A This is Us Moment!

beach-mom · ‎03-09-2010

Some of you might already know I'm a big fan of this show.

I use my crockpot about once weekly.

Today I made my white chicken chili recipe to take to someone this evening. When it was done, I turned it off and ladled it into a container. I didn't unplug it because I knew we were having it after I got back. I would be gone about 15 minutes.

After DH and I finished eating tonight I was putting things away and remembered I hadn't unplugged it. So I did.

The outlet sparked. I jumped back. I told DH and he looked at it and pulled the plug out. The refrigerator and the phone were out. The oven was OK, and the other outlet was OK. DH checked the circuit breaker and everything came back on. There is a small black mark directly above the outlet, but it's working. He looked at the plug and it was fine. But the wire directly into the machine was extremely frayed!

This was my first crockpot, a Rival, and it has served us well. I kept it in good condition, but never thought to check the wires.

I'm just glad we were here. I shudder to think about all of the days, even recently,it's been cooking with no one around! And I'm glad it was nowhere near kitchen curtains, although we don't have any!

Kachina624 · ‎03-10-2010

My parents had a smoldering fire in their house that did a lot of soot damage, even clothes in dresser drawers, when the handle on an electric can opener dropped to the "on" position and ran for days, getting extremely hot and igniting the cabinet to which it was attached.

They say small appliances should never be left plugged in but who always unplugs them?

New Mexico☀️Land Of Enchantment

moonandthestars · ‎03-11-2010

@beach-mom That's scary. It's so lucky you were both home at the time! I'm so glad this worked out so well. Will you buy another one?

I know a lot of people (almost everyone) loves those crock pots and slow cookers, but I've never felt ok leaving things cooking if I wasn't around.

moonandthestars · ‎03-11-2010

@Kachina624 A can opener did that?! Talk about a freak accident - I would never have guessed that could even happen. Were your parents home at the time?

beach-mom · ‎03-09-2010

@Kachina624 and @moonandthestars - I almost always unplug small appliances, except for a crockpot that's cooking all day I won't leave the house with the dryer on, although I've been lax with the washer. I won't leave the house with the oven on either, even if I'm just going for a short time.

When my late brother was in his first apartment his toaster oven caught on fire. It wasn't old, and was off but plugged in. It burned the counter, but that was it. He was home when it happened. The fire inspector thought it was faulty wiring in the apartment.

After that, my whole family started unplugging everything!

I have two other slow cookers, but they're not the original crockpots. Also they're horizontal instead of vertical. This one was for soups and stews. One of the others is my "travel" one. I doubt if I'll get another one, unless my soups and stews don't cook well.

QVCkitty1 · ‎05-23-2015

@Kachina624 wrote:
My parents had a smoldering fire in their house that did a lot of soot damage, even clothes in dresser drawers, when the handle on an electric can opener dropped to the "on" position and ran for days, getting extremely hot and igniting the cabinet to which it was attached.

They say small appliances should never be left plugged in but who always unplugs them?

I do, I'm terrified of fire.

" You are entitled to your opinion. But you are not entitled to your own facts."
Daniel Patrick Moynihan