Crockpot Cooking Safety Tips
Copyright 2006 Tony Buel
Although I have never had a bad experience with my crockpot (and
I'm sure you won't either), there are a few safety measures you
need to follow to ensure food safety. Some of them are pretty
basic and common sense and you are probably doing them already.
But it never hurts to go over them and to just continue to be
aware of the importance proper food handling and preparation
techniques.
Always start clean, a clean cooker, clean utensils, a clean work
area. And wash your hands before and during food preparation.
Be sure to handle ingredients carefully. Since slow cookers can
take a while to get to temperatures hot enough to kill off
bacteria, it is imperative to keep the ingredients constantly
refrigerated prior to food preparation. Remember that bacteria
multiply on food quickly at room temperature. Therefore
perishable foods should remain refrigerated until you need them.
Defrost your meats and poultry prior to putting them in your
slow cooker. This helps the crockpot achieve proper cooking
temperature faster, eliminating the possibility of bacteria
growth on your food.
Cutting food into smaller chunks helps to ensure that the food
is cooked thoroughly. For example, don't cook large pieces of
meat such as a whole chicken in the slow cooker. Doing this
increases the opportunity for bacterial growth because it takes
a longer time to get to proper cooking temperature. Meats and
vegetables can be cut up in advance but make sure you store them
separately in covered containers.
Keep the lid on. Experts say that removing the lid can add 20
minutes to the cooking time! This is because it takes that long
to re-generate the lost heat and steam. Remove it only to stir
the food or check for doneness.
Since vegetables cook slower than meat, place the vegetables on
the bottom. Then add the meat and cover the food with your
broth, sauce, or water.
If possible, set the slow cooker setting on high for the first
hour of cooking to get the food warmed up quickly. Then switch
it to low for the rest of the day. If it is not possible, the
Food Safety and Inspection Service says it is still safe to cook
foods on low for the entire time, since the temperatures stay
hot enough for long enough to prevent any bacterial growth on
the food.
If you are away during the entire slow-cooking process and you
know that there has been a power outage, don't take any chances.
Throw the food out. Although it may look done, it could also be
unsafe for consumption. You can know if there was a power outage
by the time flashing on your other appliances such as microwave
or VCR.
If you are home during a power outage, complete the cooking
another way -gas stove, etc.
A food thermometer can be used to test for 'doneness' on your
meat and poultry to make sure they have reached a safe internal
temperature: Poultry - 170 deg for chicken breast - 180 deg for
chicken thigh Ground Meat- 160 deg Roasts -145 degrees (medium
rare) -160 degrees (medium) -170 degrees (well done)
Casseroles -165 degrees Stuffing - 165 degrees Soups - 165
degrees
And when it comes to leftovers, make sure you refrigerate them
within two hours after cooking is finished. Store them in
shallow covered containers.
It is not recommended that you use a slow cooker to reheat these
leftovers.
These tips should give you the added confidence that any food
you have prepared is safe and hopefully delicious!