A slow cooker does its work slowly. It likes to be cleaned that way too.

Gentle on the Crock

How to clean a slow cooker, and why the gentle way is also the easy way.

A clean slow cooker on a calm kitchen counter. — The slow cooker, wiped down and back on the counter.

A slow cooker is one of the kindest things in a kitchen. Food goes in, you walk away, and hours later dinner is ready. It asks almost nothing of you.

The cleanup seems like another story. Dinner is over, and there sits a heavy crock with a dark ring baked around the inside, and a lid spotted with dried drips. It's easy to leave it on the counter "to soak" and not come back for a day or two. Most of us have done it.

But a slow cooker won't ask you to scrub hard. It only wants back what it gave you all day: a little patience and some gentle heat. Warm water, a soft sponge and some baking soda do most of the work. The one real rule is to go easy on the crock.

First, do nothing at all

Turn the slow cooker off and unplug it. Leave the lid on and let the whole thing cool completely. That can take an hour or more, because the crock is thick and holds heat for a long time.

The crock is tough, but it doesn't like sudden changes. A hot crock that meets cold water can crack, sometimes right away and sometimes later, from a small hidden line.

So the first step is the easiest one. You don't have to do anything. Just let it rest.

Two parts, two kinds of care

A slow cooker's crock, glass lid and base set out side by side on a counter. — The crock and lid can be washed. The base never goes in water.

Most slow cookers come apart into three pieces: the crock, the lid and the base.

Fill it before you sit down

The easiest time to clean a slow cooker is soon after you use it, once it's cool. Fill the crock with warm, soapy water before you sit down to eat, and it will be ready to wash when you're done.

Wipe the base whenever you see a drip, so spills don't bake on the next time you cook.

Slow in, slow out

Some things in the kitchen need force. The slow cooker isn't one of them. Give it time to cool, warm water to soak in, and a gentle hand. It was gentle with you all day.

A clean slow cooker put back together on a kitchen counter. — The slow cooker, dried and put back together on the counter.

Let it cool, let it soak, and go gently. That's all it asks.

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