Help with choosing slower cookers/crockpot..never had one

[dex_millie]

I must say I don't think I ever touch one, it is just something I didn't grow up with (I grew up more around a pressure cooker). I am thinking that having one for after my 3rd child is born would be a good idea. I am not going to have much help and have started freezing meals but my freezer is just a small on top of a fridge type of freezer (I live in an apt.).

I have no idea where to start except for the endless googling and reading I have been doing. Is it mostly the size that would be important. I thinking I can use it eighter everyday or every other day as to not deminish my freezer stack to fast.

Any help welcome thanks.

[Maurer]

There are a few features that might be of an interest to you.  My old slow cooker had low and high cooking settings and I could choose either 4,6,or 8 hour cooking times.  I could not choose any other time settings and I could not just set it on warm at any point during the cooking cycle.  It would only go to the warm setting if it had finished the 4,6 or 8 hour cooking time.   I finally got sick of that because often times my soup would be finished cooking after 5 hours or something like that and I wanted to just turn it on warm. 

My DH bought me a new one for Christmas. He surprised me and did all the research and read the reviews from people.  He ended up getting me this one http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001CW9HCC/ref=pd_lpo_k2_dp_sr_3?pf_rd_p=486539851&pf_rd_s=lpo-top-stripe-1&pf_rd_t=201&pf_rd_i=B000HGI5N6&pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_r=0ZRED85KCQY4M82EWT1Z

It was the best one for the money.  You can spend more money of course, but this was one of the top rated slow cookers and it was cheaper than many others that were top rated. 

[Arduinna]

You need to consider size and also programming capability. If you are going to be home while using it then programming is less important than if you need it to have dinner ready when you get home from work for example.

There are newer ones that allow you to program it to say, cook on high for 1 hour, then on low for 6 hours then on warm for 3 hours. But most of the programmable ones just basically let you choose how long to cook at either high or low and then auto switch to warm. I have 2 of those and they do most of what I need since I'm generally home while they are in use. I also have one that is all manual ( the Hamilton Beach 3 in 1) but I like that it came with 3 different size crock inserts in 2, 4 and 6 quart so I can cook smaller or larger things in it. So I use the programmable one when I need that control and the manual one when I need the smaller size but will be home.

There are also ones that allow you to brown on the stove in the pot and then transfer the pot to the crock to cook. I've seen them in Williams Sonoma catalog but they are a lot more expensive.

[dex_millie]

I have researching all day and I am still at lost. I thought all crock pot was programmable..how then does people leave them for the whole day if some can't be set for a certain hours.

I believe I would want a programmable one even if I am home, I want it so I can set it and leave it. But it took me all day to realize this with all the searching..I just feel like buying anything and just pray it works well..I have been spending so much time on this..all these reviews...

[Arduinna]

Well, one of mine just basically is either on or off and if it's on I can choose high, low or warm but there is no timer at all. So it's up to me to remember to turn it off. My other two, I can set the time I want it to cook for and it automatically switches to warm once the timer runs out.

I found going to the manufacturers website and reading the manual of the models I was interested to be much more helpful than reading reviews.

[ollyoxenfree]

Originally Posted by Arduinna 

There are also ones that allow you to brown on the stove in the pot and then transfer the pot to the crock to cook. I've seen them in Williams Sonoma catalog but they are a lot more expensive.

IIRC, the Cook's Illustrated review suggested that this feature doesn't work all that well, considering how much extra it costs. 

OP, my biggest hesitation about getting a new slow cooker is that there seems to be a problem with temperature control on a lot of them now. They cook too hot, even on the low setting. I've read that manufacturers are concerned about bacteria growth on low settings over a long time. So they have over-compensated and as a result, food gets overdone. Once you find a model that you like, I'd read the consumer reports about it and make sure there aren't complaints about this. 

[Owen'nZoe]

OP, my biggest hesitation about getting a new slow cooker is that there seems to be a problem with temperature control on a lot of them now. They cook too hot, even on the low setting. I've read that manufacturers are concerned about bacteria growth on low settings over a long time. So they have over-compensated and as a result, food gets overdone. Once you find a model that you like, I'd read the consumer reports about it and make sure there aren't complaints about this. 

This exactly! Check the online reviews for the models you select, and look carefully for comments on cooking time.

Here's my experience: I had a Rival programmable previously. I was so excited about the programmable feature when I first got it, but every time I tried to cook in it, the food was overdone by the time I got home from work. Even on the lowest setting, it was hot enough that I worried about leaving it on when I wasn't home.

When I replaced it, I knew I wanted something that did not cook as hot. I did a lot of research, and found that cooking too hot is a very common problem with the Rivals. I saw several recommendations from people who had replaced their Rivals with Hamilton Beech and were much happier. I was surprised, because the HB are less expensive, but decided to go with it. I got a 3-in-1 Hamilton Beech that was not programmable. I am very, very happy with it. I love having 3 different sized liners, so I can pick the one that is the right size for what I'm making. I find it cooks much cooler than the Rival, so food doesn't get overcooked. Since it isn't programmable, I use a plug-in outlet timer to limit the cook time - this works well for us!

[jazzharmony]

Bumping.  I'm looking for a crock pot and am overwhelmed by all the choices.

[jazzharmony]

I ended up getting one from Amazon http://www.amazon.com/Hamilton-Beach-33135-6-Quart-Stainless/dp/B000R8A1OK/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=home-garden&qid=1297449790&sr=8-1

A huge selling point for me was the multiple/different sized inserts.

[koru]

Personally, I'm disillusioned by all crock pots since I found out they contain lead in their glaze. They are, of course, within FDA regulations of acceptable amounts of lead but when heated, this lead is released into the food. Bleh.

http://insightfulnana.com/home-garden/housekeeping-home-garden/lead-poisoning-and-crock-pots

[allnaturalmom]

Originally Posted by koru 

Personally, I'm disillusioned by all crock pots since I found out they contain lead in their glaze. They are, of course, within FDA regulations of acceptable amounts of lead but when heated, this lead is released into the food. Bleh.

http://insightfulnana.com/home-garden/housekeeping-home-garden/lead-poisoning-and-crock-pots

I got rid of ours (it was one of the ones that was actually recalled for lead a while back) and will not use the new one my mil got me for this reason. There is an old thread around here about this... IIRC, it was a real long one.

gl

hth

[Maurer]

I would be curious to know if they all do contain lead still.  There is usually a company within a mix that will change their ways to appease some customers.  I will have to research this further.   

[krankedyann]

I just got a 6-qt Nesco roaster.  Temp adjustment from 125-425, so I can turn it down and control the cooking time like that.  It won't run as hot.  It also has a porcelain interior and can function as an oven, not just a crock-pot.  I bought it for $34 on Amazon this weekend and it arrived today.  I've got the 18-quart Nesco Roaster and I'm already in love with this one!

[femmeknitzi]

For our wedding a year ago, we received a Hamilton Beach Crockpot that comes with 3 different sized containers that lift out for portability. I like the flexibility this provides. However....

For X-mas this year, I received an enameled dutch oven (just a knock off brand, but I still like it!)  and I'm left wondering if I will ever use my crockpot again. This pot is big enough to roast a ham or chicken, can go on the stovetop or in the oven, cleans easily and is designed for braising which is basically the same thing as slow-cooking. I've used it to make soups, stews, large cuts of meat, spaghetti, you name it! The only downside is that the cast iron pot is VERY heavy. I cooked a ham in it and had to have my husband lift it out of the oven for me, so it's not as convenient for potlucks. Also, since it goes on the stove, it's not safe to leave cooking when you're not at home. But this new addition has definitely reduced my crock pot use.

[kgbubble]

Lead and other leaching was huge for me, too. I went with a Vitaclay, which uses a clay pot, and claims to be 100% lead free. I've read where it's been tested and confirmed to be leadfree. there was a discussion about it on Debra Lynn Dad's site, which I really trust for information on toxic-free stuff.  you can set it to cook rice, soup or stew, and all them can be adjusted time-wise if you want it to cook longer or shorter. the booklet explains what things cook best on which settings. I usually use the stew setting, unless I'm cooking rice, and just adjust the time on it to lower or higher, depending on what I"m doing. They're on ebay, amazon and even the manufacturer sells them directly, I think.  So far, we're happy with it after almost two years!  I want to get a second one thats bigger, and use my little 6 qt for rice only. we eat rice every day, so I'd like to have rice and beans in it and use the other for the veggies, soup, or whatever. 

http://crockpot365.blogspot.com/

is my best go-to for recipes. 

[MovnMama]

Cast Iron can be a great piece of cookware for vegetarians as well, since small amounts of iron leaches in to the food. This sounds bad (like the lead-leaching mentioned above) but a lot of vegetarians are actually iron-deficient. Especially if you have a picky veggie child!

[WCM]

Whoa, thanks for posting about ead in crocks. It never dawned on me to consider this, (though I don't use SIGGS water bottles because I don't trust the patented glaze/resin in it either) and I've been trying to use a crock more for saving $$ and time. No more! I'll keep it for melting beeswax. So glad I didn't get further into my crock-pot dependency, it's easy to give it up. Thanks again!

[Arduinna]

Originally Posted by femmeknitzi 

For our wedding a year ago, we received a Hamilton Beach Crockpot that comes with 3 different sized containers that lift out for portability. I like the flexibility this provides. However....

For X-mas this year, I received an enameled dutch oven (just a knock off brand, but I still like it!)  and I'm left wondering if I will ever use my crockpot again. This pot is big enough to roast a ham or chicken, can go on the stovetop or in the oven, cleans easily and is designed for braising which is basically the same thing as slow-cooking. I've used it to make soups, stews, large cuts of meat, spaghetti, you name it! The only downside is that the cast iron pot is VERY heavy. I cooked a ham in it and had to have my husband lift it out of the oven for me, so it's not as convenient for potlucks. Also, since it goes on the stove, it's not safe to leave cooking when you're not at home. But this new addition has definitely reduced my crock pot use.

I have a whole bunch of Le Creuset enameled cast iron and I still get decent use out of my crock pots. I like my crock pots because I feel safer leaving them on when I'm not home than leaving something on the stove or in the oven. The crock pot doesn't heat up the kitchen like my oven does and I don't have to worry about stirring. Plus it's so convenient to leave my stocks cooking in the crock pot overnight and it frees up my stove for other uses.

[DrBrockBaca]

I LOVE my All-Clad stainless steel slow cooker from Williams Sonoma. It's easily programmable and the insert can be used on the stove. On the high setting, it cooks very quickly, and then keeps it warm if necessary. Or you can use the low setting if you are going to be gone all day.