Guest blog by: Victoria Recchio, ACES Extension Daily
Slow cookers are a great way to prepare a meal with little effort and time. January is National Slow Cooker Month and is a great time to put this kitchen tool to work for you.
“It is an excellent way to prepare a meal without having the time constraints of having to ‘tend to’ your meal to keep it from burning,” said Janice Hall, a regional agent in food safety and quality with the Alabama Cooperative Extension System.
While it is fun to create memorable meals in the slow cooker, it is also extremely important to remember food safety precautions. For example, when food reaches a certain temperature (“the danger zone”) of 41 F to 135 F, it can cause foodborne illnesses.
Here are some tips and tricks for you to remember when using a slow cooker, to ensure your food is prepared safely.
Defrost meat before putting it in the slow cooker
If frozen meat is used, the meat will not reach the proper temperature of 140 F quick enough and that could result in illnesses. Roasts need to reach 145 F and poultry needs to reach 165 F, to be considered a safe temperature. Another important thing to remember is that larger pieces of meat will take a longer time to reach the appropriate temperature.
Cook vegetables near the bottom and outside areas
Vegetables cook the slowest and to cook them properly, they should be placed near the heat. Set the vegetables at the bottom of the pan and near the outsides of the cooker. In addition to properly placing the vegetables, you should cook meats in the middle of the pan.
Leave the lid alone
Although cooks are often tempted to lift the lid of their pot to smell and check on their food, it is best to resist that urge. Lifting the lid can lower temperatures by around 15 degrees and slow cooking time down by 30 minutes. If you must sneak a peek, do it toward the end of cooking when you are checking the temperature and doneness of meat.
Properly cool your food before storing leftovers
“Proper cooling is critical because if it is not done correctly, it can cause someone to get sick or in some cases cause death,” said Hall.
When hot food is placed immediately in the refrigerator, it can cause temperatures inside the fridge to rise and bacteria to grow. It is not safe for foods to sit at room temperature for more than 2 hours.
According to Hall, the proper way of cooling down food is to divide food into smaller portions, place the food in stainless steel containers (if possible) and place the containers in a sink of ice water. You should stir the food periodically, to distribute and cool down the food evenly.
Crockpot image by Lighttraveler/shutterstock.com
Extension Daily is the official blog of the Alabama Cooperative Extension System (ACES). Reprinted with permission.
