The Easiest Way to Clean a Multicooker
I got my slow cooker a few weeks ago and it’s been a rollercoaster of emotions. The high was that I was eating the best chicken I had ever eaten after having to wait hours to eat it. I realized that after I did this, all the sauce I cooked it in had hardened and stuck to the inside of the unit. It didn’t want to come off. Here’s what I’ve learned about cleaning these things since then (because obviously I used them every day).
How to clean a multicooker
First, there are things you should n’t do when cleaning your slow cooker: never use abrasive materials like a sponge or abrasive cleaner, and never wash your ceramic cookware with cold water while it’s still hot. Of course, never immerse the lower electrical part in liquid under any circumstances.
To truly clean the unit, fill it with water until the water comes out beyond the food residue line around the sides. If your slow cooker holds three quarts, add half a cup of distilled white vinegar. If it has six quarters, add one cup. Then add a little baking soda in the same amount you used for the vinegar. (You can buy 128 ounces of vinegar for $3.99 and three pounds of baking soda for $3.39 at Target.)
Cover the stove and turn the knob to low heat, then let the mixture heat up for an hour or so. After this, remove the lid and wipe off the residue inside with a soft sponge. Once everything is cleaned from the sides and bottom of the stove, let it cool slightly before washing it in the sink with warm water and soap. Air dry it on the counter and you’re done.
How to avoid mess in the slow cooker
There are two steps you can take to avoid a mess of dried residue, or at least mitigate it. Firstly, you can use specially designed multicooker inserts while cooking. These disposable liners are placed inside the cooker and prevent food from touching the ceramic cookware. You simply throw them away when you’re done. However, they can be a little pricey: in my research, I found that you usually end up paying about a dollar per liner. For example, a pack of four four-pack insert boxes (that’s 16 inserts) from Reynolds is currently $16.24 on Amazon.
If you don’t want to do this or don’t have a liner handy, leave the heat on when you’re done cooking. When you serve food, keep the stove on low heat to prevent leftover food from cooling and sticking to the pottery. You can even transfer what you’ve cooked to another pan, add a little water to the remaining mess, and leave it on low for a few hours, essentially cleaning yourself.