Time to buy a new Crock-Pot? Here’s how to tell.
From
| October 26, 2009
In Frugal Food & Facts, Kitchen Basics
Featured Recipe: Slow-Cooker Spaghetti and Meatballs
If you haven’t used your Crock-Pot in so long you’re afraid of it, now is the time to dust the dear sweet thing off and get cooking. Or at least figure out if the darn thing is worth keeping.
So is it dear or darn? Let’s see…..
No removable crock? Forget it. It’s too cumbersome to clean, plus you’ll want the luxury of assembling your recipe the night before and storing it in the refrigerator.
To test an old crock pot for safety, fill the crock with 8 cups of water, cover and heat on low (200 degrees F) for 8 hours. Check the water with an accurate cooking thermometer, lifting the lid only briefly. The thermometer should read about 185 degrees F.
If you’re a cook who never knows what time the workday will end, consider one of the Rival brand’s newest additions to the slow cooker line-up – the Smart-Pot. This programmable pot automatically switches to a warm setting when the designated cooking time is up.
When testing this appliance, we loved the fact that the pot won’t turn the food, but we wished for more flexible choices in the cooking times. (You can pick from 4 or 6 hours on high, and 8 or 10 hours on low.) Still, for $50, an oval shaped six-quart Crock-Pot will pay for itself in saved takeout in no time.
So what sort of slow cooker do you use? How old is it? Dear friend or dust collector? We'd love to hear your comments!
Comments
From Beverly Mills - October 26, 2009
You might get the oldest Crock-Pot out there still in use award! Anybody got one older than ‘74??
From Alicia Ross - October 27, 2009
Martha, your Crock-Pot is so retro! Avocado Green! That color is back!
From Richard Pachter - October 27, 2009
I make Irish (steel cut) Oatmeal in my crockpot.
Put 1/3 cup of oats in a bowl; 2 cups of water.
Place bowl on rack in crockpot, set to “Low.” Go nighty-night and wake up to a bowl of oaty goodness.
Pass the strawberries, bananas and a splash of soy milk. Top with a little granola or Honey Bunches for sweetness.
Black coffee.
Repeat daily.
From Beverly Mills - October 27, 2009
I had always wondered how to make oatmeal in a Crock-Pot! I tried it once just putting it directly in and it turned to mush. So what kind of a “rack” do you use?
From Richard Pachter - October 28, 2009
A wire rack that sits on the bottom. Ordered it from the accessories catalog that came with the crockpot (along with a baker liner that I used to use for bread… now brownies, occasionally.)
You could use an empty tuna can or an overturned bowl, if need be.
But don’t use ordinary rolled oats or you WILL get mush!
From Beverly Mills - October 28, 2009
Thanks Richard! I’m gonna try it.
From JoAnn - November 09, 2009
I’m confused (as usual). Richard says to make Oatmeal to put bowl (after preparing) in the slow cooker overnight on a rack and let it go over night. I have never used my slow cooker this way but “whatever works”. Do I understand this method right? Where would I find this rack?
From Beverly Mills - November 09, 2009
Hi JoAnn, Don’t worry, I was completely confused too at first by this. And true confessions, I have been meaning to try this and haven’t gotten around to buying the Steel-Cut Oats yet.
However, what I think Richard is saying is that you put the bowl of oatmeal on top of either an overturned can or else the special rack. The purpose is to make sure the oatmeal bowl doesn’t sit directly on the pot bottom. My guess is to lower the heat and make the oatmeal cook more slowly.
Maybe Richard will weigh back in (!) and let us know if this is correct!
Also, I always microwave my oatmeal (I use old-fashioned oats) and we wrote about this at length in our Cheap. Fast. Good! cookbook!
From Beverly Mills - December 04, 2009
From Mary Gallagher of Winston-Salem, NC:
I have a Hamilton Beach slow cooker with a locking lid. It also has a place on the lid for the ladle. Mine is a six-quart size so it holds a lot of chili. Nothing has ever leaked from it. I love it for transporting foods to pot-luck dinners. The handles are very sturdy for carrying, but I made a casserole cover to more easily carry it with one hand (like a basket).
Related Recipes
Slow-Cooker Spaghetti and Meatballs
January 26, 2009
When it's impossible for everyone to sit down together for dinner, how do you cook only once? Our answer is often a slow cooker. But pasta? Here's how.
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I love my Desperation Dinners! and Cheap Fast. Good! They are falling apart! That has to be the sign of a well-loved cookbook. Too bad I have to buy new ones. But the food is just too good not to have the books.
-- Jennifer Rush
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From Martha in KS - October 26, 2009
My avocado Crock Pot was a wedding present in 1974. It still works fine - maybe I’ll use your test to check for sure.