Slow cooker is among the best kitchen devices that have been thriving today. These are famous kitchen appliances that use electricity in the most cost-efficient way.
It covers up the heat intended for consistent cooking and a delightful finish. Aside from that, it can help in everyday cooking since all you have to do is put the ingredients inside it and wait until it becomes cooked.
However, there remains a question that is still unanswered. Does a slow cooker need to heat up first?
In traditional cooking, we call a famous way to start up the cooking process with a hot start, which is to heat things before the cooking begins.
Things might be different in the world of slow cookers since it has been designed to run automatically without any hassle.
But there are still others who want to heat first their slow cooker before they begin cooking. Is that a better way? Let’s find it out!
Does a slow cooker need to heat up first?
Yes, of course when safety and convenience are a concern. Heating up a slow cooker has many basis and essentials that one might want to know. Using a slow cooker will give you convenience from the very start, and heating things up first will give you a boost when preparing meals. That boost will shorten the time cooking any recipe.
Aside from that, the rapid heat will give your slow cooker a nice temperature to kill any microbes that could stay inside after cleaning them. There are also recipes that need preheating first to have a delicious meal. The most important thing about pre-heating is that it can give food safety that no other method can do.
Friendly Reminders When Pre-heating A Slow Cooker: Detailed Insights
Below are some reminders that we need to keep in mind when pre-heating a slow cooker:
1. Rapid Heat
Most slow cookers come with an instruction manual that provides a to-do task to pre-heat first the slow cooker before slow cooking. The main reason for this is to have the slow cooker create heat quickly to ensure quick and consistent cooking. It needs to be pre-heated for about 20 minutes or fully ensure a perfect cooking time.
2. Shorten Time
Giving your slow cooker a pre-heat session will reduce the cooking time considerably. It will kick start the cooking process by giving it a good start in cooking any recipe.
3. Food Safety
Heating first, the slow cooker ensures safe cooking. As we all know, bacteria cannot be seen, and it is very problematic that there might still remain after cleaning the slow cooker. Heating up the slow cooker first will kill these pathogens and microbes to make a safe start in slow cooking.
Aside from that, some ingredients contain natural toxins inside them, and the only way to remove these toxins is by heating them to the boiling point.
4. Recommended in Meat and Poultry
When the recipe is all about meat and poultry, it would be best to pre-heat the slow cooker before throwing all the ingredients inside.
This will ensure a quick heat setup that will reduce the time it will take to cook these hard foods. Also, shortening the time period will keep the ingredients heated safely, thus avoiding the temperature danger zone.
Meat and poultry are known to be hard foods since they don’t heat quickly like vegetables making them susceptible to food-borne diseases that can harm any individual.
Preheating the slow cooker beforehand will ensure that the cooking and the final dish output will be safe to it since it has been cooked thoroughly on the safest levels.
5. Enhance Flavor
In preparing the best dishes using a slow cooker, pre-heating it first will give you the best aroma and flavor for every recipe that you will cook. The pre-heating process will release these spices’ flavors, producing an enhanced flavor overall.
Does a slow cooker need to heat up first? – Detailed Steps in Preheating
1. Pre-heating Stage
Get your slow cooker out of your storage box and put it on your countertop. Get it to room temperature first for the first 5 to 10 minutes; before doing the slow cooking, pre-heat first the slow cooker according to your instruction manual. Remember to cover the lid first before doing so. Turn on the slow cooker to its highest setting and wait for 15 to 20 minutes to get it done.
2. High Setting in the First Hour
To heat things, utilize the high settings to get it done properly. Start cooking for the first hour using the high settings and turn low afterward. Make sure that you have already calculated the cooking times so that you won’t be confused when the recipe has been cooked already.
3. Soak Dried Beans Wet
If you plan to cook dried beans, don’t throw them instantly on your slow cooker. Dried beans contain natural toxins that boiling temperatures can only remove. This will, in a way, kill the pathogens that come from the dried beans.
Place the dried beans in a container, then soak it wet with liquid water overnight. Rinse it thoroughly and boil it first on your stovetop for at least 10 to 15 minutes. After seeing it boiled from the stovetop, transfer it to the slow cooker and cook it accordingly.
4. Vegetables on-the-go
Cooking vegetables might be tricky when using a slow cooker because it is among the foods that require more time to be cooked. One way to solve this is to put them near the heating portions of the slow cooker, either on the sides or at the bottom. That might be the area where the heating elements are being put.
5. Eyes on the Lid
After heating up and putting all the necessary ingredients in your recipe, remember not to lift the lid during cooking because it will make the temperature drop inside whenever you peek. Because of that, you need to add the necessary amount of time to heat things back again, and it will take longer for the meal to be cooked.
#6. Temperature Check
When cooking meat and poultry, ensure that both are at safe temperature levels. Use a digital thermometer before placing the cooked food on the plate. Roast goes up to 160 degrees Fahrenheit while poultry, sauces, and soups cover up 165 degrees Fahrenheit.
7. Never Cool Things Down
Never leave food inside a slow cooker because it might catch microbes that can harm your health. It will become spoiled once it has been there sitting all day. Spoilages can also make the slow cooker filthy, thus hard to wash it clean. If you plan to continue eating the leftover foods, transfer them to the fridge to prevent such microbes from spoiling them fast.
8. Don’t Reheat!
Never reheat leftover foods inside the slow cooker because it will take much time to get the temperature to safe levels. Instead, reheat it using a stovetop or microwave since it’s much faster to heat it using those devices.
How long does a slow cooker take to heat up?
Slow cookers, in general, are a safe way to cook different foods. They cook food consistently in a slow manner that generally takes 15-20 minutes to heat up until it settles to a temperature range of 170 to 280 degrees Fahrenheit.
How to heat a slow cooker?
Heating a slow cooker is very simple. All you have to do is get the slow cooker out from your storage and place it on the heating unit.
Clean first the slow cooker and make sure that everything is in tip-top shape. Plugin the slow cooker in the socket and turn it on to a high setting.
Wait for at least 20 minutes to get it done. This will ensure that microbes have been killed inside the slow cooker and shorten the time the slow cooker cooks the ingredients. Also, it can enhance the flavors, which can give you the best meals that you have always wanted.
Final Thoughts
Before using a slow cooker, check first the instruction manual. There you can find specific instructions on how to pre-heat your slow cooker. It is a must to follow the directions from the manufacturers because the slow cooker is designed to be in that way.
If ever there is no user manual attached, take 15 to 20 minutes time to pre-heat the slow cooker. This is the general rule of thumb to make pre-heating properly. Having your best slow cooker America’s Test Kitchen is pre-heated at first can give you a proper boost in your everyday cooking.
Now that you know the importance of pre-heating your slow cooker, you will surely realize how critical it is to do this procedure. It might add time, but it can also do slow cooking more safely. Grab your ingredients now and start pre-heating your slow cooker. Enjoy the days ahead with a delicious cooking finish.