Crockpot (slow cooker) and safety

Factual Questions
21

From a slow cooker site. One way to test your brand new machine is:

Fill crockpot with 2 quarts of water.

Heat on low for 8 hours or desired cooking time.

Quickly check the water temperature with an accurate thermometer

The temperature of the water should be 185F. Higher temps may mean that foods will get overdone. Lower temps may mean that foods might not cook safely.

Somehow that 185F sounds reassuring. It’s sufficiently high to kill bacteria (the back of my pea-brain recalls 180F necessary in a turkey breast) and it’s held for a long time meaning the internal temperature is consistent throughout.

22

BUMPING THIS OL’ THREAD TO SAY…

Me have slow cooker! Crayons make pot roast!

Thanks to all the Dopers who addressed my fears of burning the house down.

Eats_Cryaons eats pot roast! Mmm… pot roast!

23

heh. You got so excited you misspelled YOUR OWN NAME.

[sub](p.s. I hope you made rice. and biscuits. and that Sniffs_Markers enjoyed it too.)[/sub]

24

Welcome to the beautiful world of slow cookers. I made chili in mine yesterday. Yum.

25

I saw the same “hot plate left on=raging inferno” scare flick and was similarly traumatized.

I always put my crockpot in the (dry) sink (and make sure the faucet is pointing in the other sink in case of leaks). That way, if the crock pot DOES ignite, there’s nothing for it to burn.

Stupid and paranoid, true, but at least I don’t have to worry when I’m gone.

Fenris