How to Use a Slow Cooker

Learning how to use a slow cooker or crockpot is super easy! Read this quick guide to get all the details you need plus some easy recipes!

Slow cookers are amazing! They’re like the black cauldrons of the kitchen. You can place practically anything inside, and within a few hours, it turns into a delicious meal-just like magic.

Using a slow cooker is about as easy as you’d imagine. Depending on your specific brand or model, you may have additional controls or settings like a timer or auto shut off. But other than that they all operate with the same principles in mind.

For the record, a slow cooker and a crockpot are the same kitchen appliance. The only difference is the name.

How to use a slow cooker/ How to use a crockpot

First, lets quickly cover how a slow cooker works.

There is a metal exterior with heating coils at the bottom (usually these coils are not exposed).

There is also a ceramic bowl insert that rests inside; this is where all of your foods and liquids go. The ceramic insert can be oven-safe, but the lid and the rest of the crockpot are not. 

There is also a lid to cover the crockpot and keep the heat inside. It usually has a small hole on the top to act as a steam vent.

Most slow cookers will come with knobs to adjust the settings. Typical settings include low, med., high, and warm. Each of these is controlled by adjusting the knob.

Can you put crockpot in the fridge before cooking?

The answer is yes, but very carefully.

Imagine a glass dish going from cold to hot, with little chance to adjust. Similar to putting a Pyrex casserole dish straight from the fridge into a preheated oven. You can imagine that the glass would break and shatter all over the place because that is what science has taught us. 

This same principle happens when placing a cold crockpot ceramic liner from the fridge into the preheated base. So obviously, we want to avoid such a horrible tragedy-and mess.

So, yes, you can place the crockpot liner in the fridge before cooking, but it must go into the cold base. Do not preheat the base of the crockpot before placing the liner inside. This will allow the two to warm up together and avoid any unwanted accidents.

Can you use a slow cooker without liquid?

Slow cookers do not need any liquid in order to work. You may actually notice that if you place food (like a roast) inside the crockpot without any liquid, that it will create its own thanks to the juices and the steam trapped inside the slow cooker during the cooking process.

Want to try your hand at some delicious crockpot and slow cooker recipes?? Give these a try!

• Slow Cooker Short Ribs
• Slow Cooker White Chicken Chili
• Slow Cooker Pork Ribs
• Slow Cooker Italian Beef Sandwich
• Slow Cooker Mexican Chicken
• Slow Cooker Chicken Enchiladas {Honey Lime}
• How to Make Roast Beef
• Crockpot Salsa Chicken
• Teriyaki Meatballs
• Mulled Cider Recipe
• Meatball Sub Recipe
• Crockpot Chicken Pot Pie
• Homemade Poppy Seed Chicken {in the Crockpot!}
• The Best Homemade Marinara Sauce