Crockpot paranoia?

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2

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  • sjohnny
    sjohnny Posts: 56,142 Member
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    I leave mine on high all day from time to time. I worry about it all day while I'm at work. I've never had a problem. I still do it. I still worry. I haul *kitten* home on those days because getting home 2 minutes faster is likely to avert whatever disaster was about to ensue.
  • msacurrie
    msacurrie Posts: 144 Member
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    Yes, do not use an old one like others have said. Do not put it on a surface that will burn easily. Don't have clutter around the crock pot that could get over heated. Maybe consider plugging it into a surge protector just in case. I've never heard of someones house burning because of a crock pot - but better safe than sorry!
  • nturner612
    nturner612 Posts: 710 Member
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    loll this EXACT same thing happened to me TODAY! i threw some beef in the crockpot on high which i never do (always on low) and ive worried all day about my house! the good thing is that its raining. not sure why thats a good thing, but im just glad im not the only one that worries. :)
  • Chief_Rocka
    Chief_Rocka Posts: 4,710 Member
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    Now that you mention it, I am upside down on my mortgage...
  • needles85365
    needles85365 Posts: 491 Member
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    your house, your dog and your dinner will be there waiting for you.
  • kristen6022
    kristen6022 Posts: 1,926 Member
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    That's the only reason it took me 10 years to acquire one, I couldn't figure out why I'd need it if I was going to have to sit and babysit, but then one day I just got the guts to leave it while I was at work - 7-3:30 - and when I got home the apartment smelled great, dinner was done and nothing exploded.

    I'd just make sure all the wires aren't tangled or near anything that could catch on fire. Or on a day you will be home ALL day, set it and then you can see that it won't explode when you are gone...
  • jofjltncb6
    jofjltncb6 Posts: 34,415 Member
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    I've never heard of a slow-cooker started fire. Not saying it doesn't happen, but I've never heard of it happening.
  • PriceK01
    PriceK01 Posts: 834 Member
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    You sound like me with the self-cleaning oven.
  • wildfirediva
    wildfirediva Posts: 212
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    That is why I use a pressure cooker. When I get home I put what I would have put into a slow cooker into my pressure cooker and in about 30min -1 hr (depending on the food) I have the same meal...

    But using a pressure cooker for some is scarier than leaving a crock pot on high....

    I guess I am just an adrenaline junkie....LOL (and a procrastinator or I would use my crock pot more often) ;P
  • Jay_Jay_
    Jay_Jay_ Posts: 194 Member
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    There is about an equal chance of a crockpot setting fire then your computer, toaster, microwave, or anything else plugged in while you are not home. They are specifically designed to use low wattage and to be safe to leave on unattended. They will not get hot enough at the base to ever set something on fire. If its an electrical fire, then it would have happened regardless of the appliance. So, use it!
  • _Timmeh_
    _Timmeh_ Posts: 2,096 Member
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    Perfectly safe on low.


    I wish all those people that lost all their possessions or even life to a fire would have just prayed. I didn't know that, until having just read it, would have prevented the fire.
  • WendyTerry420
    WendyTerry420 Posts: 13,274 Member
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    I have used crock pots for years, the only problem I had once with leaving it on high too long was dried out chicken meat.

    ^^ this

    I always use the low setting on the crockpot.
  • firemanfive0
    firemanfive0 Posts: 228 Member
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    most, if not all, modern crock pots have a heat sensor and/or an electrical overload switch. This is designed to shut the unit off in the case of a malfunction. All electrical appliances have these. Now with that said....nothing is 100% but the odds are in your favor for nothing bad to happen to your house, cat, or your dinner. :) good luck and enjoy!
  • khowlett1
    khowlett1 Posts: 41 Member
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    I put my dinner in the crockpot on high, at noon. I get home from work at 5. It's 2pm and I'm having anxiety that the crockpot is going to malfunction and burn down my house (and kill my beloved dog, none the less). I always leave it going during the day on low (sometimes over night), but NEVER on high. Someone please tell me that the crockpot is not going to burn down the house.

    omg.. i totally understand this thought... I feel the EXACT same way... only have never actually been brave enough to actually cook with my crockpot without being home.... SERIOUSLY... i would love too... just never brave enough to actually do it!

    I'm sure it will be fine... there are tons of people that do it everday.. and like someone said.... never heard of it in the news as a hazard.
  • BritneysStuntDouble
    BritneysStuntDouble Posts: 849 Member
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    I lost a c0cker spaniel to a crockpot fire.
  • kathyms13
    kathyms13 Posts: 497 Member
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    i cook most of my main meals in mine, one cook lasts me 4 or 5 days and i do it on high.
  • hdjjones
    hdjjones Posts: 130 Member
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    I did have a crockpot that must have gotten hot because it left a slight burn spot on my counter top. I stopped using it and now I always put my new one on a nonflammable surface like some tiles.
  • christinekry
    christinekry Posts: 86 Member
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    Some of these responses are hilarious. I am about to leave work and haul *kitten* home, just to be sure. I'm one of those people that will turn off the iron, close the garage door, get halfway to work and swear up and down that I forgot to do both, drive all the way back home and find out that I did. I'm just a worrier.

    Thanks for all the reassurance. It really did help.
  • megandme120
    megandme120 Posts: 95 Member
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    I am always paranoid about this too! :) I leave the house when it's on and when returning home, I'm praying I don't see any fire trucks around!! It scares me just the same as leaving the iron or something plugged in.
  • gofuku
    gofuku Posts: 7 Member
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    I do not worry about lights left on starting a fire, I think the risk is about the same.

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