Slow Cooker Converter
Enter the oven time from the recipe and pick a setting. The converter uses the standard published conversion bands - a one-hour oven dish becomes roughly five hours on low - and shows the other setting too, because plans change at noon.
Most conversion charts stop at the hours. This one adds the three rules that actually carry the dish: cut liquids in half because nothing evaporates under the lid, add dairy and seafood in the last hour, and never lift the lid - each peek costs about twenty minutes of cooking.
How to use
- Read the oven time and temperature off the original recipe.
- Pick low for all-day cooking or high for the afternoon start.
- Halve the liquids and hold the dairy until the end.
Frequently asked questions
How do I convert oven time to slow cooker time?
Use the standard bands: 15-30 oven minutes becomes 4-6 hours on low; 35-45 minutes becomes 6-8 on low; anything from 50 minutes to 3 hours becomes 8-10 on low. High runs about half of low. The calculator quotes the midpoints.
Does slow cooker liquid need reducing?
Cut it by about half - the sealed lid means nothing evaporates, and recipes written for ovens assume reduction. You can always thicken at the end with the lid off; you cannot un-soup a stew.
Can I put milk or cream in a slow cooker?
Not at the start - dairy curdles over long hours. Stir milk, cream, yogurt or sour cream in during the last thirty to sixty minutes; the same rule sends seafood and fresh herbs late.
Does lifting the lid really matter?
Yes - each peek releases heat and costs roughly twenty minutes of cooking time. The slow cooker is designed to be closed; check through the glass if you must, and trust the machine on anything except the last hour.