The Simple Time-Saving Step Everyone Skips With Their Slow Cooker

Whether you're trying to save time and money or to simply clean up your diet, there is no more useful gadget than your slow cooker. Designed to simmer away all day long at a low, steady temperature, slow cookers allow you to prepare home cooked meals even if you're rarely at home. Instead of having to drag out pots and pans or a takeout menu after a long day, you can walk through the door to the mouthwatering scent of spicy slow cooker turkey chili or the easiest butter chicken of your life.

Of course, that means carving out time in your busy morning to chop vegetables, sear meat, and add all the right seasonings. Rushing through this process could mean leaving out a key ingredient, or even forgetting to turn on your slow cooker and wasting a meal instead of making it easier to prepare. Fortunately, the solution to this issue is pretty simple — just prepare your meal the night before and stick the slow cooker insert in your fridge overnight.

That heavy-duty ceramic sleeve inside your machine doesn't just evenly distribute heat, it's also great for keeping your uncooked meal fresh overnight in the fridge. Since most people have more time in the evening, it's much easier to set aside 30 minutes or so to assemble your meal for the next day. In the morning, simply slide the insert back into your slow cooker, turn it on low, and enjoy hot and hearty four-ingredient autumn soup later that evening.

Though this cooking tip is fairly straightforward, there are some common mistakes that could ruin your efforts. For instance, it's important to understand how to layer foods in a slow cooker for the best results. Foods that require the longest cooking times in high heat should line the bottom of the insert to ensure they come in direct contact with the hottest part of the slow cooker. Proteins should be placed in the center layer, while the top layer is best for more delicate ingredients.

Additionally, if your recipe requires seared proteins, let them rest and cool before loading up your slow cooker sleeve. Putting piping hot meat on top of cold veggies could cause them to par-cook and become mushy in the fridge overnight. The same goes for any liquids you may be adding. If you're making a quick pan gravy, for example, you'll want to let it cool before pouring it onto the other ingredients to preserve their texture.

It's also a good idea to make space for your slow cooker insert before you start prepping. These inserts are fairly large and heavy, so making space ahead of time means you can just slip it into your fridge hassle-free. Of course, if your fridge is packed to the gills, you can do all the same prep and simply put your ingredients into smaller, airtight containers overnight — it'll take minutes to dump them into your slow cooker the next morning.