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Reduce the Risk of Food Poisoning When Cooking in a Crock Pot

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Crock pots and slower cookers are a great way to cook a meal. They are time savers and can really help those cuts of meat that aren'€™t quite the best. Unfortunately food poisoning due to crock pot cooking can occur fairly easily if you don'€™t use your slow cooker properly. Bacteria present of foods will die at temperatures higher than 140 °. If your crock pot is used incorrectly, the temperature of the food will not reach higher than the critical point of 140 °. In order to keep enjoying the foods cooked in your crock pot, follow these simple guidelines to stay safe from food poisoning.

Things You Will Need

crock pot

Step 1

Never put frozen foods into a crock pot to cook, even if the food is only partially frozen. All foods must be at either refrigerator temperature or room temperature. Meats, poultry and fish should always be at refrigerator temperature for safest defrosting or storing. Vegetables can be at ether room temperature or refrigerator temperature.

Step 2

Only use the lid specifically made for the crock pot. Never substitute another lid. Proper fit of the crock pot lid is necessary to achieve and maintain the proper temperature.

Step 3

Do not put a whole chicken, turkey or thick cuts of meat into a slow cooker. A whole chicken, turkey or thick cuts of meat will not get hot enough to kill the bacteria that causes food poisoning. Only use chicken, turkey and thick cuts of meat cut up into pieces.

Step 4

Fill the crock pot up 2/3 to 3/4 of the way with food. The crock pot has to have enough food in it to allow the food to absorb the heat from the crock pot.

Step 5

Cover the food with a liquid such as water, gravy or a stock to create steaming. The steam in a crock pot helps to generate more heat.

Step 6

Do not lift the lid on a slow cooker during cooking because too much heat will be let out and lost from opening. If you have to lift the lid, you have to add more cooking time.

Step 7

Use the highest setting possible for at least the first hour to 1 1/2 hours in order to raise the heat high enough to kill any bacteria on the food.

Step 8

Do not use your crock pot to reheat food. There are many bacteria present on left over foods and that bacteria is less likely to be killed during shorter reheat cooking times. Unless you plan on cooking left overs for at least 4 hours and allowing them to reach an internal temperature of greater than 140 °, use another method for reheating left over foods.

Step 9

To be sure of crock pot food safety use a food thermometer. Insert the food thermometer into the center of meat or poultry to get a reading. Be sure to check a few different pieces of meat or poultry because crock pot heat is not always even.

Use your crock pot safely to guard against food poisoning. While most recover from food poisoning within a day or 2, the very young and old are more likely to suffer complications, hospitalization and even death.