Do You Love Your Crockpot?

I use my crockpot a few times a week. I make sauce and meatballs, chicken dishes, ribs, soups, pot roasts!! So many things!! Saves time when I work, the last thing I like to do when I get home is cooking.!!

I love my crockpot. I cook all kinds of things in it. One of my favorite is breakfast. I make it the night before and put it on low all night and wake to breakfast already made. I cook chicken, pork, and beef. My husband loves it when I cook stew meat in it over night. I then make homemade beef and noodle soup. My kids love baked ziti in it. I can think of oodles of uses for it and it never collects dust.

I love my crockpot! :) I don't think you can every really overcook anything in the crock. Since you'll be gone for the entire day, I would try to find one that has a "warm" feature on it. Mine has 5 different settings, each is on a timer. High for 4 hours, High for 6 hours, Low for 8 hours, Low for 10 hours. After the alloted time is over, it switches to a Warm setting.
http://www.amazon.com/Crockpot-38501-W-5-Quart-Smart-Pot-...
That's the one I have.

i don't use mine when i'm away from the house so much (paranoid about fires, i guess) but i still use it pretty regularly, especially in the winter when you want warm, slow-cooked meals. Almost any recipe can be cooked on a faster setting if you don't want to wait 8 hours, or I frequently use it on the weekends to make a roast, soup or stew that we can re-heat during the week so that on a weekday i don't have to cook a difficult meal. I especially like it for something that you can also use for a different leftover meal...like making a roast with carrots, potatoes the first day (say, on Sunday) and then having roast beef sandwiches or brisket tacos with the leftover roast on Monday or Tuesday. Then it makes the whole process of getting it out & using it really worth it since you get twice the meals in one use.

love it.... you can get one of those timer switch (for lights - lamps) to use with it to turn it off. I've been using recipes from http://crockpot365.blogspot.com/. These recipes are not the old school recipes where you had to through a can of Campbell's cream soup in for some casserole. Rather she used fresh ingredients. Buy a simple one --- no need to be fancy here.

I use my crockpot about once per week. There are recipes everywhere from really simple, basic ones, to more gourmet ones and they're all good! If you work and are away longer than the cooking time, be sure you get one with a timer on it that turns the setting to "warm" automatically when the cooking time is finished. Some have these and some don't. I have an older model (that I love for different reasons) that is not automated like that and a newer model that does. I actually use them both! Also, be sure you buy some of the slow cooker liners so that cleaning up will be easy. You can buy them at the grocery store near the ziploc bags. SO much easier to clean up, just throw the bag in the garbage!

Just so that you don't get discouraged at the start, you may have to tweak some recipes and work with the cooking times to get it right since they all seem to cook differently. So, if a recipe doesn't come out quite right the first time, don't give up and put the pot on a shelf! It might take a few times to figure out what works best. :-)

I really do enjoy mine and I think you will too.

I love my crockpot. We are a family of 7 so the newer larger crockpots are great for us. I can actually put two whole fryers in mine. The new ones have a digital timer on them. When the cooking time is done it shuts off and goes into 'keep warm' mode. I've put something in, left and returned home to find the cooking part done, in the 'keep warm' stage and the food is perfect...no overcooking. You don't necessarily have to buy the large one like I did, but if you did think of the leftovers you'd have...you could freeze what's left and have a whole meal for the family in a couple of weeks.

Mine was a gift and it stays in the cabinet.

I am a hands on cook and I do not like the crockpot. I love preparing my meals by hand, taking my time and having something special.

I know MANY moms love it because you throw something in and it's done at the end of the day. I can see where a mom working outside the home would like it.

We have one and I have probably used it two or three times. The food does come out good and it is nice and easy to use. The reason we don't, our cats. They are highly food motivated and I think could probably get the lid off while food is cooking or would end up hurting themselves on the cord. So while I have used it, when I am home and enjoyed it, I won't leave it unattended all day.

I'm like you and don't own one. People keep trying to sell me on the idea, but we're doing OK so far without one. I didn't grow-up with one, and I didn't grow up with the traditional crock-pot recipes in my family, so I haven't felt the need to take the plunge. Most people I know with one have several. One coworker has 4, but she cooks everything in them.

Interesting to see the comments, though.

I love my crockpot but I tend to use it in spurts.
My advice is to buy a crockpot cookbook when you buy it.
I make mostly roasts (with veggies), pulled pork/beef, meatballs, hot sausage, stuffed peppers in mine.

I love my crockpot. although mine says slow cooker on it and has a high and low setting. if your going to be gone longer than 8 hours you just use the low setting. love it love it love. i have made potroasts, chicken, chili, soups, stews so many things and it takes the heat out of cooking during the summer. you throw the stuff in and walk away. best thing ever.

Yes the crock pot is worth it when you actually use it.

You want one where you can set the timer and when it is finished it goes to warm setting. Your food will not be overcooked but tender, delish and wonderful. When I use mine, I mostly put it on before I go to bed and wake up to the aroma of dinner done. I love it. Now I'm going to start doing desserts in my small crock pot, something with apples and peaches.

I can't tell you how many "homecooked" meals my family never would have eaten if we didn't have a crockpot! I love it. I don't think you'll regret buying one!

I got mine as a wedding present 10 years ago and only used it sporadically until recently. It took too much effort to think that far ahead for a meal. But now that I'm a mom I use it 2-3 times a month sometimes more. It really is great. I would definetly get a good cookbook to go along with it. When the cooking time is up mine will switch over to warm automatically and it has 4 different cooking options. As long as it has enough liquid it should be ok. Some are just on & off and that's it so make sure you really look at the one you want.

I LOVE LOVE LOVE my crockpot!! I can cook "hot" meals for my family during the hot summer without heating up the house by using the stove.

I love my "Fix it and forget" cookbook just for slowcookers!!

I love my slow cooker for cooking potato soup in the winter when it snows - how great to get in from the cold and not have to "make lunch" just get in and eat warm soup!!!!!!

LOVE LOVE LOVE!!! My crockpot/slowcooker!!

Hi S.S I love mine I have 3 0r 4 different ones and i use them all the time. you can put your food on low if you are going to be gone all day. I have never had anything over cook. J.

I love mine, I like the cook book idea for you. Make things that want hurt if it is in over 8 hours. If you get a good crock-pot it has different settings and the lower sitting means the longer cook time. Once you get one and get into cooking that way you start using your own ideas for meals. We even use it for dinners with friends make anything and place it inside and set it on warm. I hope you find one you like.

Yes love my crockpot! The crockpot I have, I can use a timer, so after the 6-8 hours are up, it goes into a warm mode, keeps the food hot not overcooked. We use it for pot roast with potatoes/carrots/ onions but also for making chilli. It's the best. we do have to keep it in the basement though, it's too big to fit in my cabinets, but it's worth that trip downstairs. Goodluck!
~sahmatwork

Its great, get one! And a rice cooker too. Then you have the entire meal ready when you walk in to a yummy smelling house! A rice cooker can also steam veges on top of the rice! Buy one with a timer and warm setting. it will cook when you tell it and stay warm till you shut it off.

This is a fabulous crockpot blog - she has great recipes and is honest about how they turned out so you can avoid the disappointments.

http://crockpot365.blogspot.com/

Love mine! Especially in winter- I work full time and nothing is better than opening the door after a long day and the whole house smells yummy and a hot meal is ready- just throw together a salad to go with it!

In summer, I use it for baked beans and other side dishes, but absolutely, get one!

Yes!
I have a 6 quart.
its great! So much easier to cook on days I don't want to slave over a stove.