PURCHASING A NEW CROCK POT - HELP!!

_Calvin_

Anyone purchase a crock pot lately? I am going to buy one today and I was looking for some recommendations. The last one I had was a hand me down and the inside cracked so I need a new one. Any information would be greatly appreciated. The temps here just started to drop and I'm looking forward to making some chicken stock this weekend.

Thanks!

Mygsds

Hi' love mine sooo much. I purchased a new one a few months ago and I think with the newer ones the inside comes out which makes it easier for cleaning. Mine is 2 quart and kind of oval shaped. Love foe that because I can do a bigger roast or good sized chicken. Do yourself a favor' and purchase crockpot liners. They are by the foil and plastic wrap, I think 3 in a box. Put in crockpot first and then helps with clean up so much. Won't cook without one anymore. Happy cooking.

_Calvin_

Never used the liners before but I'm definitely going to start. Anything to aid with clean-up!

salgal33

if your budget allows check into an electric pressure cooker (can be used as slow cooker too)

I would not trade mine for anything! All the foods I love in a fraction of the time....and all I do is put the lid on.

_Calvin_

I will do that. Don't know why but the thought of a pressure cooker scares me. I keep imagining me blowing up the house!

independant2406

I've had 3 different crock pots and they were all good/bad in various ways. I don't think I'd recommend any particular one. I have one by Farberware right now. I haven't found spending tons of money makes a better crock pot...they're all somewhat the same. Buying in the middle of the price range is a good idea to balance reliability and price.

The kind with a rubber seal around the lid are the best cookers IMHO. Keeps the moisture in and cooks a bit faster too.

Getting the right size for the kind of meals your cooking is really important obviously. I only cook meals for 2 and once really overestimated the size I needed. A huge crock pot 3 quart or bigger is great if your making soups as a batch or cooking for lots of people but if you only need to make big batches a few times a year it will dry out smaller recipes in 1/2 the time the recipe is supposed to cook.. :P

I do love the crock pot liners they help so much with cleanup (a bit pricey though).

RET68

I will do that. Don't know why but the thought of a pressure cooker scares me. I keep imagining me blowing up the house!

My grandma had one going on the stove everyday. Made her seem like a serious cook. Chugga Chugga Chugga
I don't think they can blow up anymore. Pressure valve or something.

Katla49

Shop for the right size and lowest price. I like the Rival that I've had the past several years. I would NOT buy one with a built in timer because that has been a fail point before, but I do use mine with a separate plug in timer when necessary. These are the same timers I use to turn on Christmas lights, and lamps. I can use them anywhere and anytime.

iggyboo93

Never used the liners before but I'm definitely going to start. Anything to aid with clean-up!

Liners are AWESOME!! You can get them at a big box store - 4 for $2. Amazon sells a Pansaver brand of liner - 25 for $10. I normally don't use them for home cooking but I use them when we have crock pot day at work. Makes cleanup at work so much easier.

Agree with independant24 - you don't have at spend a lot of money on a good crock pot and get one with a rubber seal. I have a 6 quart and a 2 quart crock pot. They both have their uses.

_Calvin_

I like the idea of the rubber seal. I will look for a lid with one. My last slow cooker was I think 7 qt. Loved the size for meat sauces, chili etc. Even though I'm single I search for recipes that freeze well or I just eat the meal for the rest of the week.

_Calvin_

Thanks for the advice about the timer. My last one just had a dial with a few settings, I was wondering about the built in timer / programmable ones. I think I will keep it simple with another dial.

SarcasmIsMyLoveLanguage

I have the Ninja and I love it. As well as a slow cooker, it is also a small oven up to 450 degrees. And yes, make sure you purchase one with a timer. The only thing I don't like about my Ninja is that the outside is metal and gets very hot. I still have a scar on my arm from a burn when I reached over it to get something.

SarcasmIsMyLoveLanguage

I will do that. Don't know why but the thought of a pressure cooker scares me. I keep imagining me blowing up the house!

My grandma had one going on the stove everyday. Made her seem like a serious cook. Chugga Chugga Chugga
I don't think they can blow up anymore. Pressure valve or something.

I have a pressure cooker too. I'm a klutz and I've never blown up my kitchen so I think they make them fairly dummy proof now. :laugh:

CABasile

I love my Ninja cooking system. Makes the most delicious meals--not only crockpot meals! But even for crockpot meals, you can brown the meat in it first, then switch it to crockpot setting and add the other ingredients, then set the timer for how long you want it to cook.

I've even used the Ninja to make steam baked cupcakes. My kids love 'em better than those made in the oven!

It is "hands-down" the best investment I've ever made for an appliance.

amos481

I will do that. Don't know why but the thought of a pressure cooker scares me. I keep imagining me blowing up the house!

ha ha.....ditto....I have the same fear. As far as crockpots - I would love to try one but I'm not sure I would feel safe leaving it on all day while at being at work. Also, does it smell up the house like regular cooking?

airangel59

I agree on the liners for the most part makes clean up simple.

I have a few crock pots/slow cookers, different brands...different sizes & shapes. Tall is good for some recipes, oval for another.
You don't want something too big for the majority of what you are cooking.

I cook for one and don't want tons of leftovers so I've been using my smaller (<6 qt) more often.

For sure get one with removal inside and one with a keep warm feature.

None of mine have timers (older units) but love that idea about using a plug in timer device (I work from home so usually not an issue)

Check Amazon for reviews of various makers & models.

Happy cooking!!

laumis1

Oh my god I love the liners! No more chili mess!

I have the oval one as well (about 6 years old now) and it's the best reliable piece in my kitchen. Sizing is not an issue for dinners for people and it's great at keeping things hot. Can't remember the brand (betty crocker?) but it's red coated with the ceramic bin also red and a glass lid (red handle)

earlnabby

I have a 30 year old Rival 5 qt crock pot with the removable crock. If I ever needed to get a new one, I would go with whatever is the closest. No fuss, high and low setting, large enough for roasts and my big batch chili, and the ceramic crock cleans so easily.

kkay3182

I am scared of pressure cookers, always have been and apparently they still blow up and 80 year old woman lost her leg in Hialeah Fl a couple years back when hers blow up...anyway, crockpots I have owned a few and I love them especially to cook my oxtails or beef. That said they are pretty much the same regardless of brand, but I prefer the oval shaped one to the traditional round as it can fit a whole chicken and a decent size roast, also because of the shape you can fit more food in a single layer and reduce a lot of the liquid you add to "cover" the food, although I never cover the food unless its a pot of soup, my most recent purchase was an oval Hamilton beach 6qt for about $30 in Kohls and it works wonderful....good luck!

maineapple

One recommendation I would make is that the crock part of the crockpot be removable from the holder. With some crockpots you cannot remove the pot part of the crockpot to clean it, as it is permanently attached to the appliance. Also, if the pot is removable, then you can prepare it the night before, put it into the refrigerator and then just pop it into the holder in the AM and start it up when you are going out the door. Just remember to write yourself a note and so you don't go off and forget to turn the crockpot on (I speak from experience).

I have used crockpots for 30+ years. They are safe to leave running when you go to work - actually that is the whole idea of using one. There is nothing like coming home from work and when you open the door smell that supper all cooked and ready. They do smell up the house in a good way. When I was home with my kids years ago I used to fill the crockpot and the bread machine when we were going to be gone all day. Talk about a great smell - fresh bread and the dinner all ready when you walked in the door.

will2lose72

I have a GE one with a retractable cord. I don't know why more small appliances do not come with retractable cords. It also has the removable teflon coated insert for easy cleaning and has low, high, and warm settings and you can set the amount of time. They usually have these at Walmart and aren't high end expensive.

Crochetluvr

I have the Hamilton Beach 6 quart Set N Forget programmable. I LOVE that pot! It's not only great as a crockpot, but for transporting food and keeping it warm. Love the meat probe, too. Was worth every penny.

woofer00

I just bought the Crock Pot brand 3 qt, works great. No seal on the lid, but a damp towel sitting on the rim does the same thing. I'm cooking for myself, so 3 qt makes enough for a few days of food, which is great for avoiding letting my tastebuds get bored, but sucks for recipes - I want to go buy a 4-5 lb loin or whole chicken and cook the whole thing down, but I know a 3 qt can't handle that, so the cooking repetoire is limited. Chances are I'll go buy a 6 or 7 quart oval within a week for those recipes.

Manual dial is fine, an integrated timer would be nice, but it's not really essential. Outlet timers are close enough and the crock retains enough heat that I don't have food safety concerns if I get home a bit later than planned. A removeable insert is essential, but the damn thing is heavy - I've banged it on the sink plenty of times b/c it slipped out of my grip while soapy. Liners are a good idea.

Mygsds

I too was worried to leave on when I was gone so now start at dinner time, cook while watching tv and done before I go to bed . Next day, just have to reheat..absolutely wonderful to make baked potatoes in. Just wrap in foil, throw in. Can do a huge amount at one time..

trevor615

Are you going to purchase a crockpot or a slowcooker?. I have heard that there is a difference between the two, though I am not sure what it is.

teach54

Are you going to purchase a crockpot or a slowcooker?. I have heard that there is a difference between the two, though I am not sure what it is.

The difference is that "CrockPot" is a trademark, brand name; slowcooker is the generic name. Kinda like how many people refer to "Kleenex", even when the tissue is not that particular brand.

trevor615

I went to good old "Google" and found the following. Looks like the differences involve the type of material for the pot and where the heating element is located

A crockpot is a type of slow cooker, but not all slow cookers are crockpots. A crockpot is a type of slow cooker with a stoneware pot that sits inside a surrounding heating element. A slow cooker is a pot, usually made of metal, which sits atop a heating surface. With this type of slow cooker, sometimes the pot can be removed and the heating surface itself used to fry foods.

http://www.ehow.com/about_6714017_difference-between-crockpot-slow-cooker.html

elephant2mouse

We just have a small (4 quart I believe) crock-pot brand slow cooker.
It has the removable ceramic (I think) interior, which is great for cleaning.
It only has the two settings, Low, and High... I think a keep warm option would be nice, but we manage without it.
I love ours, cooking chili in it right now

GrandeHombre

If she was 80, it very well could have been an older pressure cooker. The newer ones are much safer.

I am scared of pressure cookers, always have been and apparently they still blow up and 80 year old woman lost her leg in Hialeah Fl a couple years back when hers blow up...anyway, crockpots I have owned a few and I love them especially to cook my oxtails or beef. That said they are pretty much the same regardless of brand, but I prefer the oval shaped one to the traditional round as it can fit a whole chicken and a decent size roast, also because of the shape you can fit more food in a single layer and reduce a lot of the liquid you add to "cover" the food, although I never cover the food unless its a pot of soup, my most recent purchase was an oval Hamilton beach 6qt for about $30 in Kohls and it works wonderful....good luck!

libbydoodle11

I have only owned two crock pots in my life. One was very basic model and was a hand me down from my grandma circa 1970's. I had that one until just a couple of years ago. It did NOT die. I gave it away because I was moving. It was a Rival brand with a knob for warm, low and high. I purchased a new version of this Rival because I loved my old one so much. Again, because the other one was so good to me I kept it simple. Just the knob for warm, low and high. I think it is the 5 or 6 quart size in the round version. No need for anything fancy and so worth the twenty something dollars I paid from Target.

RedfootDaddy

I did not know crockpot liners were a thing but I definitely have to look into them for my wife's sanities. Our crockpot we got for $10 from Goodwill, it's straight-up from the seventies and everything about it is wonderful. One knob for 'low', 'high', and 'off', works beautifully, looks like it's deliberately kitschy.