When it comes that you have no choice to cook your favorite recipe and you are left hanging with a single frozen roast in the fridge, that will surely create some confusion about whether to cook it or not.
In my case, a frozen roast has always been my last choice because it will take too long for me to cook it. Even if I have different slow cookers, such as my lightweight slow cooker and my larger ones, the results are the same.
Nonetheless, a frozen roast is a nice meal that can even fill my family in no time. At first, it took me a hard beating to have the knowledge of how to cook it.
The very question that comes into my mind is whether I can cook a frozen roast in a slow cooker or not. I found it complicated at first, but after doing some research, I finally came across the answer.
Learn everything from this guide, and surely it will give you the knowledge on how to prepare food safely.
Can I cook a frozen roast in a slow cooker?
Most of us are fond of utilizing a slow cooker in our own ways and use its advantage to prepare meals daily.
From basic recipes to complicated ones, we are just dumping everything inside and letting the slow cooker do its thing because we trust our buddy slow cooker to create one yummy meal.
There are some cases where we even forget some protocols to keep in mind. And one example is cooking a frozen roast in a slow cooker.
While it may seem convenient and good to just place a frozen roast inside, certain food risks will follow.
It may give you time to prepare it less than the traditional thawing procedure; however, you are inviting microorganisms to live and swarm the food.
Hence, this method can be considered a food risk, according to food safety experts.
We are all aware that bacteria live among us and can’t be seen with the human eye. These microorganisms thrive in any environment and can multiply rapidly at a certain temperature level.
They often love to stay and live on raw products such as frozen roast.
Our buddy slow cookers are keen appliances that use regular heating to achieve the perfect cooking, and it will take hours to cook one meal.
Because of that, it will take longer to thaw the frozen roast inside, and it will imply that the food will undergo the danger zone.
That is why it is recommended to that first frozen roast before putting it inside a slow cooker.
Know more, What can you cook in a slow cooker
Accessories you need to cook a frozen roast in a slow cooker
Cooking a frozen roast requires minimal attention and equipment, but it still depends on what recipe you are cooking on your slow cooker. More or less, you need the following equipment to get things done:
- Temperature Probe – A temperature probe is needed when cooking any type of meat cut. This device will determine if meat has been thoroughly cooked. Using a temperature probe will allow you to check the temperature inside the frozen roast, indicating whether the roast has met the required safety levels of temperature in cooking.
- Bowl – If you want a flavorful frozen roast, you need to soak it in a bowl with the necessary mixes of liquids and spices.
- Apron – Don’t forget your apron when preparing a frozen roast. You don’t want to get messy if you prepare it.
- Blender – If you want to cook a shredded frozen roast, a blender can help you with the shredding part.
- Cleaver – When you have bought a larger frozen roast and want to cook small chunks, a cleaver can help you. It will cut the roast down to your preferred slices and cuts.
- Cutting Board – This one will partner with your cleaver. Have your frozen roast on top of this, and use your cleaver on the cutting board to ensure that it has been sliced properly.
- Carving Fork – This is best used in checking if the frozen roast has been tenderly cooked already. When you put the carving fork onto the meat, and once you pull it away with no resistance, that is an indication that you achieved a tender meat meal.
- Microwave – A microwave might be handy for the thawing part since it has defrost settings that you can use if you are in a hurry.
- Plates – Once the frozen roast has been cooked, it needs to be put on a clean plate for serving.
How long does it take to cook a frozen roast in a slow cooker?
When you are planning to cook a frozen roast, remember that it is frozen from the outside and on the inside. Cooking a frozen will take you a minimum of 6 hours and a maximum of 10 hours.
The cooking time will be dependent on the size of the roast that you are going to cook on a slow cooker.
A temperature probe is needed to check whether the frozen roast has been cooked thoroughly. This will determine if the core of the frozen roast has been cooked properly.
If you want to cook a smaller one, it will take fewer hours than cooking a larger one. Also, you may notice that a thoroughly cooked roast will change its color after being cooked for hours.
Is it required to thaw first a frozen roast before cooking it in a slow cooker?
Yes! Food safety experts suggest thawing first a frozen roast before cooking it in a slow cooker.
This ensures that there will be no microorganisms or bacteria that can enter and multiply on the food.
When you ignore this part, you may likely get food-borne diseases that can affect your health.
On the other hand, thawing a frozen roast is easy, and it can be done in a fridge, but it may take a day to fully thaw it.
You can also do it by placing it inside a ziplock and letting it sit on a container full of water. Having it securely placed in a plastic container will be free from any bacteria.
Is it best to use high settings for cooking a frozen roast in a slow cooker?
Certainly, using high settings for cooking a frozen roast in a slow cooker is the best approach to ensure food safety.
Having it cooked in high heat for the first hour will eliminate any bacteria quickly once it reaches the boiling point.
It needs to be cooked for an hour since the preferred time to make sure that there is no microorganism left is to let it boil for at most 15 minutes, and in an hour, that will totally get rid of any bacteria roaming around the frozen roast.
In this way, you can cook the frozen roast at the safest levels possible, avoiding the risk of food poisoning.
Final Word
Deliberating whether to cook a frozen roast directly or thaw it first is not the norm today. Whether you like it or not, cooking needs to be done safely and properly.
There are hundreds of thousands of cases of food-borne diseases worldwide, and we are not exempted from that.
While using a slow cooker might come in handy because of the convenience that it can bring, we should also keep in mind the effects if it’s not done properly.
That’s why food safety is there and that every government institution always reminds us to thaw any frozen goods before cooking them.
Having it reaches the safe recommended levels when cooking ensures that you will safely eat the finished meal.
Keeping that in mind will help you prevent bacteria from entering your body, hence will prevent any food-borne disease from increasing.