foods and ingredients that deserve special consideration before you put them into your slow cooker.
Frozen Meat and Poultry
One of the biggest mistakes is putting frozen meat or poultry directly into a slow cooker.
A slow cooker heats gradually. Frozen chicken, beef, pork, or turkey can therefore spend too much time warming through the temperature range in which bacteria multiply rapidly. The USDA recommends thawing meat and poultry before placing them in a slow cooker.
The safest approach is simple: move frozen meat to the refrigerator ahead of time and allow it to thaw completely. If you use cold water or a microwave to thaw it, cook it immediately afterward.
Once thawed, however, many tougher cuts of meat are excellent candidates for slow cooking.
Delicate Fish and Seafood
Fish, shrimp, scallops, and other delicate seafood generally don’t need hours of cooking.
Because seafood cooks relatively quickly, leaving it in
