Kitchen Hack To Make Your Slow Cooker More Efficient

by Texas Homesteader ~ 

I’ve found a way to shorten cooking times while keeping my slow cooker set to a tiny energy-sipping ‘Low’ power. Check out this simple Homestead Hack.

Would you like your slow cooker to cook your food a little faster on 'Low' and save a little energy too? Check out this Homestead Hack! #TexasHomesteader

Benefits To Cooking In A Slow Cooker

I sure love my slow cookers in my Homestead kitchen and I use them a lot. There are many benefits to cooking with a slow cooker: 

Preserving tomatoes by placing them in a slow cooker to cook them down. #TexasHomesteader

Low & Slow Temperatures – help tenderize less tender cuts of meat.

Healthier – Because of low heat, more nutrients are left intact in your food.

Uses Less Electricity – Much less energy used than an oven and in many cases even a cook top.

Reduces Clean-Up – One-pot meals make for easier cleanup!

Portable – During the hot & humid Texas summer months I move my slow cooker to my covered porch to keep cooking heat OUTSIDE! 

When it's hot outside I often put my kitchen cooking appliances such as my slow cooker or Instant Pot outside on our covered patio. #TexasHomesteader

Most Common Uses For A Slow Cooker

But my slow cooker’s not reserved only for cooking supper. Sometimes it needs to be used for a long time or even overnight cooking, such as:

Making Homemade Applesauce

Cooking down fresh tomatoes for Tomato Sauce

Simmering bones for a delicious Homemade Broth

NOTE: You can see all my Slow Cooker Posts by clicking the link below:

A list of our favorite slow cooker recipes. #TexasHomesteader

But no matter what I’m cooking or for how long, I want that slow cooker to do its job with the least amount of time & purchased energy possible. Don’t you?

Secret To Efficient Slow Cooking

Whether my slow cooker uses a heavy glass lid or one of those lighter-weight plasticy-looking ones, I found that insulating the slow cooker top will help it work much more efficiently.

And it oftentimes cuts the cooking time drastically, even though the dial is set to ‘Low’.

What’s this big secret? Lean closer.  (shhhhh….) I simply lay a clean kitchen towel over the top of my slow cooker’s lid.

Easy?  Yes.

Simple?  Yes.

WHY DIDN’T I THINK OF THAT BEFORE??  Perhaps!

Would you like your slow cooker to cook your food a little faster on 'Low' and save a little energy too? Check out this Homestead Hack! #TexasHomesteader

I’m tellin’ ya – this simple ‘why-didn’t-i-think-of-this-earlier?’  trick allows the slow cooker to heat up faster and stay at those higher temperatures longer, whether the cooking knob is turned on high or low.

Who knew??!! So simple, yet so effective.

Give it a try next time you’re running a little short on time in preparing your next slow-cooker meal. You’ll be amazed at how much more quickly it’ll cook.

~TxH~

Tagged in Complete list of our handy Homestead Hacks. #TexasHomesteader        A list of all our eco-friendly posts. #TexasHomesteader    

Other Kitchen Hacks

Low Waste Kitchen Tips

Food Tips

Kitchen Efficiency Tips

Cleaning/Organizing Tips

…and many MORE!

See All Homestead Hacks

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7 thoughts on “Kitchen Hack To Make Your Slow Cooker More Efficient

  1. Dee

    I have a glass top to my crockpot. Turn it upside down and arrange foods to be heated on it. Can even bake potatoes,etc if a long cook time is planned. Cover with tinfoil sheets from Dollar tree}save sheets and reuse many times. Add other layers if desired.Cover again and I use my Mothers metal dishpan to cover all. Fun to see how many foods you can heat/cook at one time with only the crockpot. Also a pizza pan works well as a cover for the pot.Thank you for all the great ideas you send to us. ps,once foods are layered up,they should not be disturbed until time to serve.

    Reply
  2. Dee

    Great idea! I have a glass cover to my crockpot.Turn it upside down and place food to be heated in it, even potatoes for baking. Cover all with tin foil sheets from Dollar Tree,save and use again. Keep stacking foods as desired and cover with my Mothers Metal dishpan. Heating tower,as used to be done in home demo with cooking pots stacked up 3 or 4 high. Longer cooking foods will yield many additional uses for this Tower. Energy efficient!!!!!!

    Reply
  3. Wanda Jouett

    You are so smart!! Keep good news coming and helpful hints!!

    Reply
  4. Pam Kaufman

    Great tip! Will definitely try this next time I use my slowcooker. Another helpful hint for those of us in colder climates-use a heating pad set on low to rise bread. I love homemade bread but in the winter it can take forever to rise. Works great!

    Reply
  5. ColleenB.~Texas

    Clever Idea.
    I use my cookers; crock pots almost everyday as well. I own 5 crock pots (all different sizes) along with 3 different sizes of Nesco cookers and some days I may have 2-3 going at once
    I’m having one of them V-8 moments; (slapping my forehead) like; why didn’t I think of doing that : -}

    Reply

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