Food Safety for Slow Cookers

Food Safety for Slow Cookers

Winter is a great time of year to enjoy cozy comfort food prepared in your slow cooker. To make sure your meal is safe to eat, follow the slow-cooker food safety practices in FoodSafety.gov’s new blog post. Here are a few quick tips:

• If you plan to use frozen meat, poultry (such as chicken or turkey), or seafood in the dish, give yourself enough time to thaw it safely before adding it to the slow cooker. Thaw it in the refrigerator, in cold water, or in the microwave.

• As you prep the ingredients, keep raw meat, poultry, and seafood separate from any ingredients that you plan to eat raw (raw veggies, fresh herbs, toppings like cheese). Use separate cutting boards, plates, and utensils.
• Start your slow cooker right after you finish prepping ingredients. Do not set a timer to start cooking later in the day. Bacteria can multiply quickly in the parts of the food that reach room temperature before cooking begins.
• Use a food thermometer to make sure your meal is cooked to the right temperature to kill germs.