule of thumb, one hour on high equals roughly two hours on low. Keep warm is only for holding finished food at temperature, not for cooking.
Which ingredients work best in a slow cooker?
Slow cooking is at its best with tougher, cheaper cuts such as beef shin, shoulder and pork neck. Long braising softens the connective tissue until the meat is tender enough to pull apart with a fork. For chicken, choose thigh fillets, because lean breast meat dries out easily over long cooking.
Root vegetables like carrot, parsnip, potato and swede handle long cooking well and soak up the flavours of the stew. Lentils, chickpeas and tinned beans also work well. A classic example of a stew that also works in a slow cooker is our Greek meat stew stifado. If you love pulled meat, take a look at our pulled pork tacos with marinated cabbage: in a slow cooker, pulled pork almost makes itself.
Pasta, rice, cream and fresh herbs do not survive hours of braising. Pasta and rice turn mushy and dairy can split, so add them near the end or cook them separately.
How to convert a normal recipe for the slow cooker
Almost any stew, soup or sauce can be made in a slow cooker. The key change is the liquid: because almost nothing evaporates under the lid, use about a third to a half less stock than on the hob. In soups it matters less, but in stews too much liquid makes the sauce watery.
For timings, use this rough guide: a recipe that takes 15 to 30 minutes on the hob takes about 4 to 6 hours on low. Food that simmers for 35 to 45 minutes on the hob needs about 6 to 8 hours on low. Always check your own appliance's manual, because power varies between models.
The flavour gets deeper if you brown the meat and onion in a pan first. It is not essential, but it adds a roasted depth that braising alone cannot give.
Slow cooker: quick checklist
Fill the pot at least halfway but no more than two thirds full so the food cooks evenly.
Always thaw meat and poultry before it goes in. Frozen meat stays lukewarm for too long.
Put root and firm vegetables at the bottom and the meat on top, because the base heats fastest.
Cut the liquid by about a third to a half compared with a normal recipe, because nothing evaporates under the lid.
Keep the lid on. Every peek lets heat escape and adds to the cooking time.
Add cream, cheese, fresh herbs, pasta and frozen vegetables only in the last half hour.
Boil soaked dried red kidney beans hard for at least 10 minutes before they go into the slow cooker.
Slow cooker food safety
Slow cooking is safe as long as you remember a few basics. Always thaw meat and poultry before it goes in, because frozen meat heats slowly and spends too long at temperatures bacteria like. Poultry must be cooked through, so if in doubt check the core temperature with a thermometer and follow your local food safety guidance.
Red kidney beans need special attention. Raw and undercooked beans contain phytohaemagglutinin, which can cause a nasty stomach upset. A slow cooker may not get hot enough to destroy it, so boil soaked dried beans hard for at least 10 minutes first. Ready-cooked tinned beans can go straight in.
Do not reheat leftovers in the slow cooker, because it warms up too slowly. Cool leftover food and get it into the fridge within a couple of hours. For more tips, see our guide on how long food keeps in the fridge.
Slow cookers and meal prep
A slow cooker is a great helper for meal prep. Cook one big batch of stew, chilli or soup and you have ready lunches and dinners for several days or for the freezer. Read more in our meal prep guide. For ideas on what to cook, browse our stew recipes.
The most common mistakes and how to avoid them
The most common mistake is too much liquid, which makes the stew watery. If the sauce is too thin, take the lid off for the last half hour and switch to high so some liquid can evaporate. Another common mistake is adding everything at once: delicate vegetables such as peas, spinach and broccoli are best added at the end so they keep their colour.
The third mistake is bland seasoning. Long braising mellows flavours, so taste at the end and add salt, pepper, lemon juice or fresh herbs as needed. A little acidity brings a stew to life.
The idea behind a slow cooker is simple: a little effort in the morning, a warm meal in the evening. Remember the right fill level, the right amount of liquid and the food safety basics, and you will get it right the first time.
Warming stews without the planning
Yummy box brings every ingredient for warming stews, curries and soups in the right amounts, with clear step-by-step recipes. You just cook and enjoy.
