How to Clean Your Slow Cooker in 5 Easy Steps
Slow cookers are an absolute dream when it comes to preparing no-fuss slimming-friendly meals. While you might expect them to be tricky to clean, keeping your slow cooker looking shiny and new doesn’t have to be a chore.
There are lots of hints and tips online, and that can be overwhelming! We’ve made things simple here with 5 easy-to-follow steps that’ll have your kitchen gadget fresh and ready for whatever you’re cooking up next.
Our upcoming cookbook, Pinch of Nom: Slow Cooker, is jam-packed with 100 brand-new healthy and delicious recipe ideas – they’re all well worth the wait!
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Before you read on, we’d strongly advise referring to your slow cooker’s instruction manual, to double-check for any specific cleaning or safety instructions.
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Step 1: Get to know your slow cooker
Slow cookers come in all shapes and sizes. These days, many slow cookers have a removable inner pot that’s dishwasher safe – refer to your slow cooker’s manual before putting ANY removable parts in the dishwasher.
You may need to hand-wash the inside of your slow cooker with warm, soapy water.
This Russell Hobbs 3.5L Stainless Steel Electric Slow Cooker is really handy because you can pop the pot and the lid in the dishwasher without any trouble.
If you’re in the market for a slow cooker, take a look through our The Best Slow Cookers to Buy guide – it’ll help you choose the right one for you.
Even though slow-cooking usually means using less oil, sticky sauces and other ingredients can leave stubborn stains and smells behind. A thorough clean after each use should tackle any build-up before it becomes a hazard!
Step 2: Gather your cleaning supplies
When it comes to cleaning our slow cooker, there are a few handy bits and bobs we can’t live without.
With gentler non-abrasive sponges handy, you can keep scrubbing without causing any damage to your slow cooker’s inner non-stick coating (or the exterior).
Once you’ve wiped things down, you can be left with unwanted streaks or marks. That’s where microfibre cloths are your best friend! This pack from Amazon is £8.00 for 24 cloths.
For cleaning your trusty kitchen gadget and beyond, we’ll always recommend an eco-friendly all-purpose cleaner like this one – it avoids any nasty chemicals!
If you’re dealing with some really stubborn stains, baking soda is your best friend. We’ll talk you through how to use it in Step 4!
Step 3: Soak and scrub removable parts
Give your slow cooker (and all of its parts) plenty of time to cool down. Bear in mind that your slow cooker was built to retain heat, so it may need 1 or 2 hours to be at a safe temperature for cleaning. There’s no need to rush the process – it’s better to be safe!
When your inner pot is nice and cool, you can submerge it in soapy water in the sink. You can also pop it in the dishwasher, if it’s suitable (check your instruction manual to be double safe).
Step 4: Deep clean with baking soda and vinegar
Our step-by-step baking soda and white vinegar method has never let us down when it comes to stubborn stains in our slow cooker. You’ll begin by half-filling your slow cooker pot with water.
Then, add 125ml of white vinegar. Its mild acidity is a great, natural way to remove stubborn stains from the pot.
Next, slowly add 135 grams of baking soda. You should see a fizzy chemical reaction start to happen pretty much instantly!
The fizzing is nothing to worry about, but you’ll want to wait for it to stop before you add more baking soda.
Pop the lid onto your slow cooker and set it on ‘low’ to bubble away for one hour. While you sit back and relax, your slow cooker will basically clean itself – removing any stubborn bits of food for you.
All that’s left to do is drain the water and give your pot a quick rinse in the sink. It shouldn’t take long before it’s spotless!
Step 5: Clean the base and interior
If your slow cooker has pride of place on your countertop, you’ll want it to look sparkling new on the outside too! Before you wipe it down, make sure it’s unplugged and fully cooled.
A cloth that’s lightly damp with soapy water should do the job. NEVER place the slow cooker base (or any parts with electrical components) in water, or any other liquid.
Gently wipe down all the exterior surfaces of the slow cooker base, paying special attention to any splatters or spills.
If you’re using a non-abrasive cleaner for the first time and you’re not sure how your slow cooker coating will react, try cleaning a small, well-hidden spot first – you’ll soon know whether it’s safe to clean the rest!
If you’re hand-cleaning a glass lid, use glass cleaner for both the inside and outside to avoid leaving streaks behind (this is for after you’ve washed it with warm, soapy water!).
When you’re happy that your slow cooker is looking spick and span, leave all of the parts to dry thoroughly. It’s very important that everything is bone dry before your next slow-cooking adventure begins!
Are you ready to clean your slow cooker in 5 easy steps?
If you follow our hints and tips above, don’t forget to share a photo of your shiny-like-new slow cooker in our Facebook group. We have a welcoming community of almost 1 million members just waiting to swap their slow cooker stories and recipes with you!
Plus, don’t forget to upload any photos you’ve taken of your slow-cooked creations to our PON gallery – you might even win some SWAG.
If you liked this article, here are a few more that you might find useful:
- How to Make Healthy Slow Cooker Dump Bag Meals
- Our Top Slow Cooker Recipes
- What Can I Cook in a Slow Cooker? The Best Ingredients and Our Top Tips
- The Best Slow Cookers to Buy: How to Choose the Right One for You
- How to Convert Recipes to a Slow Cooker
- 10 Slow Cooker Recipes You Need to Try
- The Best Slow Cooker Recipes for Batch Cooking
- Easy Slow Cooker Fakeaway Recipe Ideas to Make on Busy Days