Crockpot advice

[shallen3]

I was expecting to get one for Xmas but that darn Santa thought I was a good enough girl for an iPad instead. Which is a good thing since its all I have right now. I have enough points to get a 50.00 gc and I just want to know if it is worth getting a programmable model or if a cheaper model is just as good. I have never had one and I want a good one. Any suggestions out there?

[jakobandevelyn]

Depends on how you are going to use it. Size is an issue, so think about how much food you want to cook at once. They cook best when 2/3 full. BUT, if you get a large one and want to cook something a bit smaller, an oven safe dish can be put within the crockpot and the meal cooked within it. So I opted for a larger one on the last one I bought (I have 4 in my kitchen.)

Cooking temperatures are another factor. Many just have off, low, and high. I love the one I have with a warming feature, so once I finish cooking my recipe, I can flip it to warm and keep it on until dinner, or if I make a warm drink, the warming feature will keep it warm without cooking it further.

The programmable ones are great if you work or are out of the house much, so you can put your ingredients in and not have it turn on to cook for a few hours, but still get home to a fully cooked meal. You could also opt for a non-programable one, and get a timing adapter thingy. That's what i do. (Which reminds me that I need to get the tab that fell behind the stove!!)

Shape is another issue. I love my oval one for birds (chicken and turkey), but the round ones are great for everything else just about.

That's all I can think of off the top of my head, besides the typical color and looks of it. Oh, and brand.... I have a Hamilton beach, Crockpot and then the Rival brand. I like them all for different things!!

***** I copied a bunch of what i personally wrote on another thread. Saves time






BUT... ever since I got a pressure cooker, I don't use my crockpots as much. I LOVE MY PRESSURE COOKER!!!

[CurtisBeers]

Be sure to get the crock pot bags....they make clean-up so easy.
Reynolds sometimes puts $1.00 coupons out making them very inexpensive.

[lakurek99]

I have a 1 qt (for dips and oatmeal), a 4 quart and a 6 quart. My 6 quart is programmable and was about $30. I love it. It has 4 cook settings and a warm feature. My 4quart just has warm, low and high. I love the fact that I can set my crock-pot for 8 hours and it switches to warm if I'm gone longer--I wish my 4 quart had that feature. I say shop around and find a programmable one-I don't think I would spend more than $40 on it though.

[bnkkey]

I have the 6 qt oval Hamilton Beach and I love it.Mine has the warming feature .Evelyn has some great advice.I normally feed 5-8 ppl so the big one is a must and the liners Curtis talked about are wonderful! Good luck!!

[Desert Debbi]

I have 2 crockpots.

1) Old faithful is a round 4qt with a ceramic liner. It has high, low and off settings. This is a great pot for cooking beans, soups and stews. The only downside is that it doesnt have the ability to turn itself off, and that after almost 10 years of use the ceramic crock looks stained, even when clean!

2) My oval programmable 6qt is the new kid on the block. My personal pet peeve with it is that it has a no stick crock instead of a ceramic crock. Also, inspite of multiple washes both by hand and in the dishwasher it retains the odor of the carnitas I made in it. I DO like the fact that it can be programmed to automatically switch temps and go to warm when done though. I got it at walmart for around $38 about a month ago.

[floridaclipper]

Love crock pots. There is a site where someone had 365 days of crock pot recipies. She also had a lot of info on the different crock pots. Can't post the link but it's worth a google search.

I have 2 both with the ceramic liners. One is a regular one by crock pot with a low/med/hi/warm setting. It's over 20 years old and still going strong. The other is a rival in an oval shape it came with a mini crock. I think it was $10-$15 during the holidays. It's not programable but not really a feature I use. The warming may be helpful but I'm not comfortable setting food in it for it to start cooking at a later time. I do really like the slow cooker liners. Makes clean up pretty easy.

[Rabid]

I have a large round crockpot that has to be at least 15 years old. It just has low and high settings. It works great even after so many years. One caution on the programmable pots: I've heard that if you are using your programmable crockpot and the power goes out, when the power comes back on the crockpot doesn't start up again. No personal experience. That's just what I've heard.

[janniwanni54]

I still have and use the one I got for my wedding to my first DH, 35 years ago. Throw the food in, plug it in, turn it on and go. Works great. I didn't even know they had timers now. Don't need any of that stuff. I'm just a basic gal I guess.

[dp38587]

I have a big round Rival, at least 10 yrs old and perfect. Low, high and off......plenty for my use. It's big enough to hold a Smithfield butt portion ham, bone end up. I seal it tight with foil then 24 hrs on low.......vary time to your own cooker. You can pull the bone out clean when it's done. Perfect ham!!!

Deb