This may be a stupid cooking question but I really need to know the answer.

Well, we stick frozen raw chicken in all the time. Granted we pretty much cook it a long time (sometimes over night) but it was raw to begin with. Now, are you sure that ham is already cooked, because some hams aren't.

I had to take a food safety course in college and we had a discussion which led to an experiment regarding food temperatures in the slow cooker. Regardless of what you are cooking, pre-cooked or not, it is best to fully defrost it beforehand. even when cooking thawd food, the amount of time that the food is in the "danger" zone (temperature wise) is almost the maximum amount of time you want it there. If the food is not defrosted, it will be in the "danger" zone for longer than the maximum time recommended. When you allow food to sit in the danger zone too long, bacteria can grow and lead to food poisoning. Will it happen every time you do it, probably not, but I would not risk it.

Well I don't actually know for a fact but personally I would say it should still be completely defrosted before cooking. Although a slow cooker does take a long time to cook it will still be cooking it before it is defrosted which is generally a big no-no for meat products. There again I'm paranoid about all that stuff since I got food poisoning - I don't take any chances now!

I always put my frozen chicken, ham, turkey, what ever I want in the slow cooker, and it all comes out just fine. I just put it on early and let it cook cause it takes a little longer when its frozen.

i've only done it with a pot roast, but i've put frozen meat in the crockpot many times and had no problem. the flavor and texture of the meat were exactly the same as it would have been if i'd put it in thawed.

I have the best cookbook for slow cookers "Fix it and Forget it" accorrding to it you can use frozen meat the same way that you do thawed meat. No change. Works for me cause I tend not to think a head very well.

I have put frozen roasts, chicken, etc., in the crock pot and they come out fine. I do cook it a bit longer though.

I cook all my meat in the slow cooker,frozen....it makes the meat so much more tender and juicier

meat does not have to thawed...i cook also and i just sliced my meat straigh from the fridge and throw it in the hot pan and weit for it to cook and as always expectect it comes out just i expect it to be...and edible cooked food which is so deliciuos and nutritious and of course...very tasty...tender and juicy...

When meat thaws, it starts from the outside. The inside is still frozen with ice. So when you cook half thawed meat, the thawed meat would be cooked and as heat gets into the frozen meat, it would be thawed releasing not juices but ice. The meat would be tougher when cooked. So often, I would thaw thoroughly before putting it for deep fried or even in the slow cooker. I would not put cooked and uncooked meat together as there could be contamination and bacteria can grow rather easily even if both are to be cooked. It is the half hearted heat that is conducive for bateria growth. Cooking high might serve the purpose on the surface, but different timing is required for cooked and raw food.

I normally throw frozen meat of any kind in my slow cooker the night before and turn it on so it cooks all night plus at least till noon the next day. I actually did that last night with a roast and it turns out so tender and moist. It is awesome. I do understand what the two said about the danger zone and thawing first I never thought of that being a problem I thought that as long as you cooked it long enough that it would be ok. I may have to rethink my cooking habits.

We have wondered about the same thing. We have cooked ham in the crock frozen before. Being you are cooking it all day. It actually turned out great because as it thaws the juices keep it moist and tender. MMM, I am getting hungry thinking about it.