Recipes are written for a specific appliance, but that doesn't mean you're stuck with it. This calculator converts a cook time between conventional oven/stovetop, Slow Cooker Low, and Slow Cooker High using the standard multiplier table that slow cooker manufacturers and cookbooks rely on.
How the conversion works
The calculator converts every input to an oven-equivalent time first, then scales it to the target setting. Oven/Stovetop is the baseline (1×). Slow Cooker Low runs at roughly 6-8 times the oven time, and Slow Cooker High runs at roughly 3-4 times the oven time. Because a Low hour does about half the work of a High hour, Low and High convert to each other at close to a 2:1 ratio — so 3 hours on High is about 6 hours on Low.
These ratios are approximate. Actual slow cooker models vary in wattage and insulation, and the amount of liquid, the size of the food pieces, and whether the lid gets lifted mid-cook all shift the real time somewhat.
Inputs and what they mean
Cook time is the time from your original recipe, in hours (use a decimal for minutes, e.g. 1.25 for 1 hour 15 minutes). From is the method the recipe was written for, and To is the method you're actually cooking with. The result shows a range (e.g. 6-8 hours) rather than a single number, because the underlying multiplier itself is a range.
Limits and edge cases
This conversion works best for braises, stews, soups, and pot roasts — dishes built around long, moist, low heat. It does not work for baked goods, breaded or crispy dishes, or anything that depends on dry oven heat, since a slow cooker traps steam rather than letting moisture evaporate. Reduce added liquid by roughly half when converting a recipe into a slow cooker, and always confirm doneness with a thermometer rather than relying on the estimated time alone.