FACT SHEET


Slow Cookers and Food Safety
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Opening the front door on a cold winter evening and being
greeted by the inviting smells of beef stew or chicken noodle
soup wafting from a slow cooker can be a diner's dream come
true. But winter is not the only time a slow cooker is useful. In
the summer, using this small appliance can avoid introducing
heat from a hot oven. At any time of year, a slow cooker can
make life a little more convenient because by planning ahead,
you save time later. And it takes less electricity to use a slow
cooker rather than an oven.


Is A Slow cooker Safe?
Yes, the slow cooker, a countertop appliance, cooks foods
slowly at a low temperature -- generally between 170 ° and
280 ° F. The low heat helps less expensive, leaner cuts of
meat become tender and shrink less.

The direct heat from the pot, lengthy cooking and steam
created within the tightly-covered container combine to destroy
bacteria and make the slow cooker a safe process for cooking
foods.


Safe Beginnings
Begin with a clean cooker, clean utensils and a clean work
area. Wash hands before and during food preparation.

Keep perishable foods refrigerated until preparation time. If
you cut up meat and vegetables in advance, store them
separately in the refrigerator. The slow cooker may take
several hours to reach a safe, bacteria-killing temperature.
Constant refrigeration assures that bacteria, which multiply
rapidly at room temperature, won't get a "head start" during
the first few hours of cooking.

Thaw and Cut Up Ingredients
Always defrost meat or poultry before putting it into a slow
cooker. Choose to make foods with a high moisture content
such as chili, soup, stew or spaghetti sauce.

Cut food into chunks or small pieces to ensure thorough
cooking. Do not use the slow cooker for large pieces like a
roast or whole chicken because the food will cook so slowly it
could remain in the bacterial "Danger Zone," between 40 and
140 ° F, too long. If using a commercially frozen slow cooker
meal, prepare according to manufacturer's instructions.

Use the Right Amount of Food
Fill cooker no less than half full and no more than two-thirds
full. Vegetables cook slower than meat and poultry in a slow
cooker so if using them, put vegetables in first, at the bottom
and around sides of the utensil. Then add meat and cover the
food with liquid such as broth, water or barbecue sauce. Keep
the lid in place, removing only to stir the food or check for
doneness.

Settings
Most cookers have two or more settings. Foods take different
times to cook depending upon the setting used. Certainly,
foods will cook faster on high than on low. However, for all-day
cooking or for less-tender cuts, you may want to use the low
setting.

If possible, turn the cooker on the highest setting for the first
hour of cooking time and then to low or the setting called for in
your recipe. However, it's safe to cook foods on low the entire
time -- If you're leaving for work, for example, and preparation
time is limited.

While food is cooking and once it's done, food will stay safe as
long as the cooker is operating.

Power Out
If you are not at home during the entire slow-cooking process
and the power goes out, throw away the food even if it looks
done.

If you are at home, finish cooking the ingredients immediately
by some other means: on a gas stove, on the outdoor grill or
at a house where the power is on.

When you are at home, and if the food was completely cooked
before the power went out, the food should remain safe up to
two hours in the cooker with the power off.

Handling Leftovers
Store leftovers in shallow covered containers and refrigerate
within two hours after cooking is finished. Reheating leftovers
in a slow cooker is not recommended. However, cooked food
can be brought to steaming on the stove top or in a microwave
oven and then put into a preheated slow cooker to keep hot for
serving.

U.S. Department of Agriculture