Slow Cookers and Food Safety

USDA Meat & Poultry Hotline

1-888-MPHotline

(1-888-674-6854)

The Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) is the public health agency 

in the U.S. Department of Agriculture responsible for ensuring that the nation’s commercial supply of meat, poultry, and egg products is safe, wholesome, and correctly labeled and packaged. USDA Photo

Food Safety Information

United States Department of Agriculture

Food Safety and Inspection Service

Is a slow cooker safe? 

Yes, the slow cooker, a countertop electrical 

appliance, cooks foods slowly at a low 

temperature — generally between 170 °F and 280 

°F. The low heat helps less expensive, leaner cuts 

of meat become tender and shrink less. 

The direct heat from the pot, lengthy cooking and 

steam created within the tightly-covered container 

combine to destroy bacteria and make the slow 

cooker a safe process for cooking foods. 

Safe Beginnings 

Begin with a clean cooker, clean utensils and a 

clean work area. Wash hands before and during 

food preparation. 

Keep perishable foods refrigerated until 

preparation time. If you cut up meat and 

vegetables in advance, store them separately 

in the refrigerator. The slow cooker may take 

several hours to reach a safe, bacteria-killing 

temperature. Constant refrigeration assures 

that bacteria, which multiply rapidly at room 

temperature, won’t get a “head start” during the 

first few hours of cooking. 

Opening the front door on a cold winter evening and being greeted by the inviting smells of beef stew or chicken noodle soup wafting from a slow cooker can be a diner’s dream come true. But winter 

is not the only time a slow cooker is useful. In the summer, using this small electrical appliance can 

avoid introducing heat from a hot oven. At any time of year, a slow cooker can make life a little more 

convenient because by planning ahead, you save time later. And it takes less electricity to use a slow 

cooker rather than an oven.

Thaw Ingredients

Always thaw meat or poultry before putting it 

into a slow cooker. Choose to make foods with 

a high moisture content such as chili, soup, 

stew or spaghetti sauce. If using a commercially 

frozen slow cooker meal, prepare according to 

manufacturer’s instructions.

Use the right amount of food.

Vegetables cook slower than meat and poultry 

in a slow cooker so if using them, put the 

vegetables in first. Large cuts of meat and 

poultry may be cooked safely in a slow cooker, 

however since slow cookers are available in 

several sizes, consult the instruction booklet for 

suggested sizes of meat and poultry to cook in 

your slow cooker.

Then add the meat and desired amount of liquid 

suggested in the recipe, such as broth, water or 

barbecue sauce. Keep the lid in place, removing 

only to stir the food or check for doneness.

 REMINDERS:

• Always thaw meat or poultry 

before putting it into a slow 

cooker. 

•	 Make sure the cooker is plugged 

in and turned on.

•	 Keep the lid in place.

USDA Photo
Food Safety Questions?

Slow Cookers and Food Safety

The USDA is an equal opportunity

 provider and employer.

Revised February 2012

FSIS encourages the reprint and distribution of this publication for food safety 

education purposes. However, USDA symbols or logos may not be used separately to 

imply endorsement of a commercial product or service. 

Call the USDA Meat & Poultry Hotline

Send E-mail questions to MPHotline.fsis@usda.gov.

AskKaren.gov

FSIS’ automated response 

system can provide food safety 

information 24/7 

and a live 

chat during 

Hotline 

hours.

If you have a question 

about meat, 

poultry, or egg 

products, call 

the USDA Meat 

and Poultry 

Hotline 

toll free at 

1-888-MPHotline

(1-888-674-6854).

 The hotline is open Monday 

through Friday from 10 a.m. to 4 

p.m. ET (English or Spanish).

Recorded food safety 

messages are available 24 

hours a day. Check out the 

FSIS Web site at

 

www.fsis.usda.gov Mobile phone users

can access m.askkaren.gov

PregunteleaKaren.gov

Settings

Most cookers have two or more settings. Foods 

take different times to cook depending upon the 

setting used. Certainly, foods will cook faster on 

high than on low. However, for all-day cooking or 

for less-tender cuts, you may want to use the low 

setting. 

If possible, turn the cooker on the highest setting 

for the first hour of cooking time and then to low 

or the setting called for in your recipe. However, 

it’s safe to cook foods on low the entire time 

— if you’re leaving for work, for example, and 

preparation time is limited.

While food is cooking and once it’s done, food will 

stay safe as long as the cooker is operating.

Power Out

If you are not at home during the entire slowcooking process and the power goes out, throw 

away the food even if it looks done.

If you are at home, finish cooking the ingredients 

immediately by some other means: on a gas 

stove, on the outdoor grill or at a house where the 

power is on.

When you are at home, and if the food was 

completely cooked before the power went out, the 

food should remain safe up to two hours in the 

cooker with the power off.

Handling Leftovers

Store leftovers in shallow covered containers 

and refrigerate within two hours after cooking 

is finished. Reheating leftovers in a slow cooker 

is not recommended. Cooked food should be 

reheated on the stove, in a microwave, or in a 

conventional oven until it reaches 165 °F. Then 

the hot food can be placed in a preheated slow 

cooker to keep it hot for serving—at least 140 °F 

as measured with a food thermometer.