In 1971, Irving Naxon refined a low-temperature countertop cooker, helping launch the modern slow cooker

However, when it comes to the invention of the slow cooker that we use now, everything is different. In the 1940s, inventor Irving Naxon was designing a countertop cooker and experimenting with it after a few attempts to make bean soup on his own.

He was not trying to make some sort of revolution in kitchens all around the world. Naxon wanted to answer a practical question.The issue was that low-temperature cooking requires balancing household convenience with food safety. For many years, people needed something to help them prepare food properly even when they were not home and could not watch the stove. Irving Naxon’s countertop cooker offered that answer.Why it's sometimes dangerous to can low ACID foodsWhile the story of Naxon's invention is mostly portrayed as one of luck in the kitchen, in fact, there was a lot of thought behind it. Firstly, the choice of using beans as a test ingredient was quite strategic, as beans happen to be cheap, nourishing, and satisfying, but there is a scientific reason to choose them as well – they are a low-acid food. Low-acid foods pose serious health risks when they are cooked improperly.

As the World Health Organisation reports, when low-acid foods are stored at inadequate temperatures, they may pose serious health threats by being responsible for botulinum toxin growth. Therefore, while Naxon conducted his experiments on the slow cooking machine, he took care of food safety just as much as convenience. His invention had to do a lot more than simply heat up ingredients – it had to create conditions for safe and healthy cooking of ingredients, which are hard to cook properly.Defeating bacteria through continuous heatingThe true value of a countertop cooker lay in its ability to take care of food on its own while its owners were engaged in other activities. However, cooking food and leaving it on the counter for several hours created an issue for home cooks – would a slow and safe appliance be able to cook food properly? There is always a risk that because the process takes place at low temperatures, bacteria will start to multiply rapidly.And this is where the scientific aspect of the appliance's design showed itself. In a PubMed indexed article concerning slow cooker techniques, it has been found out that the food cooked according to the recommendations concerning slow-electric-cooker methods stayed in the danger temperature range for too short amount of time to allow any considerable bacterial growth. Although the study evaluated the appliance using only meat loaf and chicken, the results suggest it can safely cook common main dishes.

The design’s safety helped the appliance move from an experimental tool to regular kitchen equipment.

Freeing up time in the kitchenThe modern slow cooker emerged from a simple combination of a countertop, beans, and steady heat. Such simplicity is the reason for the longevity of the invention, which has been around for more than half a century. Although many kitchen appliances come with a lot of buzz and simply disappear into the depths of the cupboard after a while, the slow cooker managed to become a regular fixture by taking care of the repetitive work.Moreover, the success of this device is also indicative of the fundamental change in our approach to cooking food. Today’s home cooks need kitchen appliances that fit busy schedules. They would like to be able to prepare their meal in the morning, press a button, and come back home to get dinner without having to watch over the stove. This is what Naxon did by establishing a safe operating range for his product.A lasting legacy at homeIn the end, the bean tests helped turn an abstract idea into a reliable cooking method that changed home cooking.

Beans are a challenging food for a device because they need time, water, and steady heat to soften. If the temperature is inconsistent, then the experiment will be considered a failure. However, when the inventor showed that the cooker worked well with beans, it was clear that it could also handle soups, stews, and meat dishes.The invention was practical, not showy, and it did not make a chef’s skills unnecessary. It only made possible shifting the focus of the cook from the process of cooking to other important activities. As a result, Irving Naxon’s countertop cooker helped him demonstrate that the design worked by relying on the laws of nature.