❌ What NOT to Do With a Slow Cooker
For anyone new to slow cookers (or living with someone who is), here are a few hard-learned lessons:
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Never preheat an empty slow cooker—it’s not like a stovetop.
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Don’t use it to reheat food like a microwave. Slow cookers take hours to heat evenly.
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Never place frozen food directly into it without adding liquid. This causes temperature stress.
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Don’t place a cold ceramic insert into a hot base—or vice versa. Temperature shock can shatter ceramic or glass.
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Always use the right lid. Using an ill-fitting or cracked lid can cause pressure buildup.
🧼 Cleanup and Safety
After the shock wore off, we spent over an hour cleaning up glass—carefully, with gloves and plenty of paper towels. We had to throw out the food, obviously, and even some nearby items that had been sprinkled with glass. It was a reminder that kitchen safety isn’t just about knives and stoves—appliances need respect too.
💡 Takeaway
If you’re gifting someone a slow cooker (or getting one yourself), read the manual and share the basic do’s and don’ts with your housemates. They might seem foolproof, but slow cookers are not all-purpose cookers.
As for me? I’ll be saving up for a new one—and probably labeling it with bright red tape that says: “For SLOW COOKING only!”
