Slow Cooker Conversion Calculator

Convert oven or stovetop cooking times to slow cooker settings.

Please note: Cooking guides only. Times and temperatures vary with oven calibration, altitude, starting temperature and cut. For anything where safety matters — poultry, pork, sous vide, preserving — use a probe thermometer and follow your national food safety guidance rather than a calculated time.

What the Slow Cooker Conversion Calculator does

Slow cookers work at a much lower temperature than an oven, so times stretch dramatically but not proportionally. The conventional bands map an oven time onto a range for each setting, and the low setting takes roughly twice as long as high.

Formula

Oven 15–30 min → 4–6 h low, 1½–2 h high
Oven 35–45 min → 6–8 h low, 3–4 h high
Oven 50 min–3 h → 8–10 h low, 4–6 h high
Reduce liquid by about a third

Inputs explained

Input	Unit	Required	Notes
Original cooking time	minutes	Yes	Accepts more than 0.
Original method	one of 3 options	Yes	—
Liquid reduction	%	Optional	Slow cookers lose almost no liquid, so recipes usually need less.
Liquid in the original recipe	ml	Optional	Accepts 0 or more.

How to use it

Choose Original method.
Enter Original cooking time.
Optionally add Liquid reduction and Liquid in the original recipe.
Select Calculate.

Worked example

A casserole that takes 45 minutes in the oven.

Time: 45 minutes
Method: Oven

45 minutes falls in the second band: 6 to 8 hours on low, or 3 to 4 hours on high. Cut the liquid by about a third.

Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between low and high?

Only how quickly the pot reaches simmering point — both settle at about the same temperature. Low takes roughly twice as long, and suits tough cuts better.

Why is my slow cooker sauce watery?

Because almost nothing evaporates under the lid. Reduce the liquid by about a third going in, or take the lid off for the last half hour.

Method and sources

Method. Conventional oven or stovetop times mapped to slow-cooker low and high settings using the commonly published multipliers.

Assumptions

The slow cooker reaches and holds its normal operating temperature, and the lid stays on.

Limitations

The multipliers are a widely repeated convention rather than a tested standard, and cookers vary considerably in the temperature they actually hold.
Slow cooking is not a straight substitution: liquid does not evaporate as it would in an oven, so recipes generally need less, and dairy and delicate ingredients are added late.
A slow cooker must reach safe temperature promptly. Starting from frozen, or opening the lid repeatedly, extends the time spent in the range where bacteria multiply — which is a food-safety matter this conversion does not address.

Sources

Your national food-safety authority's guidance on slow cooking and safe internal temperatures — Varies by country. The safety dimension of slow cooking, which a time conversion does not establish.