Reply
Sun 3 Jan, 2010 05:58 pm
I am way behind the curve on using a crockpot. I have good cookware from an old army type dutch oven to Le Cruset back in the four minutes of my life I had that kind of money. Plus, I'm so-called retired, and can watch a pot.
But I finally succumbed and bought a cheesey two quart pot with the idea of relative ease of cooking beans, black, pinto, cranberry, canellini, and so on. It's so cheesey that there is not even a timer, but that is of no import to me.
A key remonstrance is "Do not use your slow cooker for storage of food."
Why the hell not? I plan to treat it as I do other pots - cool to the point it won't break my refrigerator shelves or the so called stoneware pot itself by hot cold contrast, and then refrigerate. This does not take long. Sometimes I even put oven mitts on my refrigerator shelves so there is no immediate cold glass to pot contact.
Surely the food will not rot the pot. And after all that cooking, any possible bacteria are worn out.
Opinions?
Spores, I always do wonder about spores, but that has nothing to do with the cookware "stoneware".
@ossobuco,
The manufacturer is just being overly cautious in their wording. You have a the good sense to not put a boiling hot crockpot into the freezer or fridge. It would most likely shatter the pot into 2 or 3 pieces. Therefore, just keep doing what you already doing right now.
Maybe they wrote that disclaimer for people who would want to use the pot to store the cooked food outside of a fridge for say overnight or longer. That practice would be unsafe.
Slow to heat up, slow to cook, slow to cool down, slow to come down to refrigeration temp.
That's a lot of time.
I'd take out the cooked food, serve whatever, and then put into another container for refrigeration.
@ossobuco,
the slow slow slow comment by sullyfish is on the money
Secondarily, (noted when reading the info on my comparatively new crockpot) - the lid is not meant to fit tightly/seal. It is not a storage device. It's for cooking, slowly.
@tsarstepan,
I'm not sure even that would be unsafe. Granted- if there are remaining bacteria they will proliferate in the sealed room temp pot.
@sullyfish6,
Ok. Why?
Plus, you thing that other bowl is all sterile?
I used to be a bacteriologist. Don't just whoof me with phoo.
@sullyfish6,
Ok. Why?
Plus, you think that other bowl is all sterile?
I used to be a bacteriologist. Don't just whoof me with phoo.
@sullyfish6,
why?
you think the other container is right out of the autoclave sterile?
@ossobuco,
I see I'm being repetitive, and beg your pardons, though my question remains the same.
@ossobuco,
You all see a lump of goo goo cooked for, say, eight hours, and fear that it moves from that dish to the refrigerator in the same dish.
Tell me how you see that pathogenesis occurring, besides that the new dish, an entirely new dish, might have some lambent bacteria.
@ehBeth,
Yes, I know it's slow. Have there been tests re leftover bacti after, say, eight hours, that wouldn't have been there with the orginal food sitting in a sack in the refrigerator?
What do you mean it's not a storage device, it's a stoneware pot..
@ossobuco,
excuse me, I tried to fix that re thing and think, but had posted too often and had to shut up for a while.
@ehBeth,
ehBeth wrote:
the slow slow slow comment by sullyfish is on the money
Tell me how, exactly.
Secondarily, (noted when reading the info on my comparatively new crockpot) - the lid is not meant to fit tightly/seal. It is not a storage device. It's for cooking, slowly.
Yes, I get the company says that. They want to have people not let the food sit around at room temp, much less then be put in the refrigerator after various lid openings with spoonings and a lot of licks, bla bla. As in eat it already before it grows.
We sometimes use a crockpot. After eating, I slip the lid off-center so it can cool rapidly. Before eating again, we bring it up to a temperature to kill any bacteria.
@ossobuco,
I can imagine ways to contaminate the food, especially by spoon licking.
I see no reason to blame the pot.
@ossobuco,
I think the lid sits tight except when puffs of steam make it move, the air going outward and not in. I suppose there have been studies if some bacteria in the air outside the pot wend their way into the stew while that is happening. It's hard to make me worry about this.
I gather from some comments that the issue is the slow cooling that keeps the contents in the incubator temperature range long enough for some bacteria to become well established. As the crock cools, air and whatever is living in it will be drawn into it.
I don't know the normal cooking temperature of a crockpot, but I suspect it isn't awfully high. I once measured the temperature of heating spaghetti sauce. It was closer to boiling than what I would call simmering, and the temperature wasn't much over 160 f, probably because of the viscosity letting it overheat on the bottom without getting the higher layers very hot. Anyway, the things aren't autoclaves.
@roger,
That's true, they are not autoclaves.
What do you mean that some bacteria can be well established in cooking time, is that true? That's a lazy comment.
I'm staring wildly about all this fear of food bacteria, but I suppose it can.
160? Look up salmonella..
What is this all about? we are establishing bacterial colonies while braising?
Whatever - tossing the product into a new bowl and putting it into the refrigerator is no safeguard. That is just silly.
@roger,
If there are no bacteria after, say, eight hours of cooking, they will not go galumphing along if you leave the pot at room temp for a bit.
Air will worm its way in?
This is all like a bad screenplay. Now we fear air even with the lid on?
@roger,
Bacteria establish at some routine rate they always have, I forget the numbers at this point. You are expecting pathogens on the carrot?
Eh, I'm putting the somewhat cooled "stoneware" in the refrigerator. You can all fuss.
Stumble It!
Tweet This
Bookmark on Delicious
Share on Facebook
Share on MySpace