Reheating in a Slow Cooker

"sme" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
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Quoted message said:

I know this isn't recommended: but why?

Is it for safety reasons, or is it because foods dry out.

I cooked an 8 pound pot roast today meaning to re-heat it tomorrow in the crockpot. Some veggies
are not cooked through yet.

Can I put it on for 4-6 hours tomorrow (I cooked it for 9 hours today) or not?

The slow cooker does not cook or re-heat food repidly enough to prevent possible spoilage. Because
the food is already chilled it can take too long for the food to go above 140 degrees.

Here is more information;

BATTLING BACTERIA: Know food danger zone

The danger zone -- the temperature range where bacteria grow rapidly in food -- is between 40
degrees and 140 degrees.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture and the U.S. Food & Drug Administration also make the following
recommendations. Set the chilling unit of your refrigerator at 40 degrees. Set the freezer unit of
your refrigerator at 0 degrees. When cooking, kill bacteria by heating food to the proper internal
temperature, as measured by a meat thermometer: Chicken, turkey (unstuffed whole or in pieces): 180
degrees Stuffing (cooked out of bird): 165 degrees Roasts or steaks of beef, veal, lamb: medium
rare, 145 degrees; medium, 160 degrees; well, 170 degrees Roasts, ribs or chops of pork: medium, 160
degrees; well, 170 degrees Casseroles, sauces or custards that contain eggs: 160 degrees

Quoted message said:

BATTLING BACTERIA: Know food danger zone

The danger zone -- the temperature range where bacteria grow rapidly in food -- is between 40
degrees and 140 degrees.

This is what most restaurant and retail laws say in the US. Actually, bacterial growth begins to
strengthen at around 30F and slows way down at about 120F.

Quoted message said:

The U.S. Department of Agriculture and the U.S. Food & Drug Administration also make the following
recommendations.

This is where food is secondary to the terror a single bacterium generates in the hearts of
bureaucrats. The USDA suggests in other places that birds not be cooked to 180. But even that's
better than their old guideline - 190F.

In fairness to the agencies, their numbers are way high because they're trying to accommodate the
likelihood that home-cook thermometers are inaccurate. And that oven thermostats are inaccurate. The
problem is that the compounding of that precautionary approach leads to overcooked foods.

Quoted message said:

Set the chilling unit of your refrigerator at 40 degrees.

Mine is set to 36F. Every time I open the door, it goes up. I just like a lower starting point.

Quoted message said:

Set the freezer unit of your refrigerator at 0 degrees.

Mine is set at -10F. Less freezer burn, longer storage time.

Quoted message said:

When cooking, kill bacteria by heating food to the proper internal temperature, as measured by a
meat thermometer:

As measured by a calibrated quick-read thermometer or an electronic one. The temperatures they
suggest for meats below are high even for final temperature resulting from residual heat increase
after taking the roasts out of the oven.

Quoted message said:

Chicken, turkey (unstuffed whole or in pieces): 180 degrees

Ridiculous. Guarantees dry, nasty poultry. Cook to 160 or 165F in the thigh away from bone. Or, if
just a turkey breast, in the center of the thickest part.

Quoted message said:

Stuffing (cooked out of bird): 165 degrees

Good. Sorta. Center temp of 140 (their food safety suggestion above) should do it. Just be sure it's
moist enough to begin with.

Quoted message said:

Roasts or steaks of beef, veal, lamb: medium rare, 145 degrees; medium, 160 degrees; well, 170
degrees

Note that they don't even mention rare.

There are technical definitions for the various degrees of doneness. Rare - brown outside and cold,
red center. Med rare - brown outside and warm red center. Med - brown outside and warm pink center.
Med well - brown outside and hot pink center in a narrow band Well - brown or brown-gray throughout.

Rare - 125F Med rare - 130F Med - 140F Well - 165F

Quoted message said:

Roasts, ribs or chops of pork: medium, 160 degrees; well, 170 degrees

Med - 145F Well - 165F

Quoted message said:

Casseroles, sauces or custards that contain eggs: 160 degrees

That's about the minimum temp for them to coagulate and about 20F more than bacterial
safety demands.

Pastorio