--- title: "Slow-cook: what it means in cooking — Tiny Plates" description: "Slow-cooking simmers food for hours at a low, steady heat, usually in an electric slow cooker or low oven, until tough meat and dried beans turn tender." url: "https://www.tinyplates.dev/glossary/slow-cook" --- # Slow-cook Slow-cooking simmers food for hours at a low, steady heat, usually in an electric slow cooker or low oven, until tough meat and dried beans turn tender. Also called Slow cooking, Slow-cooked. To slow-cook is to cook food at a low, steady heat for many hours, usually 4 to 10\. The term most often means using an electric [slow cooker](https://www.tinyplates.dev/glossary/slow-cooker), a covered pot that holds food at a gentle simmer. A low oven or the lowest heat on a stove works the same way. It suits stews, chili, pulled pork, beef shin, curry, dried beans and stock. ## How to do it 1. Brown meat and soften onions in a pan first. A slow cooker cannot brown food, and this step adds a lot of flavor. 2. Put dense root vegetables on the bottom, where it is hottest, with meat on top. 3. Add less liquid than you would for a stovetop [stew](https://www.tinyplates.dev/glossary/stew). The lid traps steam and very little evaporates. The liquid should come about halfway up the food. 4. Fill the cooker between half and two thirds full. 5. Cook on low for 7 to 10 hours or on high for 4 to 6\. Keep the lid closed. 6. Stir in soft vegetables, fresh herbs, dairy and peas in the last 30 minutes. ## How to tell it is done Meat is [fork-tender](https://www.tinyplates.dev/glossary/fork-tender) and pulls apart. Beans are creamy inside. The internal temperature of meat dishes reaches at least 74°C (165°F) by the end. ## Why it works Long, gentle heat gives connective tissue in tough cuts time to break down into gelatin without drying out the meat. A slow cooker set to low still reaches simmering temperatures, usually around 90°C (195°F), just more slowly than high. ## Common mistakes * Cooking frozen meat. USDA advises thawing it first, so the food does not spend too long in the [danger zone](https://www.tinyplates.dev/glossary/danger-zone), 4 to 60°C (40 to 140°F). * Opening the lid often. Each time adds 15 to 20 minutes of cooking. * Raw dried kidney beans. They contain a toxin that slow cooking may not destroy. Boil them hard for 10 minutes first, or use canned. * Too much liquid. The sauce comes out thin and watery. * Lean cuts such as chicken breast or pork loin cooked all day. They turn dry and stringy. * Leaving leftovers to cool in the cooker. Move them to shallow containers and refrigerate within 2 hours. ## In recipes "Cook on low for 8 hours" is the usual form. A recipe written for a slow cooker can be done in a [Dutch oven](https://www.tinyplates.dev/glossary/dutch-oven) at about 150°C (300°F), usually in about half the low-setting time. Check it as it cooks. ## Recipes that use this technique 80 recipes from the sites we collect. * [![](https://www.skinnytaste.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/Madisons-Favorite-Slow-Cooker-Beef-Tacos.jpg)Madison's Favorite Slow Cooker Beef Tacoswww.skinnytaste.com · 40 min](https://www.skinnytaste.com/madisons-favorite-slow-cooker-beef-tacos/) * [![](https://www.skinnytaste.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/EasySlowCookerButternutSquashSoup-10.jpg)Slow Cooker Butternut Squash Soup Recipewww.skinnytaste.com · 255 min](https://www.skinnytaste.com/slow-cooker-blissful-butternut-squash/) * [![](https://www.skinnytaste.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/Slow-Cooker-Banh-Mi-Bowl.jpg)Slow-Cooker Banh Mi Bowl Recipewww.skinnytaste.com · 375 min](https://www.skinnytaste.com/slow-cooker-banh-mi-rice-bowls/) * [![](https://www.skinnytaste.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/Crock-Pot-Corned-Beef-and-Cabbage-5.jpg)Crock Pot Corned Beef and Cabbagewww.skinnytaste.com · 340 min](https://www.skinnytaste.com/crock-pot-corned-beef-and-cabbage/) * [![](https://www.skinnytaste.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/crock-pot-creamy-tomato-soup.jpg)Creamy Slow Cooker Tomato Soupwww.skinnytaste.com · 410 min](https://www.skinnytaste.com/crock-pot-creamy-tomato-soup/) * [![](https://www.skinnytaste.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/01/Slow-Cooker-3-Bean-Turkey-Chili.jpg)Slow Cooker 3-Bean Turkey Chiliwww.skinnytaste.com · 35 min](https://www.skinnytaste.com/crock-pot-3-bean-turkey-chili-3125-pts/) * [![](https://www.skinnytaste.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/Easy-Slow-Cooker-Pork-Roast-with-Mushrooms-and-Polenta-7.jpg)Crock Pot Pork Roast with Mushrooms and Polentawww.skinnytaste.com · 500 min](https://www.skinnytaste.com/crock-pot-pork-roast/) * [![](https://www.skinnytaste.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/Slow-Cooked-Chicken-Cacciatore.jpg)Crock Pot Chicken Cacciatorewww.skinnytaste.com · 250 min](https://www.skinnytaste.com/crock-pot-chicken-cacciatore/) * [![](https://www.skinnytaste.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/09/Black-Eye-Peas-6.jpg)Crockpot Black Eyed Peas with Hamwww.skinnytaste.com · 17 min](https://www.skinnytaste.com/slow-cooked-black-eyed-peas-with-ham/) * [![](https://www.skinnytaste.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/Slow-Cooker-Chicken-Enchiladas-6.jpg)Slow Cooker Chicken Enchilada Casserolewww.skinnytaste.com · 285 min](https://www.skinnytaste.com/slow-cooker-chicken-enchiladas/) * [![](https://www.skinnytaste.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/Slow-Cooker-Butternut-Pear-5.jpg)Slow Cooker Butternut Pear Soupwww.skinnytaste.com · 485 min](https://www.skinnytaste.com/slow-cooker-butternut-pear-soup/) * [![](https://www.skinnytaste.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/Crock-Pot-Minestrone-Soup.jpg)Slow Cooker Minestrone Soup Recipewww.skinnytaste.com · 60 min](https://www.skinnytaste.com/crock-pot-minestrone-soup/) ## Related terms * [Slow cookerA slow cooker is an electric pot that cooks food at low heat for hours, ideal for stews, pulled meat and beans. Here is how to use one safely.](https://www.tinyplates.dev/glossary/slow-cooker) * [BraiseBraising browns meat, then cooks it slowly, covered, in a small amount of liquid until tough cuts turn tender and the liquid becomes a rich sauce.](https://www.tinyplates.dev/glossary/braise) * [StewA stew is small pieces of meat or vegetables simmered slowly in enough liquid to cover them, until tender. The liquid becomes the sauce.](https://www.tinyplates.dev/glossary/stew) * [Pressure-cookPressure-cooking cooks food in a sealed pot where trapped steam raises the boiling point to about 120°C (250°F), cutting cooking times by half or more.](https://www.tinyplates.dev/glossary/pressure-cook) * [Fork-tenderFork-tender means cooked until a fork slides in and twists with almost no resistance. It is how you know braised meat and root vegetables are ready.](https://www.tinyplates.dev/glossary/fork-tender) * [Danger zoneThe danger zone is the temperature range where bacteria grow fastest, 4 to 60°C (40 to 140°F) in USDA guidance. Keep food out of it as much as you can.](https://www.tinyplates.dev/glossary/danger-zone) [More in moist-heat cooking](https://www.tinyplates.dev/glossary/category/moist-heat-cooking)[Every term from A to Z](https://www.tinyplates.dev/glossary)