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Can You Put a Crockpot on the Stove?

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If you grow weary of cooking, you may find yourself simplifying things using the crock pot. That can lead you to wonder, “Can you put a crockpot on the stove?” As you are thinking through your slow cooker recipes, you are probably looking for simple ideas that can fit easily into your current season of life.

Using a slow cooker can make dinner time easier as you do not have to wait long for the oven to preheat, cook your food, and prepare the sides.

But what if you need to keep food warm after it finishes cooking or if your family eats in shifts due to busy schedules? Can you put the crockpot on the stove to warm it back up? This article will consider these questions and determine whether it is safe to do so.

Related: Best Crockpot Slow Cooker: Our Top Pick Revealed!

Crockpot cooking food off the stovetop

Putting your crock pot on the stove

Generally speaking, putting your crock pot in the oven or on the stove is unsafe. The extreme direct heat will cause the device to crack. In addition, crock pots are often made of stoneware or porcelain, which, when exposed to direct heat, will crack.

The insert or bowl part of the crock pot is often removable. However, that does not make it acceptable to use in high temperatures. They don’t design crockpots for the high heat that the stove top produces.

The design of a crockpot is also different from a regular dish. Instead of being designed to withstand high temperatures, crock pots create high pressure inside and use that method to cook the food.

Exposure to direct heat can cause the crock pot insert to crack, break, or even explode. The high heat also damages the durability of the crock pot. These risks pose a serious safety hazard and are why you should not use your crock pot insert for stovetop cooking.

Another reason why you should not place your crockpot on the stovetop is that the high heat levels can cause the toxic components inside to seep into your food. This is undesirable and can negatively affect your food’s taste and health.

If you have a ceramic crock pot, you can place the ceramic insert into the oven, but putting it on a stovetop burner at high heat is still not safe. Therefore, if you intend to put a ceramic crockpot on the stovetop, you should only do so at lower temperatures.

When in doubt, be sure to read your instruction manual. Alternatively, reach out to the crockpot customer service number at the manufacturer to learn whether your specific device is designed to be used on the stove or in the oven.

 

Possible hazards of placing the crock pot on the stove

Numerous hazards can occur if you put your crock pot on the stovetop. Keep these in mind as you consider heating up food in a crockpot on the stove.

 

Cracking and pressure

Since most crock pots are not heat resistant, exposure to too much heat can cause cracking. The high heat causes the crock pot to expand, which leads to cracking. While the first crack may not render your slower cooker unusable, the crack will likely grow over time and eventually lead to the breaking of the pot.

If the crockpot insert is metallic, it can expand and create pressure inside. This may cause the lid to come off and break or hurt people who are standing nearby. The risks of cracking and pressure build-up are just one reason why it is not safe to warm your crockpot on the stove.

 

Reduced durability

If you use a lower temperature heat setting on the stove, you may think you avoided problems because you do not see a crack that formed in the crockpot. However, the product could still be negatively affected. At low temperatures, the crockpot’s material will weaken. This will reduce its durability. Enough time can lead to the crockpot not performing well or breaking down altogether.

 

Breaking

What started as a small crack due to heat can quickly expand. This can be very dangerous because it could blow up the crock pot. This is a severe safety hazard for people or pets nearby. Not only will it ruin the food, but the shrapnel will cause a mess in your kitchen, and you could be finding tiny pieces for a while.

 

Toxic materials leaked

The coating inside the crockpot is typically made of metals. When you expose a crock pot to high heat, the coating will start to melt. This will cause whatever toxic chemicals that are inside to be released.

As a result, whatever food you have in the crockpot will be exposed to the chemicals and absorb them. This poses a health risk and is another reason you should not put your crock pot on the stove.

 

Lid damage

If you were to put the crockpot on the stovetop, you also run the risk of damage to the lid. Typically the lid has parts on it that could melt if exposed to high temperatures, such as plastic. It could also crack due to heat build-up and sudden expansion. Glass items, such as a lid, can also crack or break due to improper heating.

 

Various cooking styles

Typically, preparing meals in the crockpot is for slow cooking. This is why a crockpot is also known as a slow cooker. For example, if you use a six-quart slow cooker, your meal is cooked at low heat levels over an extended period of time (1). This low temperature will slow cook the food without using the oven or an open flame.

Dishes cooked in this manner can include various food items such as chicken and vegetables or even a soup or stew. Using a crockpot allows you to prepare various recipes without firing up the oven. This is an excellent option for battling the summer heat because you do not have to warm your house up with a stove but can still enjoy delicious foods.

Cooking tasks such as frying or boiling are not done in a crockpot because the appliance does not reach a high enough temperature. If your recipe calls for these steps, you are better off not using a crockpot and using your stovetop instead. Given the higher available heat settings, you can quickly bring a liquid to a boil or fry oil on the stovetop.

If you were considering putting your crockpot on the stove but have now realized the dangers of exposing it to direct heat, you may wonder how you can simmer food with stovetop cooking. In this case, using a Dutch oven may be just the solution you are looking for.

 

Dutch oven

A Dutch oven is a heavy pot that is wide and fairly shallow. It also has a lid that fits tightly on top. While the shape of the cookware can vary, they are always heavy and have a secure lid because a Dutch oven needs to keep a constant temperature for a long time. You can use a Dutch oven in the oven or on the stove top.

There are numerous uses for a Dutch oven. You can cook things for a long time in them or use them to heat up food more evenly than in a microwave. For example, if you are preparing a chuck roast, you can use a Dutch oven for cooking the meat in liquid at a low-temperature setting for a longer period.

Using this style, the recipe will call for water or broth to be added to the pan and for the roast to cook for hours to become more tender.

Another option is to use a Dutch oven to cook soups or stews. They design them to be exposed to lower levels of heat for longer amounts of time. However, if the recipe calls for simmering, consider using a Dutch oven on almost any stovetop or oven.

 

Construction

They typically make Dutch Ovens out of cast iron. A Dutch oven may be an ideal replacement if you do not have a slow cooker. The cast iron construction allows the Dutch oven to distribute the heat evenly and is oven safe. You can easily boil water in this cookware piece, and because they design the pan to conduct heat, you can reach a boiling temperature fairly quickly.

 

Recipe modification

If you are trying to cook a slow cooker recipe in a Dutch oven, you should set your oven to 200 degrees Fahrenheit if the slow cooker recipe calls for a low setting. Alternatively, if the recipe says to cook the food on high in the crockpot, you should use an oven setting of 250 degrees Fahrenheit.

However, this method will require you to have your oven on for many hours, which will also heat up your house. As a result, this may not be an optimal alternative during the hot summer months.

When modifying a recipe based on how you plan to cook it, it is essential to recognize the different cooking times of a slow cooker versus an oven. For example, if you set your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit, a recipe that calls for 1 – 1.5 hours on high heat in a slow cooker or 4 – 6 hours on the low-temperature setting will only take 15 – 30 minutes in the oven.

However, if you reduce heat temperatures, the cooking time will extend. This guideline is standard for non-meat dishes.

Large crockpot slow cooker

 

Can you put a crockpot on the stove FAQ

 

Can crockpot insert go on stove?

Generally speaking, you should not warm up slow cookers on the stove. There is a risk of the insert cracking or breaking and seeping chemicals into the food.

 

Can I use a slow cooker on the stove?

You do not need a stove to warm up the slow cooker. They design slow cooker recipes to cook longer at lower temperatures than oven or stovetop cooking.

 

Can you put the ceramic part of a slow cooker in the oven?

If the insert is labeled oven-safe, you can put the ceramic pot into the oven. However, it is unlikely that you will need to do so as the crockpot can quickly cook the dish and keep it warm for an extended period of time.

 

What type of cookware should I use on the stove instead?

Perhaps you like the idea of cooking a meal at lower temperatures for longer amounts of time. If so, consider using a Dutch oven if you still want to use your stovetop.

 

Sources

(1) – https://www.math.net/quart

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