In this article, we are going to answer the question “Can I put a hot crockpot in the fridge?” with an in-depth analysis of whether I can put a hot crockpot in the fridge or not.
Can I put a hot crockpot in the fridge?
No, a hot crockpot cannot be stored in the refrigerator. Before putting it in the fridge, let it cool. The ceramic plate will crack and dissolve if this is not done. Your food will become unsafe to eat as a result of this.
What is the function of a crockpot or slow cooker?
We need to talk about how crockpots function and what some of their major components are before we can talk about whether we can store them in the fridge. Right now, we’ll give you a brief description of it.
A slow cooker, often known as a crockpot, cooks the food within it in a very specific way. It is used to make recipes that contain liquids such as water, stock, and other ingredients. The contents of the slow cooker are kept at a constant temperature.
Its cover is also designed to completely enclose the pot, preventing any residual heat or water vapor from escaping.
What this does to the components inside the pot is concentrate the heat, allowing the liquid to absorb the taste of the contents, such as beef, lamb, carrots, or anything else, and tenderize and soften them.
This is how the crockpot receives its unique curing process, which gives the food a complex and excellent flavor.
Is it possible to keep a crockpot in the fridge?
When it comes to the topic of whether or not you may put a crockpot in the fridge, people have differing opinions and points of view.
A crockpot is made up of various components that work together to make it a useful appliance. And some of it shouldn’t be put in the refrigerator. A crockpot is made up of the following components:
- The main body, often known as the outer body, is the most visible part of the body.
- Parts for the electrical system
- The dish on the inside
The primary body of the crockpot, as well as the external body, should not be kept in the refrigerator. Because it may cause the electrical components of the pot to become wet, this is not recommended. After all, the fridge’s contents are constantly being replenished with water.
This will cause the board, wirings, and connector to become moist from the inside, and the next time you switch on the crockpot, it will electrocute, damaging or entirely breaking the insides.
The dish within a crockpot where the food resides is safe to put in the fridge with several exceptions, aside from the main body and electrical parts that make up a crockpot.
If you can follow the recommendations for storing food in a crockpot, you should be fine storing them in the fridge.
How to store a crockpot in the fridge safely?
As previously stated, none of the crockpot’s components can be stored in the fridge except the dish inside. However, we must be extremely cautious about when and how we store them.
A crucial tip is to never put a hot or even warm slow cooker dish in the refrigerator. The result is that the pot is forced to reach low temperatures, which can cause cracks and disintegration from the inside.
That’s why you should bring the slow cooker meal and its components to room temperature before putting it in the fridge. This will ensure that the dish cools at a regular and moderate rate, extending the life of the dish.
Is it possible to freeze a ceramic crockpot?
A Ceramic Slow Cooker should not be kept in the freezer. This is because over-freezing the ceramic dish can cause internal damage. Water crystals will form inside the dish’s small pores, causing long-term damage to the dish.
And if you do that, you’ll notice that your crockpot isn’t operating as well as it should due to the damage caused by storing it in the freezer.
You should not do this if you want to maintain your crockpot or slow cooker for a long time and care about its longevity.
Fears of keeping the crockpot in the fridge
Aside from the problems and worries that most people think about, there are a few other considerations that should be made. Slow cookers should only be kept in the fridge for 1 or 2 days, no matter how safely they are stored.
Crockpot manufacturers frequently advise against storing the food in the refrigerator as a safety precaution. When you put food in the fridge, the container or dish of the slow cooker also tends to get rather cold because it is a good conductor of heat.
As a result, the risk of taking that cold food and trying to cook it or warming it on low heat increases, putting it in the “danger” zone. Many food safety experts will argue that there is a higher danger associated with the food.
As a result, utilizing a plastic container or anything else that isn’t as conducive to keeping items in the fridge is always recommended.
Also, if you plan on warming the food in the slow cooker after removing it from the fridge, it is preferable to keep it out for a while until it reaches room temperature. Then you can warm it up and eat whatever you want.
You can read more about putting a crockpot in a microwave here.
Conclusion
In this article, we answered the question “can I put a hot crockpot in the fridge?” with an in-depth analysis of whether I can put a hot crockpot in the fridge or not.