Can You Put the Slow Cooker Pot in The Fridge?

To keep food fresh and prevent bacteria from growing, you should put the slow cooker pot in the fridge overnight. It is worrisome to think about whether can you put a crock pot in the fridge. Yes, you can put a crockpot or a slow cooker pot with food in the fridge. 

Well, I can relate to those who use crockpots or slow cookers for easy cooking. But you cannot put the whole crockpot or slow cooker inside the fridge. Just the slow cooker pot or crock in a crockpot in which you will keep leftover foods.

Slow cookers are trendy cooking appliances. And especially convenient and useful for busy or tired people like office workers or homemakers. And sometimes they feel like cooking in a slow cooker and putting the slow cooker with food in the fridge.

So, I am going to talk about whether you can put the slow cooker pot in the fridge or not.  Also, I will elaborate on the safety measures and the things you should know about putting a slow cooker pot in the fridge.

Can You Put a Crockpot in the Fridge?

A slow cooker or crock pot is generally used as an all-in-one cooking appliance. Therefore, its convenient usefulness has you also questioning whether you can put a pot in the fridge.

I already said that you can use the crock pot or slow cooker to store food in the refrigerator. But only a few certain parts are the ones to pass through the viability for putting inside the fridge. Let’s talk about it, shall we?

We all know that slow cookers or crockpots come with many parts, such as a crock (inner pot for slow cooker or pressure cooker), glass lid, base, control knobs, and many more. Not to mention these cookers consist of electrical wires and parts.

Therefore, you can only put the crock or slow cooker inner pot in the refrigerator. As well, you can use the glass lid to cover the food inside the inner pot.

And the other parts are not safe to put inside the fridge. We know that electric parts being exposed to humidity and cold may damage the crock pot’s functionality.

Moreover, the inner pot of some slow cookers is ceramic, and some are stainless steel. And these materials are great for storing leftovers in the refrigerator.

In addition, storing foods in the crock pot and putting it in the fridge will decrease your work of cleaning the inner pots afterward.

Both ceramic and stainless-steel inner pots are removable from the base. And you can clean the inner pots and use them to store ingredients or leftovers.

Further, both materials work identically. So, you will find yourself handling them indifferently to store food in the fridge or refrigerator compressor.

Lastly, putting a crock pot or slow cooker in the refrigerator is safe. But you still need to put some safety measures and cautiousness into your account for a greater experience. Thus, I will tell you all about the safety measures below.

Can I Put a Warm Crock Pot in the Fridge?

Are you thinking about whether can you put a hot crock pot in the fridge or not? No. It is so not at all safe and healthy to put a warm crock pot in the fridge. Therefore, you should never put a warm slow cooker in the fridge.

Moreover, the warm crock pot will increase the temperature inside the fridge and ruin the other stored food in it. So, it is both an unsafe and unhealthy practice.

Regarding this, always let food in the crock pot cool down to normal room temperature. You should only be able to put the food in a crock pot inside the refrigerator.

Besides, it only takes 2 to 3 hours for the food in the inner pot to cool down. However, if the weather is hot, and the food is not cooling down within 3 hours, do not take any more time as the food may go bad.

Instead, you take a big bowl of mild cold water and shimmer down the crockpot inside it. It will make the cooling process a bit faster. Thus, it will not take forever to cool down, and you may keep the crock with food in the fridge.

Is It Safe to Put a Slow Cooker Pot in Fridge?

It is relatively safe to put a crock pot or slow cooker in the fridge. But it has to be the inner pot and the glass lid. And the other electrical base and wires are not to be put in the refrigerator.

Well, the water, cold heat, and electricity do not get along well together at all. And this may cause additional damage to the slow cooker. It can also cause fire accidents the next time you try cooking food in the once frozen slow cooker.

Moreover, the inner pot should be either stainless steel or ceramics. You know that the metal pots are quite reactive and will fail in keeping foods well. But what about a warm inner pot in the fridge? We need to acknowledge that can I put a warm crock pot in the fridge as well.

How to Store a Crockpot or Slow Cooker in Fridge?

I think you know what to do and what not to do when it comes to whether you can put a crock pot in the fridge.

Therefore, it is time to store the crock pot or slow cooker in the fridge. So, here are the guidelines for storing a slow cooker or crock pot in the fridge:

1. You finish eating and end up having some leftovers in the slow cooker. So, first, remove the inner pot with food from the electric base.
2. Then, wait for the food to cool down to room temperature after taking out the inner pot.
3. After the crock or inner pot is no longer warm, take the glass lid to seal the pot with leftovers.
4. Now, take the pot and put it in the refrigerator for as many hours as you think is fit. Or maybe overnight!
5. Take out the refrigerated leftovers in the crock in the fridge a bit earlier to let it sit down to room temperature from cold temperature.
6. Then, you can put the inner pot inside the electric base and cook it until boiling to eat.

By following these steps, you can safely store food in the crock pot in the fridge.

See More: Can You Put a Crockpot on the Stove? Quick Guidelines

What to Know Before Storing a Slow Cooker Pot in the Fridge?

When you put the slow cooker in the fridge, you expect it to preserve the leftovers for a long time. But to make sure the food stays well and does not get bad easily, you need to know some things.

As well, you need to follow through with some things carefully to ensure proper preservation of the leftovers.

So, here are things to know and follow before you store a crock crockpot in the fridge –

• You must always ensure that you cover the inner crock with the lid. You can even use the glass lid of crockpots to seal it
• Also, remember to dissipate the concentrated air, heat, and vapor build-up inside the container from cooking. Try dissipating the condensation inside the lid and pot by removing and reattaching the lid on the pot.
• Make sure the crock or slow cooker’s inner pot’s temperature is the same as room temperature.
• Never put a hot crock or inner pot inside a fridge. It may damage both the fridge and the cooker. Also, the food may go bad.
• Only put the crock or inner pot inside the refrigerator; Do not put the electrical base as well.
• You can put the crock in the fridge overnight. And to make storing better, you can use the insulating surface. Inside the refrigerator, the insulating base will work as a cooler.
• Always reheat the refrigerated food till it is steaming and then eat. Crockpot meals are not suitable for freezing. So, do not over refrigerate or freeze the slow cooker food in the fridge.

More Read: What To Do If Accidentally Left Slow Cooker On Warm?

Some Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Conclusion

If you stayed here till the end, I am sure you know whether can you put the slow cooker pot in the fridge or not. There isn’t a particular reason to say it is not advisable to put crock pot crocks in the refrigerator.

But warm or hot crock pots are a no-go. Thus, follow my guidelines about how you can put a crock pot in the fridge to enjoy storing leftovers and eating them later on.