Put it in the oven instead.
Linda c

Yes I do, and while I'm gone all day..But lately I've been putting a big ol pork shoulder in the oven (gas BTW) over night at 250F and letting it go..from about 10pm till 7am or 8 or whenever I get up and pull it out.

I never worry about stuff like that. But I am not a worrier.

The smell has a tendency to wake me up often but I wouldn't think twice about leaving it on. You leave your refrigerator on all the time don't you?

I do it when I make pulled pork. If I remember right, they were originally advertised to help the working mom by putting something in before work and having it ready when you got home. Not much difference from doing it overnight.

The only problem we consistently have is waking up the next morning and being extremely hungry due to the wonderful smells coming from the kitchen.

Linda

That is true Linda and BBeez...that is very True!

It's like when I was a kid and my mom got up very early (like 4 am) to put the turkey in for TDay and Christmas...oooh that was the best smell ever to wake up too..better than breakfast smells...

Of course I would. I see no reason to worry about leaving the crock pot going while I am asleep or away.

So....What time's lunch???

Linda

I don't normally use the crock pot at night because I usually use it to make dinner... but I don't see why not. I personally wouldn't worry about a crock pot cooking in the kitchen. But if the thought of having something cooking in the kitchen overnight makes you worry then maybe you should try something else.

Yep. I use mine both overnight and during the day while I'm at work. I've used a timer to have it come while I'm gone and turn off just before I get home (if I need a little shorter cooking time).

Like Terri, I am not a worrier.

I LOVE walking in the door at night to the smell of roast, potatoes, carrots. Or BBQ pork, or bean/ham soup, or.........

I cooked black beans while I was at church on Sunday.......can you do that?!?!? LOL

Yep, love my crockpot!

Deanna

That's what crockpot/slow cooker is made for, cooking while you're away. I wouldn't be surprised if it was invented for working mothers.

However, just to be safe, I usually place it in the middle of the counter, away from everything.

I wouldn't worry, but would do like Ntt suggests and make sure it's in a clear spot.

It would keep me up too--one reason I don't crockpot stuff is that I end up hungry all day!

I use mine several times a month, and have used it at night while sleeping, but the smells of good food wake me up too. But I have no problems using my crock pot while I'm away 6-10 hours during the day.

I used mine on Friday as a matter of fact and made a delish potroast! LOVE coming home from work and the house smells like someone's been cooking all day.

I put my crockpot either on top of a wooden cutting board or on top of my glasstop stove while cooking so it doesn't ruin/warp the counter top.

When I have used a crockpot I always placed it on a metal tray. Really no need for this, but it always pays to be double safe.

I have left mine on overnight to make food to take to functions the next day, just like you are asking about. I made shredded beef that way and beans. And I do tend to wake up in the middle of the night thinking "Who is cooking at this hour?" and then I remember it's me!

IMO that's exactly what your slow cooker is for! Cooking while you sleep, or while you are out.

What's the difference between plugging the slow cooker in and leaving it all day, and plugging it in and leaving it all night? Darkness??

Safer than a wok.

I wouldn't worry about the cooker catching on fire or smoking up the house, if that's your worry. HOWEVER -- ever since my iron cord caught fire (fortunately, I was home) I'm scared to even leave my electric toothbrush or towel warmers plugged in. I always disconnect the hair dryer and toaster and other kitchen appliances, except the coffee pot, and probably should (according to Oprah) disconnect anything plugged in (not for energy conservation, but for fear of spontaneous combustion). The iron cord wasn't frayed when it caught fire, and if anything combustable had been close by, the house most certainly would have caught fire. Keep your smoke detecters working for overnight cooking-- I'm sure your food will be fine. I use my slow cooker while I'm gone during the day, but I do worry some my appliances working while I'm away. Even the washing machine can catch fire.

I've done it too and stopped doing it cuz I kept waking up to food smelling, LOL. My kitchen's on the first floor and bedroom's on the second!

Gee. I am a great napper and often sleep while food is cooking. I trust my smoke detecters.

I do it too....overnight or all day while at work. My AC/heat, freezers, fridge, hotwater tank, pool pump, and etc....all are plug in to do their thing 24/7. Not to mention alarm clocks, TV, stereo, and whatnot that are plugged in all the time. Yes, I know there is the chance/risk and all. What about all the delayed starts on DW's, washing machines, and dryers these days to save energy in off peak times?? More than likely you are asleep or not at home.

David

I use my crockpot mostly over night and use it about twice a week. I cook chicken mostly for meals for my dog and freeze it. I also cook meats for us too. I have 5 crock pots different sizes. I have been known to use two at a time or whatever it takes to cook what I want. No worries about cooking overnight.

Sue

I use mine overnight and never even give it a thought. But, the smell does make me wake up hungry.

I think we can "What IF?" anything to death!!
You can unplug everything in the house to prevent fire, then get run over by truck on your way to work!

I refuse to live in bubble and I'm gonna use my darned crockpot!!
It's the closest thing I'll ever have to a personal chef! LOL

The roast and new potatoes smelled wonderful this morning........by the way!! :)

Guess what I'm having for lunch?

Deanna

Sure, I leave it all day, and sometimes I leave it all night.

Elery, the family electrician, LOL, says it's much safer to leave a crockpot going all night than an oven. If the thermostat sticks on the crockpot, it'll just blow a breaker. If it sticks on a gas oven, it could blow up.

So I don't unplug anything. The only safety issue I think about is that I don't turn on the dryer and then leave, ever since I had that dryer fire in the vent hose.

Annie

Being raised by a mother who thought horror stories of things like getting electrocuted by toasters and gassed to death by untended ovens, I tend towards paranoia myself, I can't help it.

But, there are ways to avail oneself of conveniences like crock pots while one is away...

I put mine outside on my patio to run all day. In the Summer, I don't want the heat indoors anyway, and if a homely little appliance like a crock pot can cause a major conflagration from the middle of a swath of cement, my number must be up anyway.

We use to do it all the time when we wanted to have old fashion oatmeal in the morning from McCann's Irish Steel Cut Oats. Cooking it over night on low made it so creamy. I will have to buy some and do it again sometime.
Clare

The family electrician (LOL) should know that it isn't always about burning or bad food. Until you have experienced unattended appliances burning and/or causing damage to your home -- you may not fully consider the ramifications of leaving a kitchen appliance unattended. That's my only point. Been though a frightening experience, and I hope none of you have to go through the same or worse.

I use my small one, especially in the winter, to make oatmeal over night. I used to use my big one during the day, while I was at work, but my son took it, I hope he's enjoying it as much as I did.

Hey there, "other young Annie"! I'm sorry to hear that you had a bad experience, it does happen, but not often.

Elery really IS an electrician, was for years before he became management. He assures me that if a house is wired correctly and to code, a malfunctioning small appliance will blow the breaker. A malfunctioning themostat on a gas oven could cause a very large explosion. So, as long as the wiring in your house is good, small appliances are very safe.

On the other hand, 1,000 structure fires are caused annually by stoves, according to the Fire Prevention Council. In 2002, there were 30 deaths in residential house fires caused by gas stoves, another 70 caused by electric stoves and 20 caused by "other stoves". 10 were caused by "other electric cooking methods".

Under "other selected equipment", 20 deaths were caused by fires caused by dryers. None were suffered from audio/visual equipment, washing machines, refrigerators, freezers, torches or shop/garden tools.

So, could there be a problem? Yeah, I suppose so, especailly if you have an older home where the wiring might not be modern. Still, your chances of having a fire caused by a crock pot is pretty miniscule. The only caution is that you should not set it on the counter right under a cupboard as the trapped heat could cause problems.

Old, Original Annie

As one who has driven 90 miles in the middle of the night because I might have left my iron plugged in (I hadn't) I will happily leave my crock pot on all night while I sleep. I do make sure the cord is clear of the pot and that the pot sits far away from anything combustible on my tile counter.

I came home from school in the 4th grade to find my family home gutted and our half-burned belongings scattered on the lawn. I have some built-in paranoia for certain but not about crock pots. Unless the cord is frayed...

I'd leave the crockpot on before I'd leave the oven on overnight. My heating element exploded about 2 years ago while I was preheating the oven for dinner and it caught fire. Now I won't leave the oven on while I'm not home ever.

Tracey

I'm not a worrier, so I use it while I'm away and wouldn't have a problem using it while I'm asleep.

If you are a worrier, they sell crock pots with self timers, so you could set it to shut itself off if that's something that would keep you up at night.

Old Annie,
My home was 11 years old; my iron was 4. My message will always be "don't leave it plugged in and unattended, even though the smell of home-cooked is delicious".