Don't you just absolutely love cooking in your slow cooker! Best invention ever for busy people with families. It is easy enough to keep the removal ceramic portion clean but how ever are we going to clean the actual inside of the slow cooker?

When we buy a new appliance, they look so shiny and pretty, and they often get the glory and honor of living right on the kitchen countertop! After all, they are a joy to look at and so convenient to use if you don't have to go digging in the cupboard for them. But alas, they get uglier and uglier once those cooking stains start to become a part of their appearance!

The cleaner that is going to be used is none other than good old fashioned pure ammonia. Okay, we know it is very smelly and toxic, but it works! Many cleaning agents unfortunately are toxic, some more so than others. Before you go ahead with this, let us just give you a bit of information on the safe way to use ammonia. Ammonia is NH3 for you chemists out there. It is a compound of nitrogen and hydrogen that is a colorless pungent smelling gas. When used safely is highly effective for cleaning. It is not flammable, but containers could explode if exposed to high heat.

1. When you open the ammonia, don't breath it in directly. You can tie a bandana over your nose and mouth if you want to, but holding your breath for the little bit of time is good as well.

2. NEVER EVER, NEVER EVER...EVER mix it with bleach. It can KILL YOU. It forms a highly poisonous chlorine gas. Got that!

When using ammonia, it would be better late at night when the kitchen is empty or when the kids are off in school. These cautions are a little on the 'over-kill' side, but no point in breathing it in. The gaseous odors do lessen over time exposed to air.

How To Clean The Inside Of Your Slow Cooker

Start by filling a small bowl with ammonia and placing it in the bottom of your slow cooker (without the crock liner.) DON'T pour the ammonia directly into the bottom of the cooker because it will simply run out all over your countertop. Not that I would know. ;-)

Place the lid on and walk away! (You were expecting more?) :-) It's just that easy! The ammonia fumes will do all the work for you.

I let mine sit overnight and the next day I removed the bowl, poured out the ammonia, and almost all of the burnt on mess wiped right off!

I then used a paste of hydrogen peroxide and baking soda, �My Miracle Cleaner,� to scrub the last bits of gunk off (mostly around the top edge.)

After these two simple steps my slow cooker really did look practically brand new, from the inside out. If it weren't for a small dent in the front, I might not have recognized it. :-)

If you think your trusty old slow cooker is just destined to look like the ugly stepchild of your cookware....think again! Try this two-step method to restore it to its well-earned glory!