People around the world own different types of food appliances and utensils that they use in the kitchen. With the evolution of new cooking techniques and newly built kitchens, there has been an increase in the appliances and the cooking material they are made of. Long gone are the days where there was only one pot that was used for every food item. Nowadays, we have utensils and appliances that have cut down the kitchen time by half and have helped a layman working in the kitchen. From dicing to peeling and chopping, everything has become multifunctional.
Similarly, when we are working with ovens or on the stove, certain dishes either only work well on the stove or are only meant to be used in the oven. This is because the material they are made of is only suited to either the stove or the oven. It does not mean that every dish is to be used separately as there are some dishes whose material is suited well for both the oven and the stove. However, you need to be careful while choosing the dishes and checking the material they are made of.
Recently, crock pots or slow cookers have become the talk of every household. Everyone around the world owns a crockpot. This was first meant to be used only for hard things such as chickpeas or beans to make them tender and retain the moisture in them. Many people are now concerned and have put forward the query as to whether the crockpot can be put inside an oven. We will answer this question in the article, but we will first walk through what a crockpot is for someone who does not own it.
What is a crockpot?
A crockpot is basically another name for a slow cooker. It is used to be put on low heat on the stove and is ideal for simmering the food. It works best for beans, lentils, chickpeas, and tough meats as it can retain a lot of moisture and create steam that works into the food items and make them tender to be served. It is also an ideal buy because it keeps the food warm for a very long time as the food keeps simmering on low heat.
This was an invention of the forties when there was no real concept of instant cookers as well. It has now evolved into rice cookers and instant pots as well.
Can you put a crockpot in the oven?
Yes, the crockpot offers a removable ceramic inner that can safely be used in the oven up to 400 degrees. However, never put the heating element or lid in the oven, only removable ceramic inner.
Many people, especially those fond of baking, often think about whether the crockpot is a good investment and whether we can place it directly in the oven. The answer to this is that crock pots are ideal to be used over the stove; however, if there is a requirement of being put in the oven, then you can do that as well. However, there are some safety guidelines that you must follow to ensure that the crockpot is working perfectly fine in the oven. Although these guidelines will be discussed later in the article, as starters, you should understand that the crockpot does not have all the parts that are oven-friendly. In this case, you should firstly check the parts and then decide whether they should be put inside the oven or not.
When it was invented at first, there was no real concept of Crockpot that is oven friendly. This was because the material that it was made of was not really meant to be put in the oven. However, as time evolved and new cooking techniques took into place, crock pots were made out of the material ceramic. This ceramic material made it easier to be placed in the ovens, and therefore, it was made oven friendly.
It was, however, only till the seventies that this idea came forward. In this time period, many women started working outside in offices, and it was well suited for them to prepare everything a night before or in the morning and cook a warm meal in the evening by just placing the pot in the oven. With new technologies, the Crockpot evolved into a new appliance, but it also retained the important parts such as its whistle, temperature gauge, vents, etc. Some newly built crock pots work very conveniently and automatically shut down when they know that the food has been cooked properly. In this way, it becomes a smart purchase and an ideal one as well.
To answer the initial question of placing the crockpot in the oven, we would discuss it is built and the material that it is made up from. In general, crock pots that are made to be used in the oven are made from the material ceramic. There is also an external shield or a casing that is made up of metal. This basically controls the temperature and retains the heat inside the pot as well. There is also a metal element that works as a heating element, and it is usually found at the bottom of the crockpot.
If you want to place the pot inside the oven, you must know that the ceramic part can easily be placed as it is made of a material that can withstand a temperature reading of around four hundred degrees Fahrenheit. It would not crack or be broken under heat. Therefore, you can easily place the crockpot inside the oven; however, if your pot is made of any other material than ceramic, you should avoid placing it inside the oven. It can lead to damaging your pot or can cast cracks on it as well.
Can I put my crockpot in the microwave?
Yes, the crockpot offers a removable ceramic inner that can safely be used in the microwave. However, if you have a crockpot that has any part of the crockpot made of plastic, this part can not be used in the microwave. You can use in microwave only ceramic or metal parts.
Similar to the case presented in putting the crockpots in the convection ovens, we have to inspect the different material that constitutes the crockpot’s making. Mostly they are made of ceramic and have a metal handle which means that it is suitable for putting in the microwave. However, if the handle is made of plastic or any other material, you should be mindful of putting it inside the microwave as it can melt and can cause a bit of problem in the kitchen.
Microwaves and ovens both support those dishes that can withstand a particular temperature because they operate at very high heat. Therefore to see whether a crockpot is ideal for putting in the oven or the microwave, you should check its material and how it is made. If it is made of ceramic, it is suitable to be put inside the oven or the microwave; however, if it is not made of ceramic and has a plastic laden, it should not be placed inside the oven.
You should always do a test run and put the dish in a heated oven for a few minutes and keep checking the dish to understand the underlying principle of cooking with it. It would help if you also read the manufacturer’s guide to see what specific guidelines are given about using the crockpot and keeping it in the oven or the microwave.
Overall, the answer is that you can easily keep it in the oven. The microwave is made of a good quality ceramic material that can withstand the high temperature at which the oven is set.
