The average crock pot on low is 200 degrees f and high is 300 degrees f. Now this may very some depending on brand and the wattage at the outlet it is being used at, it is just an average. It is widely accepted to toss a frozen roast in the oven and set it to 200 to 300 degrees. How is this any different?
When thawing meat first, there is a much higher risk of cross contamination between the juices and other surfaces and foods. From being in the fridge to moving it to the sink or counter for preparation to moving to the pot for cooking. No one, sighted or otherwise could 100% guarantee they got the mess cleaned up. Unless you are using a bleach water solution, or water temps over 165, you cant even be sure you killed all the bad stuff when you cleaned up. Cooking frozen meat does not have that issue of the mess and risk of contamination. Place the meat in the crock pot with some liquid, put the lid on and set it for high for an hour or so, then turn it to low if you wish, and leave it a lone for several hours. Taking the lid off can add as much as 30 minutes to the cooking time. The liquid turns to steam and surrounds the meat, so it is not being cooked from just the bottom, it is getting cooked on all sides. To help the pot heat up faster, you can line the underside of the lid with foil. This helps reflect the heat back down in to the pot instead of the heat going out of the lid No one in my family has gotten sick from food in our house. I cook the same way my mom does, and we never got sick at home either from food. But one of my favorite crock pot foods I cook like this. Thaw a beef roast, yes, it does need to be thawed for this one. roll it in flour and seasonings of your choice Sear it in a very hot skillet with some oil on each side for about 1 minute. Toss it in the crock pot with a little liquid and more seasonings on low for several hours. I know it is not very exact, but gives you an idea of something to try. Michael -----Original Message----- From: [email protected] [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of Nicole Massey Sent: Wednesday, January 18, 2012 9:08 To: [email protected] Subject: Re: [CnD] frozen meat in crockpot question Excuse me? Frozen meat being cooked is better from a food poisoning standpoint? In a crock pot? I don't think so. Oven maybe, but a "slow cooker" has a more gradual heating, meaning that if something is frozen it will spend a longer time in the bad range as it has to overcome the inertia of starting out so cold. Crock pots weren't designed to thaw meats, so their testing didn't encompass that feature, so you're flying without a net. You may have had positive results with it, but I wouldn't risk it, especially if I was cooking something that had both meat and vegetables in it, especially dense ones like carrots, celery, or potatoes. Thawing is an important part of the food safety regimen, as it gets food to right below the range of the danger zone so the minimum amount of heat can get it above that range as quickly as possible. It's why fridges are the temperature they are. -----Original Message----- From: [email protected] [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of Michael Baldwin Sent: Wednesday, January 18, 2012 8:59 AM To: [email protected] Subject: Re: [CnD] frozen meat in crockpot question I am sure that is included to cover their butt. I am sure there are people that will read 5 hours on a recipe and put in frozen meet instead of thawed, and get sick cause it was not done in 5 hours and sue Hamilton Beach over it. I have cooked frozen beef, pork, whole chicken, chicken breasts, and probably more in my crock pot with no issues. In fact it has been shown that cooking frozen meet is healthier from a food poisoning stand point. That is why cooking your turkey frozen is a big push now, although I have been doing that for a long time to. Michael -----Original Message----- From: [email protected] [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of Charles Rivard Sent: Tuesday, January 17, 2012 17:52 To: [email protected] Subject: Re: [CnD] frozen meat in crockpot question I very recently bought a Hamilton Beach 5-quart crockpot, and haven't used it yet. As I needed to scan the manual before using it, anyway, I just scanned it. The manual says never to put frozen foods into the crock. Always thaw first. HTH. --- Shepherds are the best beasts, but Labs are a close second. ----- Original Message ----- From: "Donald" <[email protected]> To: "cooking dark" <[email protected]> Sent: Tuesday, January 17, 2012 3:27 PM Subject: [CnD] frozen meat in crockpot question >I am not a regular crock pot user and I am sure we have this question >before, but I forget the answer. > I was going to place a small frozen roast of beef into my pot, put it >on high and leave it to cook with a little bit of water to start with >in the pot. > What is your opinion on frozen meat into a crock pot? > Donald > > _______________________________________________ > Cookinginthedark mailing list > [email protected] > http://acbradio.org/mailman/listinfo/cookinginthedark _______________________________________________ Cookinginthedark mailing list [email protected] http://acbradio.org/mailman/listinfo/cookinginthedark _______________________________________________ Cookinginthedark mailing list [email protected] http://acbradio.org/mailman/listinfo/cookinginthedark _______________________________________________ Cookinginthedark mailing list [email protected] http://acbradio.org/mailman/listinfo/cookinginthedark _______________________________________________ Cookinginthedark mailing list [email protected] http://acbradio.org/mailman/listinfo/cookinginthedark
