We’ve all had those kitchen mishaps that stick with us forever. For me, it was the day I accidentally set a hot lid upside down on my brand-new glass-top stove. One loud crack later, and I was staring at a damaged stove, learning a very expensive lesson about appliance safety.
Even with experience, I still see people making the same mistakes. Just recently, I came across a shocking post in my favorite kitchen group on Facebook. A homeowner shared a photo of chili completely covering her stovetop. Apparently, she had cooked it in a crockpot on high for six hours. Since it wasn’t fully done, she placed the crockpot back on the stove for another hour. The crock had cooled down, and when she tried to move it to the fridge, the bottom fell out—sending chili everywhere. The mess was unimaginable. I honestly don’t know how I’d handle that without crying first.
So, what went wrong? The consensus among commenters was crystal clear: you should never, ever place a crockpot on a stovetop. But why is that such a big deal?
Can You Put a Crockpot on the Stovetop?
The short answer: no. Crockpots—or slow cookers—are designed to cook food slowly over low, steady heat, making them perfect for soups, stews, and chili. Their ceramic inserts are engineered to withstand gentle heat over hours, not the intense, focused heat of a stovetop burner.
Why It’s Dangerous
Crockpots are made with ceramic crocks that can crack, chip, or even break when exposed to sudden temperature changes or direct high heat. Stovetop burners, whether gas or electric, create concentrated heat that the ceramic insert isn’t built to handle. This can cause the bottom to crack or, in the worst-case scenario, break off completely—just like the chili disaster from the Facebook post.
The takeaway? Keep your crockpot safely on a counter or table, not on the stove. Slow cooking is all about patience, not rushing with high heat. Protect your appliance, your stovetop, and your sanity—and save yourself from a catastrophic chili explosion.
