It seems like a silly question and you probably already answered ‘yes’. But unless your crock pot physically falls apart (as one of mine just did), how do you know it’s working properly? Most of us can tell when we need a new coffee pot or our toaster has gone haywire, but what about the crock pot? How do you know if your crock pot is too old? If there are 70’s style flowers painted all over the heating element, that may be a clue (I have one of those too, mine is dark green with purple flowers). But actually I’m talking about it not being cooked properly. Slow cooking is a wonderful thing, but not if your slow cooker cooks too slowly.

Obviously knowing whether or not you’re a crock pot is too old and failing is important. If it’s cooked too slowly, bacteria can form and no one wants to put their family at risk. Clay pots must heat food to a temperature above 140 degrees Fahrenheit within four hours. If yours doesn’t, it might be time to buy a new crock pot.

Try this simple test:

Fill your crock pot halfway with water.

Cover and cook over low heat for 8 hours.

Remove the lid and immediately take the temperature of the water. This must be done quickly as the water temperature can drop as much as 10-15 degrees per minute.

The water temperature should be 185 degrees Fahrenheit (or 85 degrees Celsius).

If the water temperature is higher, you may need to reduce the cook time on some recipes or purchase a programmable module that will switch your slow cooker to a “keep warm” setting once the allotted cook time is complete . If the temperature is lower, you should seriously consider buying a new one, because your crock pot spends too much time in the “bacteria growth zone” of 40-140 degrees Fahrenheit.

Please try your crock pot. Encourage your friends and family to do the same. If it’s broken, replace it; your family will thank you.