It's an easy way to prevent food from sticking to the sides, but there are some safety guidelines to follow.
If you use your slow cooker often, you already know its many merits. It holds steady heat for hours, turns tough cuts tender, and handles baked goods with surprising consistency. And it does all of it without demanding much attention. For many home cooks, a slow cooker is less a novelty appliance and more a weekly routine: chili on Sunday, chicken tacos on Tuesday, maybe a hands-off dessert just before a holiday gathering. As wonderfully convenient as slow cookers are, though, they can sometimes be frustrating when they fail to release food.
Casseroles, meatloaf, baked oatmeal—anything that sets up while it cooks—can cling to the slow cooker insert by the time dinner is ready. That sticking isn’t usually a cooking failure; it’s simply the result of long exposure to gentle heat and moisture. Which is why many cooks wonder whether parchment can help. If it works in the oven, could it work in the slow cooker, too?
The answer is yes, with a few important caveats.
Is parchment paper safe to use in a slow cooker?
It is, as long as you use it correctly.
Most slow cookers run well below 300°F, even on their highest settings. Parchment is typically rated to handle temperatures above 400°. That gap matters. It means parchment can tolerate the slow cooker’s steady heat without melting or breaking down.
Because most parchment is coated with silicone, it also resists moisture. In a covered slow cooker, it remains stable and does not release harmful compounds under normal cooking conditions.
However, a few common-sense rules still apply.
- Keep the parchment fully inside the insert. It shouldn’t hang over the edge.
- Don’t let it touch the heating elements.
- Skip it for soups and stews; it’s not very practical for liquid-heavy dishes.
When used properly, parchment won’t affect how your food cooks. It simply creates a barrier between your food and the ceramic insert.
How to Use Parchment in a Slow Cooker the Right Way
Parchment is most useful for foods you want to lift out of your slow cooker intact, such as casseroles, breads or slow-cooker cakes.
To use parchment in the slow cooker, cut a sheet large enough to cover the bottom and extend partially up the sides of the insert, then press it into place. Leave enough extra height inside the slow cooker to use as handles later. Once the lid is on, make sure the parchment stays contained inside. If needed, you can crease the parchment to help it follow the curve of your insert; it doesn’t need to be perfectly smooth, just secure.
The payoff of using parchment paper in the slow cooker isn’t dramatic, but it’s very practical. Your dish will release without fuss, your insert will need less scrubbing, and the flavors of your favorite slow-cooked dishes will remain every bit as delicious.
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