We love our slow cooker, and use it to whip up everything from Mexican Beef Sliders to Spaghetti Squash Ragù, but as versatile as the trusty appliance may be, it’s not equipped to cook every food under the sun. In fact, there are several foods you should never make in a slow cooker for a variety of reasons. For example, rice cooks quickly, so it doesn’t fare well when cooked slowly at a lower temperature, which slow cookers are known for. Instead of being fluffy and light, rice prepared in a slow cooker is congealed and starchy—the opposite of what you’re looking for.
For other foods that don’t belong in the slow cooker, as well as other ways to prepare them for better results, scroll down!
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Raw Meat
Technically you can cook raw meat in a slow cooker, but it’s tricky and requires a bit of preparation in order for it to be really worth it. If you simply pop some raw meat in your slow cooker, it won’t have a chance to brown, which adds some much-needed flavor and cuts down on plenty of unappealing grease. Instead, you’re better served by browning raw meat in a skillet before adding it to the slow cooker with your other ingredients. This way, the meat will retain much of its flavor, get that beautiful golden color, and you won’t be left with a bunch of excess grease.
Seafood
As any seafood eater knows, fish and mollusks, including lobsters, crabs, oysters, clams, and mussels, cook quickly, making them a bad match for the slow cooker. Since these foods can be rendered inedible (or at the very least, chewy and tasteless) if they’re cooked for even a minute too long, opt for a different cooking method when preparing most seafood. Trust us, you’ll end up with a significantly better dish.
Pasta
Pasta is yet another quick-cooking food that’s better boiled on the stovetop (or baked in the oven) than prepared in the slow cooker. However, pasta sauces, especially those that benefit from a longer cooking time, thrive in the countertop appliance. To use your slow cooker with pasta dishes, take a cue from this Slow-Cooker Puttanesca recipe and cook the sauce in the appliance. When it’s nearly done, cook the pasta (and any sides) as you normally would, and then serve everything together.
Rice
Similar to pasta, rice is starchy and doesn’t take a long time to cook. When overcooked, rice will congeal and lose its soft yet defined texture, meaning the slow cooker isn’t really a viable option. Instead cook your rice on the stovetop, or use a rice cooker. An exception to the no-rice-in-the-slow-cooker rule is congee—a Chinese dish in which rice is actually supposed to fall apart and morph into a soupy porridge.
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Delicate Vegetables
The slow cooker is great for tenderizing tough cuts of meat, preparing a stew, or whipping up a rich, flavorful bowl of chili. It’s not great, however, for cooking delicate vegetables such as spinach, asparagus, and peas. When cooked for long periods of time, these veggies can get mushy and may even lose some of their nutrients. If your slow cooker dish calls for any delicate vegetables, take a cue from this Slow Cooker Soy-Braised Chicken recipe and fold them into the appliance when the rest of the dish is nearly done cooking.
Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts
Chicken thighs (with or without a bone) can be cooked in the slow cooker because they are a thicker cut of meat that can withstand a longer cooking time, but the same is not true for boneless skinless chicken breasts. Chicken breasts are lean, which means if they are cooked for too long they will become very tough and dry out. If you must cook chicken breasts in your slow cooker, remove the skin and opt for a dish that’s very saucy, like this shredded chicken recipe.
Dairy
As tempting as it may be to toss some milk, cream, or yogurt into your slow cooker, go ahead and resist that urge. When dairy is cooked for a long time, it can separate and may curdle, leaving you with a dish that’s just not good. When making a slow cooker recipe that calls for dairy, go ahead and stir or mix it in when the meal is done in order to avoid a lumpy disaster. You can also top the dish with a dairy product, such as sour cream, once it’s plated.
Wine and Other Liquor
Cooking with wine and liquor gives us dishes like penne alla vodka and coq au vin, but the reason why those recipes work (and don’t get you drunk) is because the booze adds flavor while the alcohol cooks off. Since a slow cooker is covered, alcohol can’t escape and evaporate, leaving you with a dish that will have an unpleasant taste. This Slow Cooker Coq au Vin recipe works because the wine cooks in a skillet before it (along with several other ingredients) are added to the slow cooker, meaning the alcohol has a chance to evaporate.
Here's How Much Alcohol Is in Wine, From Lowest to Highest
Fresh Herbs
Like delicate vegetables, fresh herbs have no place in the slow cooker. Why? Cooking fresh herbs such as basil and cilantro for a long period of time will destroy the subtle earthy notes they bring to a dish. Instead, cook your meal in a slow cooker and garnish it with the fresh herbs of your choice for the best results.
Bacon
Bacon is beloved for its crispy texture, which you simply won’t be able to achieve if you make it in a slow cooker. For the best results, cook bacon in the oven or air fryer, or take a more traditional approach and prepare it on the stovetop.
