Is "high" on a slow-cooker supposed to mean 300 F?
I was following a recipe for slow-cooked meat and potatoes. The directions say to cook on "high" for 4 hours.
My slow-cooker, however, has a temperature range which ranges from "warm", to "150", to all the way beyond "500" degrees Fahrenheit. After some internet research, I determined that "high" usually translates to the 300 F setting, while "low" is less than 200 F.
So I set the temperature to 300 F, but within an hour, I could smell that it was starting to burn! Does this simply mean my slow-cooker runs hotter than others? Moreover, is there a definitive answer to the difference between "high" and "low"? I can't see how any recipe would actually exceed 212 F if the food is cooking in a liquid (water-based) broth.
Best Answer
When I started researching sous vide cooking some years ago, I created a little database of slow cookers on the market and researched the temperatures of different devices. Interestingly, slow cookers are wildly different: low temperatures ranged from 190F to 275F and high temperatures were correspondingly wacky. There is no "industry standard" and depends entirely upon what the manufacturer thinks is a good idea.
One issue you may find interesting is what the real difference between "low" and "high" switch is: it governs the speed with which the cooker gets up to temperature (whatever the manufacturer thinks is a good, poorly-controlled temperature). If you're planning dinner in 5 hours then "high" is the appropriate switch, whereas if you're planning dinner in 9 hours then "low" is the appropriate switch. In both cases, the cooker will get up to the same temperature.
Note that I have been speaking about both the "low" and "high" switch on the slow cooker AND the range (low and high) of temperature which the cooker produces.
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What do the numbers on a slow cooker mean?
Slow Cooker Heat Settings \u200bLow\u200b: 180 to 200 degrees Fahrenheit. \u200bMedium\u200b: 230 to 270 degrees. \u200bHigh\u200b: Around 300 degrees.What temperature is slow on a slow cooker?
The slow cooker cooks foods slowly at a low temperature, generally between 170 and 280 degrees F, over several hours. The combination of direct heat from the pot, lengthy cooking and steam, destroys bacteria making the slow cooker a safe process for cooking foods.What are the actual temperatures of a slow cooker?
Slow cookers will generally heat up to about 190-210 degrees Fahrenheit (~87-99 degrees Celsius) on the Low setting and can go up to about 300 degrees Fahrenheit (~149 degrees Celsius) on the High setting. However, slow cooker temperatures will vary based on cook time, brand, model, etc.What temperature is medium on a slow cooker?
Slow cookers typically have a high and low heat setting, many also have a medium setting. Generally it is accepted that the low heat setting will heat food to 77\xb0C / 171\xb0F and the high setting will heat food to 90\xb0C / 194\xb0F. The medium setting will heat food to somewhere between those two temperatures.SilverCrest Slow Cooker SSC6 320 A1 REVIEW (Lidl 150°C low high 320W)
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Answer 2
The temperature settings (and how well heat is distributed to the food) depend on the particular model of slow cooker.
Typically, you have a low temperature of 190 F and high temperature of 300 F.
That being said, follow your recipe. You'll have different flavor development due to the different cook times and temperatures with low and high settings. The rate at which you come up to temperature is affected by the high and low settings and you're pumping more energy into the crockpot on the high setting. I generally opt for the low temperature setting when I use mine, if a recipe calls for both -- usually the timing works out to be more convenient when the thing is done.
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