Crock Pot Smells Like Burning Plastic – Causes & Solutions

Crockpot smells like burning plastic after cooking a batch of foods, which is a common issue. Well, it is not the only reason. Plastic burning smell can also indicate the underlying problems of the slow cooker.

Therefore, there can be a lot of things responsible which gradually lead to your slow cookers or crockpots death. So, you need to take the necessary steps to find the reasons for burning plastic in your cookers and fix it as soon as possible.

Regarding that, you need to know what is responsible for that slow cooker smells like burning plastic. Thus, you also need to apply the necessary methods to save your crock pot.

Why Crock Pot Smells Like Burning Plastic?

Crockpot smells like burning plastic is not a good thing at all. Well, some of us leave it be as we think that it is the smell of newness or the burnt odor of greasy foods.

But it is not the same old case most of the time. There can be many underlying situations going on with your slow cooker or crockpot.

For example, the plastic burning smell can come from the inner protective layer, damaged components, or the power cord burning. Therefore, let’s check out some other possible causes of why you get instant pot plastic smells.

• The safety seal or valve is acting up.
• Damaged crock pot with broken parts or faulty mechanisms.
• The condensation collector is of poor quality.
• The slow cooker is new.
• Mechanical gasket melting.
• The inner surface emits gray smoke and smells after melting during cooking hours.
• Not cleaning the residue of the greasiness after cooking neck bone, pork, beef, sauerkraut, or other fatty foods.

How To Get The Smell Out Of A Crackpot?

The smell may be created in various ways in the crockpot. Getting rid of the instant pot plastic smell or the burning smell is not that troubling.

Moreover, most of the manufacturer’s manuals with your slow cooker come with clear instructions on what you should do about the burning plastic smell. But that is only limited to when the burning smells come because of the newness of the cooker.

Thereby, here are some of the ways you will find helpful in getting rid of the smell of crockpot.

New Crockpot Smell Like Burning

A new crockpot may also eject a bit of burning smell. When you use the crockpot for the first time, a little smoke or electrical smell can linger inside the crockpot.

To get the smell out from the crockpot in this case, you should wash the lid and ceramic liner using a cloth with soapy, warm water. Then rinse them with cool water.

After rinsing, keep them aside to dry. Although the used crockpot doesn’t emit such a smell, it may create problems later. And also, it’s not continuing to be used.

Deep Cleaning The Crockpot

You can easily get a lingering smell out of a crockpot. Put the crock pot base and unit together as if it looks like preparing a meal. Pour water into the crockpot to the leftover food mark. If there is no such line in the crockpot, pour about 1 inch of water.

Then, ½ cup of white vinegar is added to a small crockpot. But add 1 cup white vinegar for a large crockpot. Then pour an equal proportion of baking soda slowly so that it creates bubbles during the cleaning process.

Add extra baking soda when the bubble starts to dissipate. Then the lid is put on the crockpot. Set the crockpot to a lower setting and heat it for 1 hour. After that, turn off the crockpot and separate the lid. Then wipe down the inside portion of the crockpot using the liquid inside the pot.

The water shouldn’t be too hot; it will be warm. If it becomes too hot, let it cool down a little. So, be careful. Then pour the liquid solution out from the crockpot. Let the crockpot cool to room temperature.

Then wash the pot in both inner and outer portions with warm, soapy water. Rinse the crockpot well-handled. Then let the pot air dry. Thus, you will be able to get the lingering smell out of a crackpot.

Fix the Broken Lid or Other Parts of Crockpot

It is very unusual for you to get a burning plastic smell in the crockpot after every time you cook. First things first, you must look into whether there is anything damaged in the slow cooker.

Sometimes, a broken lid or inner container creates tiny cracks from where food may spill out and start burning. In this case, the spilled liquid or food will burn on the outer part of the lid, which will create a plastic burning odor.

On the other hand, if the sealing gasket is damaged somehow, it will also cause spillage, which will give off an electric burning whiff. Thus, the best way to put an end to this sniffy mess is to repair or replace the lid or gasket.

More Read: Why Hamilton Beach Slow Cooker Lid Shattered?

Deep Cleanse the Food Residues

The build-up of remnants of foods and grease in the crockpot container also gives off a plastic-burning whiff.

Well, the inside layer of the slow cooker container is supposed to be non-sticky. But it will wear out over time or due to too many burning foods incidents. Therefore, burnt and stuck food or grease remnants will smell after absorbing heat.

To resolve this particular problem, you must deep clean the stinky crockpot immediately after cooking is the best way to prevent residual smell. After removing all the food, cool down the ceramic liner. Then separate the ceramic crock from the base.

Rub any food that resides into the garbage. Then rinse the ceramic pot sinking in the warm water. Wash the part with soapy, warm water and a dishcloth. Wipe down the outer portion holding the ceramic crock with a damp sponge.

Dish soap with water is used to clean soiled areas. Then rinse with only water. Avoid abrasive materials on the ceramic liner or exterior part of the crockpot. This can scratch or destroy the appliance.

Repair or Replace the Power Cords and Control Panels

Sometimes plastic burning odor doesn’t come from the grease melting. Rather, it comes from burning power cords due to a short circuit or other causes.

Also, the faulty heat control panels are responsible for the melting plastic smell. Therefore, to fix these, first, you need to ensure that there is no outer damage to the power cords.

After that, you should check out the burnt-out patches in the cords or near the connection. Moreover, you should find the plastic coating damaged and fraying of the cover as well.

Lastly, if you find any of these signs, the power cords cause the smell and need replacing. Read this to know more if power went out while using Crockpots. 

Replace the Slow Cooker

The slow cooker smells like burning plastic may indicate that your slow cooker is running out of time. And rather than repairing, it requires a full replacement. You can see these slow cookers if you like.

You will also witness your crockpot acting weirdly while emitting a burning smell. For example, the heat control switch will not work. Again, it will burn the foods or burn edges without any recipe mistakes. Nonetheless, we all experience slow cookers dying down all of a sudden.

Thus, if you experience any of these, get a new slow cooker or crockpot.

Simple Tips for Slow Cookers and Crockpots

The majority of the crockpot smells like burning plastic issue arises from the lack of cleanliness. Cleaning some of the slow cookers becomes quite messy, so many users only rinse it off with water. But rinsing is insufficient to wash away all the food remnants stuck to the slow cooker container vessel.

Moreover, we use a slow cooker to save time and effort. However, cleansing the food debris from the cooker takes up a lot of time. Further, the scrubber may scratch the surface of the container and ruin the non-stick feature.

I will guide you with some thorough steps to easily clean the crock pot –

1. For safety concerns, make sure the crockpot is unplugged and turned off. Also, cool it off completely.
2. Pour soap inside the slow cooker container to the brim to let the dried-up food residues get loose. (If the container has a silicon base, remove it.) Now, switch on the slow cooker and keep it in low heat settings for at least 30-60 minutes.
3. After an hour, turn off the cooker and pour out the water. And use some baking soda or powder to rub off the spots where foods were stuck.
4. Rinse off the baking soda rubbing. And now is the time for deep cleaning if the food remnants are still there.
5. To deep clean, fill up the neck of the container with the mixture of water, vinegar, and baking soda. Then turn the crockpot to low heat for another hour and let it simmer down afterward.
6. Lastly, take a warp with soap water, wipe the base of the cooker, and wipe off the base again to dry. Thus, the deep cleaning is complete. (Never dip the base of the slow cooker container in the water.)

Tips: If your slow cooker is 3 quarts, then you should use 1/2 cup of distilled vinegar and baking soda. But if the slow cooker is 6 quarts, use 1 cup of distilled vinegar and baking soda.

Some Questions and Answers (FAQ’s)

Final Thoughts

By now, I think you know why the crockpot smells like burning plastic. Further, if you are here below, you must also have found the solution.

As for the cleaning method, I hope you follow the steps diligently, or you may damage the instant pot. Thus, enjoy cooking delicious recipes in the slow cooker on your favorite weekends.