Crockpots are considered a staple kitchen appliance that is small in size. Many times, crockpots, especially ones that can cook food at great temperatures, include a lid that comes with a very small hole that enables a small amount of warm steam to get released and reduces pressure. If crockpots don’t have small holes inside the lid, the pressure will be released from the side parts of the unsealed lid.
There are different attributes present in slow cookers and crockpots, and many a time, crockpots come with a dual-purpose hole or vent in their lid. If there is no hole in the lid, the pressure created from the water and heat will make the contents inside your crock boil, splutter and even result in potential burning hazards.
Why does my crockpot have a hole in the lid? Your crockpot has a hole in the lid because the hole is a vent that allows pressure and heat to release during slow cooking. Without the hole in the crockpot’s lid, there’ll be little ventilation.
How Do Crockpots Work?
It is important to understand why crock pots have a hole in their lid to understand how crock pots work. A crockpot works similarly to a regular pot or slow cooker where the bottom part contains the heating element, and this heat expands throughout the pot. Many commercial crockpots are divided into three different parts- the crock or the pot, the heating component, and the lid.
The crock pot’s heat source comes from components encased in the base metal of the exterior part of the container. This metal encasement creates a barrier or gap between the electrics (heating element) and the crock.
As the crock and the heating component don’t come into contact directly with each other, therefore it’s a good option. Most of the heating components have a minimum of 2 heating settings – high and low settings. Some also come with a ‘keep warm’ type of setting. Depending on which type of crockpot you’ve purchased, there can also be more heating settings.
How Do Crockpots Help To Keep Your Food Warm For A Long Time?
Crockpots are constructed with thick ceramic and highly glazed stoneware. The crockpot acts like a vessel for your food during cooking and is good at retaining heat, so it helps keep your food warm. Ceramic crock pots keep food long for a long time as it retains heat, and so they are ideal household utensils.
The lid of the crockpot is constructed with glass and covers the topmost part of the crock. This lets the water vapor gets trapped inside the crockpot. With the help of a lid, warm vapor doesn’t escape easily from the container. When high temperature tends to build up inside your crockpot, the warm steam expands, making the lid of the crockpot pop off or raddle off.
Different Tips For Using A Crockpot With A Hole In Its Lid
People need less liquid to cook food in the crockpot. When a hole is present in the lid, moisture can easily drip into the crock back and add more liquid to the food content. However, when you cook food where you don’t want additional moisture to drip back into the food, the best tip is to put a folded paper towel across your crockpot under its lid.
What Size Of Crockpot Is The Right Choice For Me?
The right size of a crockpot you should buy depends on several factors. The basic factors are the quantity of food needed to prepare and number of individuals. Smaller crock pots around three quarts in size are a better option for one or two serving meal sizes or for serving spreads and warm dips at your party.
You can go for medium-sized crock pots, which are around four to six quarts in size and are the best option for a whole family or when you want to prepare chicken for a week. The largest size of crockpots should be 10 quarts in size and are ideal for feeding many people.
You can purchase different small crockpots for appetizers, medium ones for weeknight dinners, and large ones for potlucks and parties. There are many cookers available that have been specially designed to cook different food items in one crock. You can seek such features in a slow cooker at the time of buying.
Why Is There No Hole In The Lid Of My Crockpot?
The cross pot traps steam during the process of cooking. The hole present in the lid of your crockpot helps to pass the steam and prevent the buildup of intense pressure inside the container. When little steam is let off through the small hole in the lid, the internal pressure within the crockpot remains stabilized.
However, if you don’ gets to see any vent on the lid of your crockpot, then there’s nothing to get worried about since some models of croak pots are manufactured in such a way that a small gap remains between the stoneware and the lid that helps the steam to escape easily.
How Do Round Crockpots Differ From Oval-Shaped Crockpot?
There’s a big difference in the shape of a slow cooker. It can be either round-shaped or oval-shaped and which one is the best shape for your case depends on what you are planning to cook. You can get yourself an oval-shaped crockpot to cook horizontally shaped large chickens, pot roasts, or chuck roasts. For cooking stews or soups, round and tall crock pots are the best.
You need to include the number of persons for whom you are cooking and the kitchen storage space in consideration if you want to determine which shape will work for you.
Final Words
Crockpots have a hole or small vent in the lid, which also helps to act as a meat probe. The holes or small vents are padded with rubber lining, which is heatproof. They help in ventilation and offer a means of entry to your container to even insert a meat thermometer if you want. The meat probe is considered the most ideal and effective way of checking the food temperature inside since lifting the lid to check the temperature will let too much vapor and heat escape and pass through the crock.