Host:
Could you tell us the temperature range of a slow cooker?

Guest:
It’s between 170 °F and 280 °F.

Host:
I know I need to start off with a clean cooker, clean utensils and a clean work area. And of course, wash my hands before and during preparation. What else should I do?

Guest:
You should keep perishable foods refrigerated until preparation time. If you cut up meat and vegetables in advance, store them separately in the refrigerator. The slow cooker may take several hours to reach a safe, bacteria-killing temperature, so constant refrigeration assures that bacteria – which multiply rapidly at room temperature – won't get a head start during the first few hours of cooking.

Host:
Do I need to thaw and cut up the ingredients before cooking?

Guest:
Yes. Always defrost meat or poultry in the refrigerator before putting it into a slow cooker. So choose recipes with high moisture content such as chili, soup, stew or spaghetti sauce. If you’re using a commercially frozen slow-cooker meal, prepare it according to the manufacturer’s instructions.

Host:
What amount of food can I put in the slow cooker?

Guest:
Fill the slow cooker no less than half full and no more than two-thirds full. If you’re cooking vegetables, put them in first, at the bottom and around sides of the utensil. Then add the meat and cover the food with a liquid such as broth, water, or barbecue sauce. Keep the lid in place and remove it only to stir the food or check for doneness.

Host:
What do I need to know about the temperature settings?

Guest:
Well, most cookers have two or more settings. Foods take different times to cook depending upon the setting used. Foods will cook faster on higher settings than on a lower one. However, for all-day cooking or for less-tender cuts, you may want to use the low setting.

If possible, turn the cooker to the highest setting for the first hour of cooking time and then to low or to the setting called for in your recipe. However, it’s safe to cook foods on low the entire time – if you're leaving for work, for example, and preparation time is limited.

While the food’s cooking and once it’s done, food will stay safe as long as the cooker is operating.

Host:
What happens if the power goes out while the food is cooking?

Guest:
It depends. If you’re not at home during the entire process and the power goes out, throw away the food even if it looks done. If you are at home, finish cooking the ingredients immediately by some other means – on a gas stove, or on the outdoor grill or at a house where the power is on.

If the power outage occurs while you’re at home and if the food was completely cooked to a safe minimum internal temperature before the power went out, the food should be safe up to two hours in the cooker with the power off.

Host:
Can I reheat leftovers in the slow cooker?

Guest:
USDA does not recommend reheating leftovers in a slow cooker. Reheat the leftovers on a stove, in a microwave, or in a conventional oven until it reaches an internal temperature of at least 165 °F. Always use a food thermometer to verify the internal temperature of the food. Afterwards, it’s fine to put the hot food in a preheated slow cooker to keep the food hot for serving. That holding temperature should be at least 140 °F and measure that with a food thermometer.

Host:
How can we learn more about safe cooking with slow cookers?

Guest:
Well, consumers can visit the FSIS Web site at www.fsis.usda.gov. Again, that's www.fsis.usda.gov. Consumers can also get answers to food safety questions online from our virtual representative “ask Karen” at AskKaren.gov, or call our toll-free USDA Meat & Poultry Hotline at 1-888-MPHotline. That’s 1-888-674-6854.

Host:
That’s it for this week. We’ve been talking to Larae Booker from Congressional and Public Affairs.
Thank you so much, Larae, for your helpful information on safe cooking with slow cookers.

I’m Kathy Bernard and I’d like to thank you for joining us for this episode of “Food Safety at Home.” And remember, “Be Food Safe.”

Outro:
Well, that’s all for this time. Thanks for joining us today for another episode of food safety at home!

For answers to your food safety questions call USDA's toll-free meat and poultry hotline at 1-888-mphotline. That’s 1-888-674-6854.

You can also get answers to food safety questions online from our virtual representative "ask karen" at www.askkaren.gov .

Let us know what you think of this podcast by sending your comments to podcast@fsis.usda.gov. 
Thanks for tuning in.