To worry about leaving slow cooker on?

[just2comment]

Sorry it's a boring one!
It's made it's at out of the depths of the cupboard as I want to make meals that are ready for when we all get home on my working days.

I'm worried to leave it on all day whilst no one is home! It will be on from 8.30am to 6.15pm, is that too long? I feel scared I'll come home and the house has gone up.

I leave mine on from 0600-1830. Low heat, its always fine. I don't worry about it at all except that it might go dry

Get a digital one with a timer, set it for when you want it to come on.

you can get vacuum slow cookers that dont need plugged in. you heat the contents on the hob then put the whole pan in a special vaccum flask. Its the hay box principal but more streamlined.

BabyofMine the only affect the slow cooker had on my old dog was to scare him witless! I think the heat caused the lid to shift about randomly and it terrified him so I had to stop using it.

I always put mine on overnight for that very reason.

How is that any different to leaving it on all day?

How is having a timer starting at 12 noon until 7 any different from running the slow cooker from 8 until 3 and turning it on/off yourself?

Food can dry out. It’s not a completely sealed unit.

Some liquid will escape. Leave it long enough and god can dry out.
Regardless. I wouldn’t use a timer.

God?
Food.

It’s fine. The only risk if overdoing the food if you have it on high. A low setting for That length of time is fine. I usually do beef casserole or stick a full chicken in and it’s cooked nicely when get home.

DO NOT PUT GOD IN A SLOW COOKER

MN is very educational at times

Unless your slow cooker has a special setting obvs.

@Teachermaths Because if I leave it on overnight, I can put it on just before I go to bed and switch it off as soon as I get up. So it's on for 8 hours max, and the whole time the food is in there it is cooking, not sitting around at room temperature. If I put it on during the day with a timer starting at noon, as I'm out of the house from 8am-7pm the meat would spend the first 4 hours sitting at room temperature which isn't good food hygiene 🤢 Either that or I'd have to leave it on for 11 hours straight.

I thought they were designed to be left on all day so you can come home to a hot meal? You don't need a timer, I would just leave it on low or auto with lots of liquid. I regularly use ours during the day and the dog doesn't bat an eyelid. It's never gone dry (slow cooker not dog) but I expect it would be designed to cope if it did - although your kitchen would pong.

Pop in a small god, if you are worried, as extra insurance!

It will be fine. I set mine on LOW. It's perfect.

Really the only two potential problems to consider is the steam/heat travelling upwards. Just don’t put under a kitchen cupboard or the wood could warp.

ensure nothing touching the unit or obstructing air flow to the heating elements.

Otherwise, they’re made to slowly cook at low temperature.

I changed recently from my traditional slower cooker to an instapot (slow cooker, pressure cooker plus so much more!). If you’re worried about leaving the slow cooker on, you can use this and get same result in @20 minutes.

My lab would literally sit in front of it the full time it's on slevering. We'd come home to him collapsed in a pool of his own drool by teatime.

My collie doesn't beg, but it must make her hungry through the day, as when it's on she tends to be a bit naughty and scavenge any food she can get her paws on, usually from the bin

🙄 its fine. Theyre designed to do this.

I read Mishfit and then read CAG's comment as a reply to Mishfit, and found myself nodding that, yes, Labs are designed to collapse in their own drool and collies are practically purpose-built for bin-rummaging.

And then I realised...

I left mine on for a couple of days once. My Ds was urgently admitted to hospital and I had put chicken in . I forgot all about the slow cooker . Came home house smelt smoky and chicken was just black but slow cooker was fine and still works now years later

The clue is in the name - Slow cooker - they've been created so they can be left on for 4 - 8hrs safely.

I use mine all the time no issues !.Frequently go out for the day with the dog /Shopping in next town and it is absolutely fine! Maybe do it first when you are at home to put your mind at rest. I think they are such a good invention TBH. All kinds of things can be cooked in there .I use the low setting for all day cooking . Lovely to come home to ready cooked /healthy option !

Get an instant pot, loads better