14 Foods You Should Never Put in Your Slow Cooker—and Why

To keep meals safe and tasty, never put these ingredients in your slow cooker.

A slow cooker on a kitchen counter with a plant and a wooden cutting board in the background — Credit:
Getty Images

Key Points

Not all foods are slow-cooker friendly—some can be unsafe or simply unappetizing when cooked low and slow.
Lean or delicate foods often lose their texture in a slow cooker’s moist heat.
For best results, choose hearty cuts and finish with fresh or crispy ingredients just before serving.

"Set it and forget it" is the slow cooker mantra. Fans of this much-loved appliance embrace its promise of warm, home-cooked meals without the constant tending at the stovetop. But, while it shines with soups, stews, and braises, it's not a one-size-fits-all tool. There are foods you should never make in a slow cooker; some become rubbery or dry, and others are unsafe to eat. To ensure every meal you make is delicious—and not dangerous—it's important to know which ingredients to keep out of your slow cooker. Here are 14 common foods to avoid.

What Not to Put in Your Slow Cooker

Dried Beans Straight From the Package

seven bean salad in white bowl — Credit: David E. Steele

Dried beans, especially red kidney beans, contain a natural toxin called lectin, which can cause major digestive issues if not destroyed during cooking. The slow cooker's low temperatures aren't hot enough to eliminate it. Always soak your beans overnight, then boil them on the stovetop for at least ten minutes before adding them to your slow cooker to complete the cooking process.

Frozen Meats

It may be tempting to toss frozen meats straight into the slow cooker pot—they'll thaw in there anyways, right? No. That's a big food safety faux pas. Frozen meats warm too slowly this way, lingering in the "temperature danger zone" (40 degrees to 140 degrees), where bacteria thrive and cause foodborne illness. Thaw meat in the refrigerator overnight before cooking it low and slow.

Lean Meats

Boneless, skinless chicken breast and pork chops might sound like a healthy slow cooker choice, but they often turn out tough, rubbery, and dry. Without the fat or connective tissue to break down, lean cuts can't benefit from long, moist cooking. Instead, opt for fattier cuts, like chicken thighs, pork shoulders, or beef chuck, that become tender and flavorful over time.

Skin-On Proteins

That crispy, golden chicken skin straight out of the oven—or crunchy cracklin's clinging to tender pork belly—just can't happen in a slow cooker. Its moist, steamy environment prevents browning and turns skins pale, rubbery, and unappetizing. Remove the skin before cooking proteins in the slow cooker for the best texture and flavor.

Shellfish and Fish

Peel and Eat Shrimp — Credit:
Brie Goldman

Delicate seafood cooks in minutes, not hours. In a slow cooker, shrimp become bouncy and rubbery, and fish flakes apart into dry sheaths of overcooked flesh. If you're making a seafood stew or chowder, add shellfish and fish during the final minutes of cooking for best results.

Expensive Meats

A slow cooker's gentle, moist heat won't give you that perfect medium-rare ribeye or golden crust on a pricey roast. Save those cuts for the grill, oven, or skillet and use the slow cooker on more affordable, tougher cuts that need time to melt into tenderness.

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Rice

White and brown rice cooked in the slow cooker can turn into a sticky, gluey mess more akin to wall paper paste than food. They release too much starch during the long cooking process. If you want to cook rice in the slow cooker, stick to wild rice (which holds up better) or quick-cooking (par-cooked) rice stirred in during the last 30 minutes.

Pasta

Pasta suffers the same fate as rice—it goes soft, soggy, and gummy. Skip cooking pasta in the slow cooker altogether. Instead, boil it separately and add it right before serving for a perfectly al dente bite.

Bacon

While bacon brings smoky flavor to many dishes, it doesn’t crisp in a slow cooker. The result is flabby, gray, and musky. If you love bacon’s flavor, cook it until crisp on the stove first, then stir it into your dish just before serving.

Delicate Vegetables

Asparagus with Blender Hollandaise — Credit: Ngoc Minh Ngo

Tender vegetables like asparagus and spinach lose their texture and flavor after hours in the slow cooker, turning mushy, muted, and underwhelming. For best results, add delicate vegetables in the final 20 to 30 minutes of cooking to preserve color and freshness.

Fresh Finishing Herbs

Fresh herbs like basil, parsley, and cilantro lose their bright flavor and can take on a bitter, medicinal note after long cooking. Save them for garnish, adding them at the very end or just before serving for a burst of freshness.

Crispy Things

breaded chicken breasts on a serving platter — Credit:
Diana Chistruga

Leave the hot and steamy to your romance novels—it's the enemy of crunch. From croutons to breadcrumbs to fried coatings, anything meant to stay crispy will quickly wilt in a moist environment. For recipes aiming to create a crunch factor, cook them separately on the stovetop or in the oven, then add them just before serving or sprinkle them on top once the dish is plated.

Alcohol

The alcohol from wine or brandy that would normally cook off on the stove won’t evaporate in a slow cooker. Without high heat, it lingers and can leave your dish tasting harsh and overly boozy. Cook off alcohol first on the stovetop before transferring it to your slow cooker—or stick to a modest splash for subtle flavor.

Baked Goods

While there are “slow cooker cake” recipes out there, most baked goods fare poorly in this steamy, enclosed environment. The result is often soggy-topped and dense, without the golden crust you’d get in an oven. Stick with the tried-and-true oven for baking success.