Crock-pot recipes sound convenient and all – that is, until it’s time to clean the crock-pot. Below are some suggestions for how you can have all of the convenience without any of the fuss! We hope these tips will help you have both easy-to-prepare meals and easy cleanups!
Always be sure that your crock-pot has completely cooled off before cleaning it!
Crockpot Cleaning Tips:
1. Many crock-pot inserts are dishwasher-safe – take advantage of this! You can let the crock-pot soak in hot water and dish soap for a few minutes to soften up any food that may be baked onto the pot. Then, you can do a quick scrub-down to get off any large chunks of food. Your dishwasher will take care of the rest of the work!
2. Steel wool and dish soap together do wonders for cleaning grease and stubborn food particles. First, let your crock-pot soak in hot water and dish soap for 1-2 hours to let any food or grease stuck to the bottom or sides of the pot loosen. Then, wet the steel wool pad with a bit of warm water, add a squirt of dish soap, and scrub off whatever grime remains. To make things even easier, you can purchase a steel wool pad that comes with soap infused into it already. This dish soap and steel wool trick is not just for cleaning crock-pots, but also for cleaning ovens and just about anything with stubborn food debris stuck onto it!
If you’re into natural cleaning products, then we recommend purchasing Mrs. Meyers’ Lemon Verbena Baking Soda Cream Cleaner. It is excellent for getting grease off of sinks and stovetops and would work well for cleaning crock-pots, too. Get it here!
3. This stepwise process from The Kitchn is also a great crock-pot cleaning hack:
– Fill your crock-pot with water until it clears the leftover food line
– Add about some vinegar (about 1/2 cup to 1 cup) and baking soda (about 1/2 cup to 1 cup) to the water
– Cover your crock-pot and set to the “low” setting for 1 to 4 hours
– After your crock-pot cools, wash it in the sink with warm water and soap
In general, cleaning crock-pots really comes down to patience, so don’t skimp on the soaking! The more time you spend soaking, the less time you spend scrubbing, so be patient!
Be sure to let us know in the comments if any of these hacks work for you!
Looking for some delicious crockpot recipes? Here are a few of our favorites!
