Slow Cooker/Leave it On When Leave House?

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Girl49

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Oct 30, 2011
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I know a slow cooker is supposed to cook while we're doing other things, but I can't quite get comfy leaving it on almost all day while I'm gone. Others have good experiences with leaving it on, and is it pretty safe? Also, any recommendations re: newer slow cookers? Thanks a lot.
 
Leave it on. You'll be fine. If it would make you feel better, put it on a cutting board and cook on low. I've used CPs for 40 years. It's all good!
 
You'll be fine but you could do what I do. To feel more comfortable leaving a "heating" appliance on when I go out, I put a big cookie sheet across the top of the stove and put the crock-pot on the cookie sheet. Somehow I feel that this is a safer way of leaving it unattended.
 
Sour cabbage
Fermented a basin of cabbage and it is possible for couple of weeks to walk anywhere...

porridges cooking on a low flame (In thick ceramic pots with butter)
 
roadfix said:
Most have timers so you're assured it turns off at a preset time in case you run late coming home.

Actually, none of mine have timers, but I trust them!
 
It took me a while to become comfortable leaving it on while at work. I put mine in the middle of my stove (glass top range) so if it were to malfunction, it is on a heat proof surface and not close to a wall.
 
Never had a problem, and I've been using them for 40 years also. Now, coffee makers, there's another story.....
 
roadfix said:
We have a two slow cookers and depending you what you're cooking they both tend to burn the food even at their lowest settings after several hours.

The new ones seem to do that, especially the crock pot brand. After a ton of research I found that Hamilton Beach cooks the most like my old one, I broke my old one darn it!
 
Put it on your counter next to your sink so that if there is any overflow that it will go in the sink, and if there's any overheat it will be on top of your counter tiles or other nonflammable surface.

I've never had my crock pot do anything untoward. They're a pretty basic appliance, not really anything in them that can fail, and lots of internal protection (such as a thermal fuse). Just make sure they have the UL or CE mark, although I'm pretty sure you can't buy one without in NA or EU.
 
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I don't leave any small appliances on / plugged in when I'm not home (or when I'm home and they are not being used). They still use electricity. Also, a friend's house burnt down and the cause was traced to the toaster oven. Call me paranoid, that's okay, I've been called worse.
 
I leave mine on. I also will leave my stove on low for a couple of hours unattended. I know by now what the settings will do and I have insurance.
 
I put two stove burner guards under mine on the counter to protect the counter surface from the heat off of the bottom of the slow cooker. Other than that, I have no worries. I've used it for hundreds of hours unattended. Never a problem. It's what they're made to do.
 
I don't leave any small appliances on / plugged in when I'm not home (or when I'm home and they are not being used). They still use electricity. Also, a friend's house burnt down and the cause was traced to the toaster oven. Call me paranoid, that's okay, I've been called worse.


I don't know how a appliance that is not being used can use electricity. I will have to look that up. I would not own any small appliances if I had to plug them in every time I needed to use them. :wacko:
I can see no point having a slow cooker if you can't leave it unattended. If you are going to be home for 8 hours anyway you can cook on the stove or in the oven.View attachment 12743
 
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most crock pots today are made in china.

everyone here who trusts chinese factories with the safety and security of their homes, raise thier hands...

:mellow:
 
I don't know how a appliance that is not being used can use electricity. I will have to look that up. I would not own any small appliances if I had to plug them in every time I needed to use them. :wacko:
I can see no point having a slow cooker if you can't leave it unattended. If you are going to be home for 8 hours anyway you can cook on the stove or in the oven.View attachment 12743

I know lots of things with electronic components use a small amount of electricity when plugged in even when not in use. Usually it is because they are in some kind of "standby" mode, or they have a small light that stays on. I'm not sure that my non-electronic, mechanical knob slow cooker would fall into that category, but some of those fancy types of toaster ovens likely would.
 
Your slow cooker will be fine while you are gone. Just leave it on low or warm.... I have a cheap hamilton beach slow cooker and I alwys let it run while I'm at work (cooking!) Trust me, when you get back home and smell the food that's been cooking while you were away, your worries will disappear!
 
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most crock pots today are made in china.

everyone here who trusts Chinese factories with the safety and security of their homes, raise thier hands...

:mellow:
Sorry Tom, but UL steps in where Chinese safety testing is missing. The UL tests the product for safe construction, safe use and safety features.

From the UL web site:
"UL is a world leader in product safety testing and certification. For more than 100 years, manufacturers have had their merchandise evaluated and tested for safety risks by our independent, third-party safety certification organization. Last year alone, approximately 14 billion products with the UL Mark entered the global marketplace"

Like tens of millions of other consumers, I trust consumer products which have been tested by UL, (Underwriters Laboratories), which is a not-for-profit organization dedicated to public safety."

Underwriters Laboratories
"UL is a world leader in product safety testing and certification. For more than 100 years, manufacturers have had their merchandise evaluated and tested for safety risks by our independent, third-party safety certification organization. Last year alone, approximately 14 billion products with the UL Mark entered the global marketplace."

It used to be said "Japanese products are junk". I distinctly remember people saying that when I was a child. No one says it now. The Japanese manufacturer some of the best electronics in the world today. China is, and has been for quite some time now, striving to catch up with Quality Control of their own manufactured products.

Chinese white papers on safety for high tech products are now available for downloading from the UL site.

One white paper, titled "A New Safety Standard for High Tech Products: A new approach to safety for A/V and ICT equipment - IEC 62368-1", is an introductory paper on the new IEC 62368-1 standard.

The new international standard IEC 62368-1 published in January 2010 is a result of the rapid convergence in technology. It aims to provide a single standard for a broad range of products, leading to the design and manufacture of safe products. It is technology neutral and performance based and allows for the harmonization of national/regional differences.

What I'm attempting to say to you Tom is that what you've said or attempted to imply in your comment is no longer true about Chinese manufacturing practices.

If you buy a cheaply made, plastic piece of crap product from a dollar store, you get the same quality of product that even North American manufacturers create for sales in that market; Mostly cheaply made junk.

I strongly dislike it when anyone casually tosses out a slur against a group of people consisting of 1.34 BILLION people.

It strikes me much the same as when someone unfairly lumps all 300 million of us Americans into one judgement with comments like "You Americans are..."

I know you're a nice person Tom. I'm also fairly certain that you didn't mean what you said as a slur against Chinese people. I was kind of surprised that you think in the manner implied by your comment in your post.
 
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The new ones seem to do that, especially the crock pot brand. After a ton of research I found that Hamilton Beach cooks the most like my old one, I broke my old one darn it!

I have a feeling the newer ones are designed to cook at higher temperatures because the "food police" have determined that we could get sick from foods cooked at the temps of the older cookers. Hmmm? I've been using my original Rival crock-pot since I bought it in the early '70s when they arrived on the scene. Never had any problem with getting sick, etc.

As for newer ones, I have no experience. I have several crock-pots. None new ones because they've all been purchased at yard sales/thrift stores/consignment shops. On purpose. My philosophy is, "if it ain't broke, don't break it." In other words, the old ones are just fine with me. Never found a need to seek any improvements of any kind. If I want to have one with a timer, I just plug it into a timer I use for my other purposes. Works just right for me.

Any way you slice it, I love my crock-pots and I can't even begin to fathom how many times I've used them over the years.
 
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