What Temperature Do Slow Cookers Operate At?

If you want nutritious meals with minimal effort, you should buy a slow cooker. It is important to understand how the temperature of slow cookers work because it affects the food’s taste and safety. In case you are using slow cookers for the first time, you are probably thinking, “What temperature do slow cookers operate at?”

The temperature setting and time of slow cookers vary depending on the manufacturers. However, the low temperature setting of most slow cookers is 190 ̊ Fahrenheit, and the high setting is 300 ̊ Fahrenheit.     

In this article, I am going to describe more about slow cooker temperatures and what temperature is best for slow cooking. I will also tell you how to test slow cooking temperatures.  

Temperatures Slow Cookers Operate At 

A slow cooker has three temperature settings. You can see them written beside the dial for temperature control. They are low, high, and warm/keep warm settings. In this section, I will describe each of the settings so that you can understand how a slow cooker’s temperature functions. 

Low-Temperature Setting

The ideal temperature for low temperature setting is about 200 ̊ Fahrenheit. If you want to cook your meals in a low setting, first you have to run your slow cooker for 8 hours on low heat. After that, use a thermometer to test the temperature. 

Remember, the slow cooker may lose some heat (about 10 to 15 degrees) when you open the lid. So, the thermometer may show 185 to 190 ̊ Fahrenheit (85 ̊to 91 ̊Celsius). When the meal hits this optimum level of temperature in a low setting, the slow cooker retains this heat until the food reaches the cooking time.

It is recommended not to cook your food, especially any meat below 185 ̊ F. Foods cooked at temperatures 40 to 140 ̊ Fahrenheit are harmful to your health. Foods cooked for too long in below low setting temperature can be an ideal ground for bacteria.           

High Temperature Setting

No matter how high the slow cooker’s high setting temperature can get, it will never be the same as a stove temperature. When you use a stove for cooking food, it can reach high temperature very fast. But, slow cookers become warmer gradually, and it takes time. 

Generally, slow cookers temperature can rise to 300 ̊ Fahrenheit or 149 ̊ Celsius in a high setting. Foods in high temperature settings take much less time to be cooked than the low settings. It will take 3 to 4 hours in high setting to reach the boiling point.  

However, if the food you are cooking contains a significant amount of water, the cooking temperature of the high setting is 212 ̊ Fahrenheit (100 ̊ Celsius). It is the boiling point of water.   

Similar to cooking in a low setting, you should check the temperature for the high setting too. Hit the slow cooker for 3 to 4 hours and take the temperature, which should be 285 ̊to 290 ̊ Fahrenheit (141 ̊ Celsius to 144 ̊Celsius) after removing the lid. I will describe how to test the temperature of crock pots in another section. 

Keep Warm Setting

Who will want their warm delicious food cooked for so long to get cold? The time you have invested in cooking your meal will get wasted. Hence, the slow cooker comes with a warm/keep warm setting. 

The keep warm setting of the cooker keeps the cooked food warm at 140 ̊ Fahrenheit (74 ̊ Celsius), or above this temperature. The setting will help you to maintain food safety by protecting the foods from bacteria. Thus, you can enjoy a hot meal. 

The option is only for keeping cooked food warm and not for cooking. Many people who use slow cookers for the first time make the mistake of trying to cook food in a warm temperature setting. It will waste your food and time.  

What Is the Best Temperature for Slow Cooking?

Now, you may wonder which temperature is best for slow cooking. Is it better to cook on low heat or high heat? It actually depends on what you are planning to cook and how fast you want your meals to be prepared. If you are following a recipe, follow the instructions.

The main idea about both low and high setting temperature cooking is reaching the simmering point of the food. For low settings, the foods take 7 to 8 hours to reach the boiling point. On the other hand, foods take half of the time during high setting temperatures. 

However, a lot of people who use slow cookers regularly think meals cooked at low temperatures get more time to develop their flavors. This is why you should plan before you use either of the settings.

For example, you will be out of the house for a long time. You may not have the time to prepare your meals when you come back home.

You can leave your food cooking on the slow cooker for 8 hours and come back home to eat a hot meal. But if you want to eat slow-cooked food faster, you can cook the meal at high temperature for 4 hours.    

How to Test Slow Cooking Temperature?

It is important to maintain the right temperature and time for cooking in slow cookers for having tasty and safe foods. Thus, you have to make sure your slow cooker is working properly. To check the temperature of the cooker, you have to follow these steps:  

• Fill more than half of the slow cooker with water.
• Cover the cooker with the lid and put it on low setting for 8 hours.
• After 8 hours, remove the lid and check the temperature. It should be 185 ̊ F to 195 ̊ F. 
• If the temperature is above the expected heat, you do not have to worry since the level of the water varies for different foods.
• If the temperature is too low compared to 185 ̊ F, you should get your cooker checked. 
• Check the high setting temperature the same way by setting the time to 4 hours.
• The temperature should be 285 ̊ to 295 ̊ F.  

Some Tips on Using Slow Cookers

Finally, I would like to give some tips to readers who are using slow cookers for the first time. Here are some guidelines so that you have the basic idea of crock pots:

• Make sure to clean your slow cooker and other utensils thoroughly. Slow cooking can be affected by germs or bacteria. Thus, it is a must to keep things clean.
• Do not cook frozen food in a slow cooker, especially meats. Take time to thaw the poultry or meat before putting it in the crockpot.
• Fill up half or ¾ of your crock with ingredients. Your food will taste better.
• Do not take off the lid once you set on the timer. 
• Cut foods into smaller parts or large cut parts according to the recipe you are following. 
• Use a thermometer. Check the temperature of your food when you take off the lid. If it does not reach the temperature that you have intended to, then cook the food a while longer. 
• Do not cook food in the warm setting. You must understand that it is the option to keep food warm.
• Place vegetables at the bottom or side where the heat is most because vegetables take a longer time to get boiled.
• Do not leave leftovers in the cooker. Finish the food while it is warm, or keep it warm with the warm setting. You can also put the leftovers in a container and refrigerate them. 
• When you take the leftovers out of the refrigerator, do not reheat them in the slow cooker. Use a stove or microwave.

Conclusion

Although the operating temperatures of slow cookers differ, the temperature is mostly 190 ̊ F for the low setting and 300 ̊ F for the high setting. So, make sure your slow cooker operates at these temperatures.