Do You Love Your Slow Cooker?

First of all you need to get the cook book Fix It and Forget it. It has great recipes. The slow cooker that I have is the new Hamilton Beach. I really like it :)

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I bought mine at my favorite consignment store. This consignment has locations all over the USA. Check it out. The store is called "Red,white,blue.
The make of my bigger crock pot is a Rival. I also have a small one that I bought there. Happy cooking!

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Hi J.-

I am hoping more folks respond...my rival (which has been well loved and used for many years) appears to be dying a 'low' and slow death...High is all it can muster these days...lol

I will save the stoneware insert...but the heater...needs a burial *sniff*

Happy crocking
michele/cat

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I love my Hamilton Beach slow cooker! LOVE IT! LOVE IT! It doesn't overheat either. I had that problem with some of the slow cookers that I was using and had to give them up to donation or a friend. This one locks the lid in place and came with a spoon rest on the lid. I'm actually thinking of upgrading it... so maybe for my next birthday :) I noticed that some of the newer slow cookers are burning things even on low... I was told that it is so people don't get sick because of the low setting (which I think is such a silly reason, but whatever).

This is the one that we have and love to use:
http://www.hamiltonbeach.com/slow-cookers-stay-or-go-slow...

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I have a "Crock Pot" SCVC609SS brand, 6 quart, oval stainless steel, stoneware insert, programmable pot.
Works well.
Never any problem.

But (I just looked), on Amazon they have it, and the reviews of it are not real positive. But for me, I have NEVER had any problems with mine. It works perfect. Never had anything burn in it.

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yes yes and yes! I lOVE my slow cooker, I have a very basic one... I think I got it at JCPenny's... it's by Cooks brand. So easy to use

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i have a 5 quart and love it to death use the tar out of it. I dont remeber the brand but it was only $30 and I have gotten more than $30 in use out of it and get a fix it and forget it cookbook you will also learn to love it

I have a Rival crock pot and love it. I had my last one for 5 years and it just stopped working one day. I contacted customer service and they sent me a new one FREE of charge. They are one of the few companies I would recommend. I usually only have problems with things burning if the recipe is to small for the size crockpot. I can usually fix that by adding more liquid.

I have a 5 qt. Hamilton Beach slow cooker. My sister got it for me to replace one of those tall retro ones that she borrowed that never made it back. I am pretty sure she got it at walmart for maybe $20. It works well but I pretty much only use it for roasts and stews/soups.

Updated: My dad has a Hamilton Beach 4 Qt Slowcooker. He says it's awesome and uses it quite frequently.

Mine sucks and I mentioned it in your other crock post. My dad loves his, not sure what it is for sure but I know he has a dial on his to regulate the temp better. Not just high and low. I'll be looking at your answers so I can get me a new one too :)
Mines a Westbend... so dont get one of those!

I don't really have one to suggest. I, personally, don't really use crock pots. However, I know lots of people who do. My neighbor has one she got at a yard sale and uses it all the time.
I really wonder if perhaps you can adjust cooking time or the amounts of liquid that you add.
Many recipes say that "all oven temperatures may vary" and it could be the same with crock pots.

I hope you get some great suggestions. I don't use a crock pot because I just don't like the idea of something being on in the house that I can't check throughout the day when I'm at work. If I all day-cook something, I like to be here. That's just my style.

I hope you find something that works and you're happy with!

I want to love my crock pot, but I don't! Can't wait to see your responses! Mine burns everything too!! More temper mental than I though it was suppose to be anyway!

I have a Westbend, don't know if it's the same model as Grandma T's, but we love ours. It's metal, not crockery, and I like it because I can brown stuff right in it on the stovetop before I put it on the base. Probably cost $30 or so. But the other posters are right, maybe you can try a consignment or thrift shop first? Good luck.

I have a cuisinart. No problems so far

If yours is faulty see if the co that made it will replace it. I presently own 6 of them and have owned a faulty one as well. I called the co and told them that my cooking thermometer said that the keep warm temp was 450 degrees F. It got to low 600's on high and mid 500's on low. They replaced it ASAP... mailed it the same day in fact. Didn't pay a dime to replace it.

Standard 4 quart version at Walmart, I just bought a new one a few months ago. It's simple, perfect size for a family of four and not expensive.
It's got 3 settings, high, low, off. That's all you need.

http://www.walmart.com/ip/Crock-Pot-Slow-Cooker-4qt/14922959

Check out this woman's site for some fab recipes if you haven't seen it before:
http://crockpot365.blogspot.com/

I had to toss my old Rival slow cooker last year after it started burning everything. This is the one that I went with & I LOVE it!

http://www.hamiltonbeach.com/stay-or-go-slow-cookers-set-...

I like that it is fully programmable - I can do odd times, like 5.5 hours for example, if I need to. The one feature I really focused on was the ability to immediately be able to use the "warm" feature. On my old slow cooker, the warm feature wasn't available until the end of a cooking cycle. Sometimes I like to make sloppy joes or taco meat an hour or two before we eat and then put it in the slow cooker just to keep warm, not cook. I also like the lock-in-place lid since I can take it in the car without worrying about spilling everything. Love this thing!

I love my crockpot, use it about every 2 weeks and have had it for 19 years, it was a wedding present. I have never burned anything in it, can't say the same for the stove or even the oven! Mine is a Rival with only a high/low and low is fairly hot. Get a recipe book for slow cookers or join a group for recipes and tips, cafemom has a crock pot group.