DiningBuzz! - Slow Cooker/ Crock Pot

Who has a Crock-pot? What brand/model do you recommend? What features are important to you?

What are you going to do with it?

It looks like Crock Pot has branched off into its own brand... it used to be Rival. I've always stuck with that brand and been happy.

I *use* my Crock Pot all the time, but rarely actually cook in it. It's main purpose for me is a glorified chafing dish. When I make food for office potlucks and things need to stay warm or simmer until lunch time...it's awesome.

If I were to ever buy another one, a lockdown lid... like this one (http://www.amazon.com/Crock-Pot-SCCPVL600R-6-Quart-Manual-Portable/dp/B003OATAZ4/ref=pd_sim_k_6) would be high on my list of requirements.

What are you going to do with it?

At this point, my idea is pretty much along the lines of "put stuff in it before I leave in the morning, and come home to tasty dinner".

I guess I'm curious what features are there and what features are worth it.

You might want to pick up a cookbook or two and get some ideas. One of my favorites is "Not Your Mother's Slow Cooker Cookbook." Another good one is "Slow Cooker Revolution" from America's Test Kitchen. The first chapter in this one has tips on selecting a slow cooker.

Size matters. You want one to be the right size, if you are usually cooking for one or two, you won't want a huge one, and if you are usually making vats of food, a small one would be useless.

My dream crockpot, which I don't believe exhists (but I will say I have not checked for a while)


removable cooking vessel, and all removable parts dish washer safe
Timer to shut it off (going to warm when it's done)
Timer to turn it on
Auto shift, where it cooks on high for an hour and a half to heat it up fast and shifts to low on it's own
see through cover
Liner can go from the fridge to the cooker, so you can set it up the night before and it won't crack when it's heated


One thing I highly recommend is crock pot liners, you can get them in the grocery store for just under $6 for a pack of four, or you can order online in bulk and get a box of 240 for $39, and everything in between. Makes cleaning up so much easier.

We have a couple, no brand affinity just what was on sale at the time. Our large one is a Crock Pot brand oval with an electronic timer (if you are prone to power outages don't get an electronic timer, it will shut off and not come back on, even if the outage is just a few seconds).

We have a smaller Proctor Silex that has a knob that says off, high, and low, no timer, no electronics, etc.

Think about what you will be cooking, if it's mainly sauce, chili, stews, round is fine, if it's things like whole cuts of meat, chickens, turkey breast, etc you may want an oval one, the larger cuts fit better in the oval one.

This (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000AB32PE/) is the one I have.

Perfect size for 1 or 2. But I'd love to have a 6 quart one for when I cook for the office.

An answer to your question it comes down to preference. Reason being you have 2 types, programmable & manual. I personally like manual, it's something less I have to think about in the sense if the digital breaks. Go to crockpotking.com, it has a great video, on helping you to make your decision, the page is called Best Crock Pots. Also the bottom, of the home page, has great books to get you started, what the best thing about the site it shows you how to make time for yourself, with this kind of cooking. Also there's temperature page, on what setting to use when cooking. Start off with a Rival their good, and I've had mine for years. And see if it's something your going to like, but if you want to create more time for yourself that's the way to Go.

Good luck!!!
Ben the Crock Pot king

When I wanted a CrockPot, I just went to Target and bought the one on sale, which turned out to be this one (http://www.amazon.com/Smart-Pot-SCVP550-W-Cooker-Steamer/dp/B00370102C/ref=sr_1_57?s=home-garden&ie=UTF8&qid=1312257882&sr=1-57) - chosed because it was large and on sale.

I am quite satified with its large because when I cook, I cook dinner for two + two more dinners into the freezer, making my time really count.

The only thing this one doesn't do well is split pea soup. Don't know why, but it always scorches.

My favorite slow cookery cookbook is Make It Fast, Cook It Slow: The Big Book of Everyday Slow Cooking by Stephanie O'Dea.

Oh, the worst feature of it is cr@ppy plastic loop on the lid. It broke about 6 months after I bought the thing, and the company wanted $19 for a new lid (all I wanted was a new loop) for a device that cost me $30 total, so we went to the hardware store and bought a small wooden knob for about $1 and it makes a fine handle.

We have one of these electronic Cuisinart slow cookers (http://www.google.co.uk/products/catalog?q=cuisinart+slow+cooker&hl=en&safe=off&prmd=ivns&biw=1084&bih=531&um=1&ie=UTF-8&tbm=shop&cid=4025253568591067194&sa=X&ei=t4c3Tvf-AZO38gOQxeWNAw&ved=0CGQQ8wIwAg#).

It's pluses are that it's programmable so that it can get your meal cooked and then hold it and unlike many other models the croc rather than be low and wide is tall and narrow which means it's great for small quantities as well as large. With the low and wide types you have to add too much liquid to cover any proteins and veg whereas with this shape you just have the liquid you need. Three heat settings - high, low and simmer. It's used very regularly.

Costs more but worth every penny.

I have one similar to this one (http://www.amazon.com/SCCPVP700-S-7-Quart-Programmable-Cooker-Stainless/dp/B004887U44).

I love it, because I can toss everything in before going to work, and when I get home, dinner is ready. The crock portion is removable and easy to wash.

Although, when it is time for a new one, I have to admit that the one uk1 posted looks interesting.

As far as cooking in it, you can cook just about anything using a crock pot.

We have one of these electronic Cuisinart slow cookers (http://www.google.co.uk/products/catalog?q=cuisinart+slow+cooker&hl=en&safe=off&prmd=ivns&biw=1084&bih=531&um=1&ie=UTF-8&tbm=shop&cid=4025253568591067194&sa=X&ei=t4c3Tvf-AZO38gOQxeWNAw&ved=0CGQQ8wIwAg#).

It's pluses are that it's programmable so that it can get your meal cooked and then hold it and unlike many other models the croc rather than be low and wide is tall and narrow which means it's great for small quantities as well as large. With the low and wide types you have to add too much liquid to cover any proteins and veg whereas with this shape you just have the liquid you need. Three heat settings - high, low and simmer. It's used very regularly.

Costs more but worth every penny.Um... compared to the old-fashioned Crock Pot, that Cuisinart, is, well, lower, and wider (not tall and narrow).

Am I missing something here?

Um... compared to the old-fashioned Crock Pot, that Cuisinart, is, well, lower, and wider (not tall and narrow).

Am I missing something here?

Most of the newer crock pots are fairly low and wide.

Um... compared to the old-fashioned Crock Pot, that Cuisinart, is, well, lower, and wider (not tall and narrow).

Am I missing something here?

These (http://www.google.co.uk/search?tbm=isch&hl=en&source=hp&biw=1084&bih=531&q=slow+cookers&gbv=2&oq=slow+cookers&aq=f&aqi=g1g-m2&aql=&gs_sm=s&gs_upl=2133l5073l0l7262l12l12l0l0l0l0l292l2408l1.4 .7l12l0) compared with cusinart croc (http://www.kitchenwaredirect.com.au/core/media/media.nl/id.42954/c.732990/.f?h=7a2e4b568e4b57cdc359) and the trivet is a free accessory in case you want to "roast".

There is a crock pot at every garage sale in Reston VA. Buy several for a couple of bucks each and see which you like best.

At this point, my idea is pretty much along the lines of "put stuff in it before I leave in the morning, and come home to tasty dinner".

Sadly, it doesn't really work this way. Almost every recipe I'd want to eat involves just as much chopping, browning, sauteing etc., as does a standard receipe. THEN you throw it all in the pot.

I made a delicious Chicken Cacciatore on Sunday, but it took an hour worth of prep, and I suspect it would have been just as good if I'd then turned the same pan down to simmer and let it go for an hour on the top of the stove.

It depends on what you are cooking. If it's a roast or chicken and potatoes, you can put a few potatoes in, put the roast or chicken on top, sprinkle some seasoning, turn it on and leave.

If it's a stew or something like that, of course there is going to be some prep work, but you can do that the night before. I do all the chopping and the rest the night before, put it in the fridge overnight, and in the morning on the way out the door put the liner in the crockpot, set the timer and it's done when I get home.

There is little advantage to using the slow cooker over a pot on low on the stove all day, or if your oven has it, the slow cooking function of your oven. Again it depends on what you are cooking, but people cooked stuff long and slow ages before a crockpot came around.

The real advantage is you don't need to be there or watching it, you can leave it on the counter all day, which most people would not feel comfortable doing with a pot on the stove.

Granted, there are people who don't like leaving a crock pot on when they are not home too, but for the most part, that's where it has the advantage.

Sadly, it doesn't really work this way. Almost every recipe I'd want to eat involves just as much chopping, browning, sauteing etc., as does a standard receipe. THEN you throw it all in the pot.

I made a delicious Chicken Cacciatore on Sunday, but it took an hour worth of prep, and I suspect it would have been just as good if I'd then turned the same pan down to simmer and let it go for an hour on the top of the stove.

I've found that as well. Unless you're doing the basic pot roast, pork roast, or chicken, its just as easy to finish it on the stove or in the oven while I'm watching a movie. Then reheat it for the next days dinner. Most stuff tastes better the second day anyway :)

My view is pretty much the same although I certainly feel that there is a definate place for a good slow cooker compared to stove top. The fact is that you have to have pretty good flame control to leave anything on a flame unstirred for say overnight. So there's no crust and stirring is just on a "whilst your passing" basis rather than needing to check.

We use the slow cooker around twice a week during the winter and once a week in summer. It's ideal mate is the Zoji rice cooker for long slow kormas and curries. Basically you can just put everything in but I fry the pastes and then warm everything before it goes into the crock. The fact that in a better slow cooker it's a gentle surrounding heat rather than a more intense base heat, makes all the difference in my view. To be completely frank it has made the use of my sous vide bath a lot less regular ...........