Slow Cookers and Lead?

[Metasequoia]

I stumbled upon this old thread & have found that (as far as I can tell) West Bend, Hamilton Beach & GE are free of lead & cadmium. Rival is suspicious as it doesn't say that it's products are lead free. I emailed Farberware & Rival & am awaiting a response.

I am SO tired of researching the perfect slow cooker! I found a review on Amazon on a Farberware FSSC500 5Qt & a customer listed the actual temps & the reviews said that it was a "true slow cooker" & didn't burn food on a high temp. ***UPDATE*** I posted a response from Farberware/Salton in post # 15, sounds like they have lead. :

So, who knows what about lead & slow cookers?

ETA, I think I like this Hamilton Beach Stay or Go better! Hamilton Beach says on their site that their slow cookers are lead & cadmium free.

[oneKnight]

I hope you find out for us, I have a Rival 5qt
subbing....

[Greensleeves]

: I was looking all over for info a while back too, finally gave up.

[Metasequoia]

I emailed Rival, here is my question followed by their roundabout response:

Originally Posted by me

Do your crock pot inserts contain lead or cadmium?

Originally Posted by crockpot.com

I have just received your email and would like to thank you for writing. the liner is made of ceramic and The glaze is made of silica flour, clay, feldspar, something called “frit”, and a few minerals. These are ground up mixed, in specific quantities, with water. The resulting slurry is sprayed onto the pot (or the pot is dipped in it) and it is fired in the kiln at or around 1200-1600 degrees. It all melts together on the outside of the pot and basically turns into a type of glass. The FDA specifies allowable amounts of lead, cadmium and other substances. All of the glazes that we use meet or exceed FDA requirements.

Sounds like a reluctant "yes" to me.

[erin a]

Yup, that sure sounds to me like they've got lead in them or they would have given you a straight 'no'...
: Damn, I've got a rival crockpot:

[MidwifeErika]

that totally sounds like a yes to me. "few minerals" could totally be lead. shoot. I have a Rival crockpot and really like it. I had never thought about how it could contain lead.

[Metasequoia]

Sell it on Craig's List or Freecycle it, I've got my eye on the Hamilton Beach mentioned in the opening post - it's $29.99 at Target, not bad.....for peace of mind.

[oneKnight]

Rival crock pots are made in China - says so on the shipping box.

If the stuff turns into "glass" though, at such high temps....I wonder if it can get out? Glass doesn't leach anything. And the crock pot isn't gonna reach 1200º...

[Tanibani]

Well, I least I haven't used my Rival. thanks for posting it!

I guess I'll give it away. :

[nicolelynn]

Blah yet another gadget I need for my kitchen now...a new slow cooker- yipes!

[cloudswinger]

They sell lead testers. Just buy one and see if your crockpot has and detectible amounts.

[Imvishta]

We love our crockpot! Yet another thing to worry about and research... What the poster said about them not reaching 1,200 degrees does make sense that it could be safe, though.

[Imvishta]

[QUOTE=Metasequoia;6848691

<snip>

Hamilton Beach says on their site that their slow cookers are lead & cadmium free.[/QUOTE]

Couldn't they technically write lead-free if it simply meets the standards? Same way foods can be listed as no trans-fats if the serving size listed doesn't exceed a certain level, but eating several servings (which most people do with snacks) would exceed the limits which would require listing trans-fats, KWIM?

[Metasequoia]

I don't know, I did send an email to Hamilton Beach, I'll see what they have to say.

As far as testing your crock pot yourself:

Testing Dishes for Lead

You may want to test your dishes to see if they leach lead. Home test kits can tell you if there is lead that can leach from the dishes. These tests do not tell you the exact AMOUNT of lead. They are most useful in detecting high levels of lead. In many cases, they are not sensitive enough to tell whether the dishes meet Proposition 65 standards.

-Source

Enamel-coated iron and steel is colorful, stain and scratch resistant and does not pick up food odors. It does not contain lead, except in some glazes for slow-cooking pots (crock-pots). However, the amount of lead leached into food from these pots does not exceed FDA standards.

-Source

From what I've read, you should test the food that is cooked in the lead-containing cookware. I guess if you're comfortable with the possibility that the food being made in the lead-containing cookware *could* have lead in it, even an amount that the FDA allows, that's everyone's personal decision. If I were to use my slow cooker 3-4 times a week as I intend to, personally I'd feel safer knowing that it didn't have any amount of lead in the glaze.

I'm really not one to trust the FDA! They tell us irradiated foods are safe, synthetic growth hormone, antibiotic residue, growth inhibitor, etc, etc.

General info on lead in tableware.
Regulation of lead in tableware.

[Metasequoia]

I *finally* got a response from Farberware/Salton after at least a month...

Originally Posted by [e-mail]

Thank you for your email regarding our slow cookers. We do not have the information you have requested. Sorry for the inconvenience but these are made over seas and we don not know if the liners contain lead or cadmium.

Sincerely,

Wanda
Consumer Relations

Nice, huh? Me thinks that's another "yes."

[Jwebbal]

http://www.dmaonline.org/fppublic/connect56.html
Crock Pots
Are there any hazards associated with crock pot cookery? At one time lead and cadmium were a concern in ceramic ware. Following a foodborne illness outbreak (lead poisoning) affecting a California family in 1971, the FDA tightened restrictions on these dangerous minerals, which were cropping up in ceramics imported from other countries. The minerals were in the pigments used in glazes. By all reports, this is not a concern today due to FDA control.

[avendesora]

I have a Rival, darnit.

Other Rival owners - are you planning on giving yours away, or are you going to keep using it anyway?

So far, I'll keep using it anyway. I'll keep my eye out at my local thrift store though for a new one.

I'm a little nervous because I primarily do tomato-based stews, and the acid from the tomato might leach the lead out.

Aven

[Greensleeves]

Originally Posted by Metasequoia

I *finally* got a response from Farberware/Salton after at least a month...




Nice, huh? Me thinks that's another "yes."

Thanks for updating with their response!

Wow, I can't believe that copout of a return letter. They can't even provide vital safety information for their product because it's made overseas? That seems really unprofessional. :

I wonder how many other products are made overseas unsafely because they have no idea about the conditions under which they're made?

[Metasequoia]

Originally Posted by Jwebbal

http://www.dmaonline.org/fppublic/connect56.html
Crock Pots
Are there any hazards associated with crock pot cookery? At one time lead and cadmium were a concern in ceramic ware. Following a foodborne illness outbreak (lead poisoning) affecting a California family in 1971, the FDA tightened restrictions on these dangerous minerals, which were cropping up in ceramics imported from other countries. The minerals were in the pigments used in glazes. By all reports, this is not a concern today due to FDA control.

See post # 14, I linked a few sources regarding lead in dishes & crock pots, yes, almost all ceramic dinnerware contains lead, the FDA allows a certain amount. I know that Macy's sells "Fiestaware" which is lead free (dishes/bowls/cups.)

As for slow cookers, if I know that certain brands contain lead, even "allowable amounts," and I'm going to be *cooking food* in them for my family, I'll absolutely buy the brand that doesn not have lead, yk? That Hamilton Beech slow cooker is about $30, IMO worth every cent.

[davmon]

not to throw a wet blanket on this ...

but if I remember right, when I was researching crockpots, the Hamilton Beach one's had non-stick (I assume teflon or something equally unappetizing) inserts. So which is worse - the chemicals used to make the liners non-stick or the lead??

WHY CAN'T WE BUY SAFE STUFF FOR OUR FAMILIES???!!!

Mona