When to Use Your Slow Cooker (and When the Oven’s Actually Better)

My slow cooker is one of my most-used countertop appliances (after my coffeemaker, of course). I love the convenience of prepping ingredients in the morning, programming the slow cooker to cook low and slow, and having dinner ready without having to lift another finger. The delicious aromas from the food cooking all day are another bonus!

With rising grocery costs, using a slow cooker is often the more economical choice, too. Tougher cuts of meat, which tend to be less expensive, cook like a charm in the low and slow heat of a Crockpot.

How Does a Slow Cooker Work?

Most slow cookers have three parts: an outer casing made of metal that contains low-wattage coils, a removable glazed ceramic crock to hold the food, and a tight-fitting lid. The indirect heat from the coils warms the interior of the crock up to about 300°F. The steam formed within the crock condenses on the lid and falls back onto the food, acting as a self-baster. The tight-fitting lid also helps prevent moisture loss, resulting in extremely tender meat and vegetables.

When To Use Your Slow Cooker

As its name suggests, it’s best to use your slow cooker for ingredients that should cook slowly at low temperatures. Think tougher cuts of beef, such as chuck roast, arm roast, or beef shank. Less-expensive cuts of pork, such as shoulder, butt, or picnic roasts, are also ideal for slow-cooking. A slow cooker shines when making recipes that taste better the longer ingredients have time to meld together, such as beef stew or chili.

An added benefit of using a slow cooker is that many modern versions are portable, meaning you can easily transport your dish to a potluck or family gathering and keep it warm for serving.

While you can achieve the same results by braising meat low and slow in a covered Dutch oven or roasting pan in the oven, it uses substantially more energy to run an electric oven than it does to run your slow cooker. A slow cooker also emits far less heat than an oven, which makes it a particularly ideal countertop appliance to use when it’s hot outside. 

When To Use the Oven or Stovetop Instead

Recipes that feature lean and tender cuts of meat are better suited for cooking in the oven, where cooking the meat for too long could easily dry it out. Similarly, recipes that take less than an hour to cook, such as many quick soups, are better made in a pot on the stovetop than in your slow cooker.