Crock Pot Dilemma

[Chief Longwind Of The North]

Just a quick addition. I had a perfectly good, old Rival crockpot, perfectly good that is until I tried taking a pot of chicken soup to a pot luck. I got no further than the living room when the plastic handle broke, leaving brocken crockery and hot soup all over my carpet! I then purchased a GE model with similar results. The plastic handle broke, but fortunately, just inches above the counter top. Nothing spilled, and now broken crockery. It's still in use, but never to transport food.

My current slow-cooker is a Hamilton Beach 6-quart model with a lid that holds its own spoon, and hooks that allow connectors to hold it firmly to the pot. It also has metal handles that are spot-welded to the outside metal of the cooker. It has proven to be an excellent model with three useful settings that allow me to make anything that is possible to make in a slow cooker, and is sturdy enough to allow me to take it on the road without fear of handles breaking. It's one of the few excellent products I've ever purchased from Wal-Mart, with that store carrying usually less than great products, in my opinion. And the price was great, about $25 U.S. I highly recomend this model for its versatility and for how sturdy it is.

And no, I'm not a salesman of any kind. I'm a telecom tech with a B.S. Electrical Engineering Technoloy degree. I just wanted to share my experience and what works for me.

Seeeeeya; Goodweed of the North

 

[amateurcook]

Goodweed, that's the one I have and I'm so happy with it, too. I use the spoon all the time in my kitchen for other purposes also. I picked that one out after I bought a Rival 6 qt that was burning everything out, and I bought it because it was the only one that I found that listed their temperatures that the unit runs at, at their different settings.

 

[lawchick04]

Sometimes I get dry and tough meat from the crockpot, but it depends on the recipe. When I make my cola roast, the acids from the soda seem to break down any toughness and I always get a juicy roast. Same with my greek chicken...the lemon juice seems to keep the meat from being stringy and it usually stays quite moist.

 

[devora]

Apple Butter

I have one of those great 70s Rival crocks bought at a thrift store for a mere 5 smackeroos. I use it for one thing: to make fabulous apple butter. Sooo much easier than stirring on the stovetop for hours.

I don't eat beef or pork, but when I used to and tried a crock pot I found the results dull. As for chicken, I like my Dutch oven. Or the grill. Or the broiler. Or the oven. Goodness, there certainly are a lot of ways to cook chicken!

 

[elaine l]

I am so relieved to read this thread. I had a crockpot for twenty years and loved cooking in it. The outside became worn and not as fashionable as the new models so I junked it and bought another. Everything now is overcooked and actually burned! I thought somehow it was me. The last time I brought it to a potluck my husband refused to retrieve it because he didn't want anyone to know who brought that awful food!

 

[kawarthagal]

Hmmm... interesting information about Rival.I have two older Rival cookers,a 6 quart and a smaller one (prior to the timers being added on most of the current models).Both must be 5-6 years old at least.The larger retail stores here now don't carry Rival at all.I had really wondered about why I wasn't seeing their product on store shelves anymore.
I suppose if their product is inferior now thats why........ Thanks for sharing that info.