Kitchen

[PINKdogWOOD]

Crock pots are the bomb!!! I've had two in my lifetime - had to buy another one b/c I used the first one for SO many years it finally gave up after years worth of delicious no muss cooking.

First, buy one that's at least 6 quarts - you want one that's big enough to cook in. Neither of mine had a timer, you don't really need one. Start it in the morning, put it on low and 6-8 hrs later BOOM - dinner is served!!!. Crock pots are not very expensive at all either so I wouldn't spend a whole lot on them - not necessary.

Best invention for crocks? CROCK POT LINERS!!!! Makes clean up as easy as taking out the liner and tossing it in the trash!!! FABULOUS!!! I do wash my crock out every few times I use it just because.

Crocks are not to be scared of, they're VERY easy to use, no fuss no muss. There's SO much you can make in them too - many things I've never tried likes desserts.

[Campion]

1. They are safe. The newer crock pots cook on a higher temperature and seem to spike at the end, to make sure food is at the right temperature to avoid bacterial growth.

2. Clean up is quite easy. Most of the crockpots now have a removable liner, and the ceramic glaze prevents food from sticking. Soak a bit and wipe out with a scrubby sponge and dish detergent.

3. If you refrigerate your pot, it will take a lot longer to cook--the pot will have to heat up the ceramic and in fact, if it gets hot spots, you could crack the pot (ceramic expands unevenly.)

4. A great cookbook is a help--hints on timing and techniques: Slow Cooking

5. Best buy slow cooker as recommended by America's Test Kitchen is The Crockpot Touchscreen

[Iwantcoffee]

I have never cooked anything in the crock pot for 10 or 11 hours. The ones I have used cook to fast and food would be overcooked. In my crock pot, food is usually done in 4 hours cooked on high, sometimes even sooner. A very thick roast would probably do okay on low for 10 hours.

This is the one I am currently using. You can cook a 3 pound chicken or 2 pound roast. We are a family of 4 and this is the perfect size for us.

Hamilton Beach 33138 Slow Cooker, 3-Quart

[PamelaSue72]

I have four crock pots in various sizes and love them. Honestly, they're a wonderful appliance for people who work during the day and even for those are really busy and want a nice meal when they get back home without a lot of work.

I do a lot of food prepping the night before and put the food into a container (I don't really have the time to do with food prepping in the morning). I prepare my sauces and such the night before as well and put that into a container. Then the morning of, all I have to do is spray the crock pot insert, put the food in the crock pot, set it and go to work.

I use my crock pots in the basement (we have cats and I don't quite trust them around cords on the kitchen counters), either on top of the chest freezer or on top of the dryer. I usually leave the house around 7 in the morning and I'm home to finish dinner prep by 4:30 - 5:00.

Soups, stews, roasts and the like can all be done in a crock pot. There are a lot of casserole-types dishes that can be adapted for crock pot cooks. There are so many nice crock pot cookbooks out there now for ideas, too.

[HonnyBrown]

Thanks everyone! You all love your crock pots.

I'm going to start with an inexpensive, no frills one and then upgrade if I like it and use it a lot.

[Theoriginallacey]

I have the Hamilton Beach slow cooker with Intellitime. It cooks up to 12 hours and decides the temperature by the amount of time you tell it to cook. It works very well in that capacity. You don't come home to mush that has over cooked all day. You can also select your own temperature from high, low, medium but you can't choose how long when you do that, you would have to turn it off manually. Still good if you are home or not gone for an excessive amount of time during the day. I highly recommend it, especially for people who work. http://www.hamiltonbeach.com/6-quart-slow-cookers-intellitime-6-quart-slow-cooker-33564.html

[mima]

I love my crockpots. I have different sizes. I leave them on all day while I am at work. I don't worry about it since I've did this for 40 years. Cleanup is great. The pot comes out and goes in the DW. If stuff is stuck on, you might have to soak it with soap and water to loosen up stuck on food until you run the DW.

One hint: If you are planning on leaving while it is cooking, avoid the digital type. If the lights flicker, the pot goes off and stays off. If you get the dial type and the electric flickers, it will come back on and continue cooking. I learned this the hard way.

I never want a digital one again.

I think the more full the crockpot, the better it cooks. So that's why I have different sizes. Depends on what I'm cooking.

[DJs mom]

I have a Hamilton Beach one with a timer. I also use the Reynolds crock pot liners so after my dinner is done I pull out the bag and throw in the trash. The crock pot is clean, I just rinse with warm soapy water and store it. I'm just learning how to cook. On the box it said "for the busy mom or beginner cook". They both apply to me and I was sold. LOL

[beach-mom]

On 9/9/2014 HonnyBrown said:

Thanks everyone! You all love your crock pots.

I'm going to start with an inexpensive, no frills one and then upgrade if I like it and use it a lot.

YW! Good choice - most recipes will say to cook at medium or high, and most crock pots have a "keep warm" feature. That's all you need!

[Foggy morning]

My crockpot is a oldie but is still hanging in there. I don't believe I've ever cooked anything more than 8 hours. I have heard that some crockpots now cook at higher temps than the older ones, even on the low setting. I just recently did order a new one after reading reviews that it didn't cook too hot. The new one should be here in about a week. Enjoy your's when you get it!