Oh Yes, Congratulations, You just got a brand new slow cooker and you probably don’t know what to do next. Have you been curious and wondering if you can start using a new slow cooker straight away or have been searching for what to do with it for the first time, precautions to take, and how to care for it? Look no further, We got you covered. Just take a few mins of your time and read on and discover everything you need to know about the new slow cooker.
Grab a chilled glass of water and relax as I take you through the journey.
To start with.
Can You Use A New Straight Slow Cooker Straight Away?
Often, people have been asking can I use my new slow cooker straight away? Of course, the answer is YES. you just need to do a few things like going through the manual and knowing the basics of operation to ensure safety before using it.
What Should I Do Before Using A New Slow Cooker?
Moving on, the next thing that should come to your mind is what should I do before using my new slow cooker or what I’m supposed to do. Yes, there are several things you need to do before using a new slow cooker aside from just unboxing it and starting using it immediately,
Now let’s look at things you should do before using a new slow cooker
- Unbox the slow cooker: The first thing to do is to carefully unbox the slow cooker from the box so as not to damage some part of the cooker during the unboxing of the cooker, similarly don’t allow the cooker to fall off from your hand while unboxing. It is better to put the slow cooker on a table while unboxing it
- Read the Manual thoroughly: The next thing to do after unboxing the slow cooker is to read the manual carefully and understand its parts and functions of it. Often most people skipped this process and assume that they will get to know more about the slow cooker as they are using it. However, it is important to study the manual carefully first before using it
- Register It: One of the most important things most people forget to do is to register their new slow cooker. Yes, registering your slow cooker is very important to as to validate your warranty. Of course, it will have a warranty, so if you fail to do it when it is new, you might not get the chance to do it again.
- Follow all guidelines: After registering your slow cooker, you can start using your slow cooker, however, you need to follow all guidelines and safety measures strictly.
- Inspect all parts of the slow cooker: Though it is brand new, then you still have to check and inspect all parts of the slow cooker to know if they’re in good condition or not before you start using them, look out for the cables, and check if the lid is closed properly or not. Ensure to take your time to carefully inspect all parts of the slow cooker.
- Look for the best storage place: You need to decide where to keep your new slow cooker, are you thinking of hanging it on the wall in the kitchen door or you want to put it in the kitchen cabinet, no matter where you put it, Ensure you are storing it in a clean, safe and dry condition.
- Find out what you can and cannot cook with a slow cooker: This is one of the benefits of reading the user manual before using the slow cooker. You need to know what type of food you can cook and what type of food you can’t prepare in a slow cooker. A knowledge of this can prevent you from ruining your cooker. It is imperative to check the storage condition of your slow cooker in your user manual
- Find the best cooking position: Aside from finding the best storage place, it is very important to also find the best cooking position as well. There are a lot of things you will need to put into consideration before choosing your cooking position such as space and electric socket. However, always keep the slow cooker away from the wall. Don’t place it very close to the wall. It can damage the walls and can cause hazards as well.
- Read up on the basics of slow cooking: Before you start using your slow cooker, it is necessary for you to read up and study the basics of slow cooking, find out what it entails, the process, how it works ?, and What recipes can be prepared with it. You can check some of our previous articles on slow cookers to know more about them.
- Clean and dry it: Finally, it’s important to clean and dry your slow cooker before you start using it. After carrying out all the above-mentioned steps, then you are free to start enjoying your slow cooker.
Do I Need To Clean A New Slow Cooker Before Using It For The First Time?
Yes, just as we have mentioned in it earlier. It is very important to clean your slow cooker before you use it for the first time. Yes, you might be like; ” It’s brand new “. Do I have to clean it again? Of course, You have to. Although the cleaning process might be much as if you are cleaning a pot with stuck messes. The cleaning is so effortless.
More so, most people complained that the new slow cookers do have a certain odor, but you can eliminate this by simply cleaning it.
However, cleaning a new slow cooker has numerous benefits like killing the microbes, and preventing the storage of chemicals packed with it in the box to get to our food.
Therefore, always endeavor to clean up your new slow cooker before using them.
What Is Better To Clean With For The First Time?
The next thing that should come to your mind is what should I use to clean my new slow cooker for the first time or what is better to clean it. As long as it is brand new. You don’t have to spend hours cleaning it since it is not a pot stuck with messes. All you have to do is just rinse it in warm soapy water. And you are good to go.
Cautions For First Time Use
Moving on, While using a slow cooker, there are several precautions to be taken to avoid hazards and fire outbreaks. You can find some of these precautions in your user manual. This is why it is very important to study your user manual carefully, everything you need to get started is in the manual.
Now, let’s look at some of the precautions to do while using the slow cooker for the first time.
- Inspection: Always do a general inspection of your slow cooker before using it. Always check the cord to see if there is no cut and scratch on it before plugging it. This is to maximize safety and also prevent electric shocks while using your slow cooker.
- Don’t overfill the slow cooker: While using your slow cooker, always prepare the quantity of food it can contain and accommodate perfectly, don’t overfill the cooker, if you will be cooking a very large amount of food always, then you should probably get a bigger size that meets your needs.
- Always read the Manual: Yes, don’t be surprised this is coming up again here. The importance of going through your user manual can’t be overemphasized. However, always take your time to study the user manual carefully and stop guessing what should be done or not.
- Don’t place the frozen food in your slow cooker: If you must prepare frozen food, always ensure to defrost it first before cooking it in a slow cooker. It is not advisable to place frozen food directly into a slow cooker.
- Never use a slow cooker to reheat leftovers: In case of leftovers and you need to warm them before eating them, don’t use a slow cooker to reheat your leftovers, instead utilize an oven to warm up your leftovers.
- Distance your slow cooker from the walls: To ensure maximum safety, it is important to always keep your slow cooker some distance away from the walls of the kitchen.
- Regulate the temperature: Always pay attention to the temperature of the slow cooker while using it. It is important to always start the slow cooker at a very high temperature to kill any form of microbes. Then after like an hour, you should Lower the temperature.
- Ensure the lid is closed properly: Always put the lid on while using the slow cooker to prevent heat from escaping the cooker
- Always put the slow cooker on a stable surface: Placing the slow cooker on a stable surface will prevent it from falling off. Which can be very dangerous especially if it contains hot contents.
- Always Cook the suggested meals in the slow cooker: Yes, not recipes can be cooked with slow cooking, find out the recipes that can be prepared in your slow cooker and always prepare them with their suggested time of cooking, to ensure food safety.
- Always add the right amount of water: While using a slow cooker don’t add too much water because the lid retains part of the water in the cooking process
- Grease the slow cooker or use a slow cooker liner: It is important to grease your slow cooker or use a slow cooker liner to prevent food from sticking to the pot. Using a slow cooker liner can make the cleaning process easy for you. You don’t have to spend ages cleaning the pots.
- Always ensure to layer your food in the slow cooker: The slow cooker cooks our food slowly and receives heat from the bottom. So it is important to always put in recipes that have a long cooking period first into a slow cooker
- Always Use the Right Size Slow cooker: Another important thing to take note of is using the right size slow cooker that can accommodate your food perfectly, if you will be cooking a very large amount of food, you will need a big size slow cooker. And if you are just preparing a small sauce or desserts, all you need is a small-sized slow cooker.
Final thoughts
Wrapping up! You can always use your new slow cooker straight away. All you have to do is just go through the user manual carefully, strictly follow the guidelines, clean & dry it, and then start enjoying your new slow cooker.