Prevent Annoying Slow Cooker Cleanup By Taking This Extra Step At The Beginning

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The best part about cold weather isn't playing outdoors; it's coming indoors and having a nice, hot meal that's been heating up in the slow cooker for hours. There are a lot of surprising foods you can make in a slow cooker, and while delicious, many of them also leave behind a challenging mess that often takes far too long to clean. You can circumvent this problem by greasing the crock or ceramic insert before you start cooking. You'll not only prevent tasty food from sticking to the sides (and avoiding a common slow cooker mistake that can ruin your food), but you'll also thank yourself when it takes less time and scrubbing to clean the insert.

There are a variety of options for greasing your slow cooker. You can use cooking spray, but if you have a different preference or flavor profile in mind, you can opt for using butter or cooking oils like coconut or olive oil. You can even play around with tastes by using infused olive oils. Good examples of this approach include a basil-infused olive oil for tomato-based foods, or a rosemary-infused olive oil that enhances the flavor of beef stew. Best of all, greasing your crock pot at the beginning of the cooking process is also a great way to prolong the life of the appliance.

Depending on the quality of the appliance, how often it's used, and how well it's taken care of, slow cookers can last up to 10 or more years before they need to be replaced. If stretching the life of your slow cooker is the goal, greasing the interior before cooking helps. When food is allowed to build up and needs to be scrubbed off repeatedly, it can eventually lead to wear and tear on the ceramic material. You might end up with chips in the surface that, over time, become ideal environments for harmful bacteria. Even if you don't plan on greasing the inside of the crock pot, a liner, like the Reynolds Kitchens Slow Cooker Liners, is a good way to prevent this kind of damage.

It also pays to carefully and gently clean your slow cooker. Don't use your most abrasive sponge; instead, you can apply a mixture of distilled white vinegar, water, and baking soda (the amount of each will vary depending on the size of your appliance). Heat the mixture on low for one hour to gently deep clean your ceramic pot. You can then gently scrub away any remaining debris and wash as normal in your sink once it's cooled. Other ways to maintain your slow cooker will depend on the brand so you'll have to take that annoying step you should never skip after buying a new appliance, and refer to the owner's manual, though greasing the inside before adding food is something that can be done with any slow cooker.