Can I cook a slow cooker recipe on high instead of low, but for shorter time?
This morning, I was supposed to prepare our chili recipe for tonight in the slow cooker, but I have forgotten. Now it's too late to start the recipe as usual and cook it on low.
However, it's not too late for my wife at home to prepare the ingredients and cook it on high for 4 hours instead.
I know it won't taste exactly the same if we make it now and leave the slow cooker on high for 4 hours instead of on low for 8, but will it still be a safe, edible meal if we switch the cook time in this manner?
Keep in mind, all the ingredients are either cooked or washed before being put into the pot, the only difference is the final cook time in the pot itself, and the temperature setting used on our slow cooker.
Best Answer
It will be safe and edible. It might not be quite as good.
Part of the appeal of slow cookers is just the convenience of leaving them unattended. The other appeal is low-slow cooking that blends flavors and melts connective tissue without burning anything.
Meat
Cooking things faster and hotter will not make the meat as tender as it would be- but it will still be cooked. If it is in small pieces the difference will not be as noticeable.
Obviously ground meat would be the same regardless of cooking time.
Beans (if you believe in beans in chili)
4 hours will be enough time to soften soaked beans. I'd say this is the biggest risk. Undercooked beans aren't fun to eat.
Soaked beans, canned beans, or no beans make this a non-issue.
Flavor melding
Chili benefits from time. Beans soak up flavors. Chili and onion balance out through the sauce.
I'll often make my chili a day in advance of serving it because it is so much better the next day. You're going to get less time so some of this will be lost.
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Can I cook a slow cooker recipe on high instead of low?
If timing does not allow the recipe to be cooked on low for as long as required, the slow cooker can be turned up to high and the cooking time reduced. Convert cooking time by using a ratio of 2 hours of cooking on low as being equal to 1 hour of cooking on high.Can I speed up a slow cooker recipe?
Placing aluminum foil over the content of the slow cooker or placing it over the top of the crock with the cover placed on top of the foil will speed up the cooking process.How do you adjust cooking time in a slow cooker?
You can lengthen cooking times by slow cooking with a fuller pot. Either by using more ingredients in a large pot or by putting a larger recipe in a smaller slow cooker. You can also lengthen cooking times by using the bowl-in-pot technique described in the Crock Pot Size Section.How fast does a slow cooker cook on high?
Slow Cookers \u2013 Times, Temperatures and TechniquesHighLow3 hours7 hours48596102 more rows•Feb 6, 2014Mistakes Everyone Makes Using The Slow Cooker
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Answer 2
If everything is pre-cooked, from a food safety point of view it doesn't matter - you could eat it with no cooking and be just fine. Taste, on the other hand would be improved by cooking, so...
The biggest difference between the two setting is how long it takes for the whole pot to get up to the set temperature. One of the key things it to minimize the opening of the lid, because that releases a whole lot of heat energy in the form of steam. It takes at least 15 minutes to get back up to temp after opening the lid! That is why so many recipes start on high and then go to low after a few hours.
From the Crock-Pot website (or at least old references to it, since their current website at http://www.crock-pot.com/CustomerService.aspx?id=faq&fgid=44#tabs doesn't seem to have it any more), basically "High" takes four hours less than "Low".
Q: What’s the difference between "Low" and "High" cooking?
A: Both "High" and "Low" stabilize at the same temperature; it is just a matter of how long it takes to reach the simmer point. Once food reaches the simmer point, total cook time is dependent on cut and weight of meat to reach the point of maximum flavor and texture potential. Most dishes can be prepared on either "High or "Low."
Q: What are the typical cook times for Crock-Pot® Slow Cookers?
A: Typical cook time for Crock-Pot® SlowCookers to reach simmer point is 209°F: Low: 7-8 hours to reach the simmer point High: 3-4 hours to reach the simmer point
Q: How do I convert cook times between "High and "Low?
A: Below is a conversion chart to illustrate the comparative cook times for "High" and "Low"* HIGH..........LOW 3 hours 7 hours 4 hours 8 hours 5 hours 9 hours 6 hours 10 hours 7 hours 11 hours 8 hours 12 hours
*** It is not recommended to convert recipes with cook times less than 7-8 hours on "Low" or 3-4 hours on "High."
So it depends on the length of time recommended in the original recipe as to how long to cook it on High.
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