Will a Slow Cooker Boil Water?

The slow cooker is one of those classic cooking gadgets draft that have found their homes in many kitchens. Ideal for slow-simmering soups, stews, and all kinds of hearty, no-hassle meals for hours on end as a crowd of big flavors builds with little work. Now, but one thing that comes in mind is that can you boil water in slow cooker?

If you are a kitchen lover who has been testing Mike devices for hours, the answer is not as simple as you think. In this article, we get into the nitty-gritty of slow-cookers and whether they can hit a boil, and throw in a few things around how they work, what they can — or rather, cannot do, as well as some safety considerations. Let us solve this puzzle together.

Now, before we get into the boiling water question, let’s remind ourselves of what a slow cooker actually is. A slow cooker (or Crockpot, the name of a popular slow cooker brand) is an electric cooking appliance that cooks at a low, steady temperature, using moist heat, and is designed to be left unattended for extended periods of time. It usually works at temperatures between 170°F and 280°F (77°C and 138°C), depending on the temperature setting.

A slow cooker is perfect when you need to cook something low and slow – it will evenly and slowly cook your food, which works to tenderize meats and combine flavors over two or more hours. It’s great for making things such as chili, beef stew and pulled pork; but can this style of cooking actually boil water?

So, the answer is technically yes, a slow cooker can bring water to a boiling point, but as usual, there is a but. Water in a slow cooker will never boil like it does on your stovetop.

On a slow cooker, the high setting typically averages between 200°F and 250°F (93°C – 121°C) while low peaks at or around 170°F (77°C). It takes 212°F [100°C] to boil — so if you have the slow cooker turned on high, it will eventually boil your water — but it will take a lot longer than it would in a kettle or on the stove.

While it can heat water to its boiling point, the slow cooker doesn’t reach a high enough temperature to bring the water to a rolling boil quickly. The slow cooker is designed to function around low and slow heat, emphasizing that heat is not meant to be high and turned up quickly, which is how the boiling function in an Instant Pot works.

The catch is, though: A slow cooker cooks things slowly, meaning that the heat is not as direct as it is on the stovetop or in a kettle. That’s because the heating element in a slow cooker envelops the pot and gently increases the temperature, while a stovetop supplies direct, focused heat that can rapidly boil water.

The heat transfer is different, so in the end, water can take a long time to boil just because of this. It takes over an hour to heat up a few cups of water on the high setting while a kettle would do it in a few minutes.

Why would I need to boil water in a slow cooker, you ask? Anyway, this might occur in a couple of usecases, such as:

• Cooking Grains: When making rice, quinoa, or other grains in your slow cooker add boiling water to help kick the cooking along a little. Even though the slow cooker water comes to a boil faster, you will probably still need to add additional cooking time to the grains so that they completely absorb the water and cook.

• Making stocks or broths: If you are making a broth, you could use hot water to speed up the extraction of flavors. You could use a slow cooker, and it can do the job but it might not have you boiling immediately like you would want.

• Having Yeast Dough: For example, if you are prepping to make bread or any dough where you need to warm up the water (to activate the yeast), the slow cooker can help warm up the water. However, as with the previous one, it will not boil the water fast, so you will need to have patience for this too.

• Water Sterilization / Boiling (emergency): A slow cooker may, in some situations — such as if you went camping or from utility failure — also boil water to purify it or sterilize it. It will run, but not in a speedy way.

Unlike kettles, slow cookers aren’t designed to rapidly boil water, but here are for the few ways that you can slightly speed things up:

Keep in mind that a slow cooker is not made for boiling things. Finished with a low-temperature, long-time gentle cook. Slow cookers are designed to heat food evenly and to tenderize the meat, not to heat it quickly. This is what makes slow cookers great for stews, soups, and braises but not for boiling water or cooking pasta.

So while your slow cooker won’t explode if you boil water in it, there are a few things to keep in mind:

• Longer cooking time: If you try to use the water for something else (such as pasta or grains) and it isn’t at a full boil, uneven cooking will likely occur because the heat transfers much more slowly than when the water is at a rapid boil.

• Safety Issue: If you are using a slow cooker during an emergency to sterilize or purify water, give it more time to be safe. The water may take a few hours to reach a safe boiling point, depending on the conditions.

• Inefficiency of energy: A slow cooker cooks slowly, so it never reaches very high temperatures. An electric kettle, stovetop, or microwave might be faster for boiling water.

So, while a slow cooker can boil water, it’s not the quickest or best option. When it comes time to boil water quickly for cooking, tea, or sterilization, you want a stovetop or kettle. Slow cookers really excel in places where low and slow is the ticket—like with a long-braised meat, a chunky stew, or a one-pot meal—not where you want a high heat blast in a hurry.

To boil water in your slow cooker, keep in mind that it takes longer than other methods and is best used when cooking other meals or foods. When it comes to solo boiling water, your slow cooker is a bit of a tortoise.

Still, the slow cooker has tons of other excellent uses — and is a tool that deserves a place in your kitchen short of boiling water as a stopgap measure.