I agree, the old ones are so much better for slow cooking than the new ones, the new ones get too hot too quickly and stay too hot, the government decided that the old ones didn't heat quickly enough and so were "unsafe". Amanda has my old one, but she won't give it back. I have Mom's Corningware crockpot and it works better than the relatively new Rival I have, but I don't much like either of them. If I need actual heat control I use the electric roaster, with temperature settings from 150 to 500F. It gets hot on the outside too, though. Annie

I LOVE my slow cooker! It's an old Rival, probably from the eighties, given the floral motif in country blue. It has a heavy, ribbed, earthenware insert that holds the heat well, and clean-up is SO easy, no matter what has been in it or for how long (don't need those new inserts!). It just has the two settings, low and high, and has a plastic lid. I can't even remember where I got it. I think maybe my mom found it in a thrift shop, and I think she gave it to me because she thought it was too big just for her. Anyway, I work long hours, and having a hot cooked meal waiting for me when I get home is a godsend. (Has anyone read Barbara Kingsolver's book, Animal Vegetable, Miracle? Her family has named their crock pot, "Betty Crocker," because she stays home and cooks all day for them! Tee hee.) One of my favorite things to make in it are pork roasts (either with teriyaki and pineapple for an Asian flair or with applesauce and onions for a Germanic twist--always browned on the stove first before adding to the crock pot). But recently, I made the BEST chuck roast ever--a Polish recipe with chopped dill pickles in it! Sounds weird, but it was HEAVENLY! Here's a link to the recipe and a picture (from my cooking blog): http://lindseysluscious.blogspot.com/2008/08/big-o.html And finally, the very best thing I make in my crock pot is a pasta sauce with braised short ribs that must be tasted to be believed! It is just FAN-tastic! Here's the link to that one: http://lindseysluscious.blogspot.com/2006/10/short-ribs-long-on-flavor.html I think slow cookers are going to become sexy again. ;-) Enjoy yours--Gina

I've heard good things about: Make It Fast, Cook It Slow Ready and Waiting and the new A Year of Slow Cooking, from the blog of the same name. There are several books in the Fix It and Forget It series. You might try some of the bazillion recipes on the internet first to see what suits you. Do you prefer more labor intensive dishes that require browning ahead and using more ingredients. Or....do you like family friendly super-fast recipes that have you put the main ingredient in a pot and add a can of this and a can of that. Neither method is right or wrong, it's just what you prefer....your taste. I would also suggest that you check out books in your local library to see what is available before you buy a book. Teresa

The best slow cooker is no slow cooker. Get an electric roaster. Does everything a slow cooker does and much more. It's actually a portable oven. After buying a Nesco 4 qt and 6 qt I threw out my Crock pots. No comparison. And often they're cheaper too. That said, they do have a problem. 12 hour days are going to cause problems even for a roaster oven. And I totally agree about putting food in there to become a petri dish. Some have spoken highly of things like the Advantiumî oven but I've never used one nor experienced food from it so I can't comment on whether they're any good or not. Their problem is price. You look at probably $1500 or or more for one of them. Not sure they're worth it. Probably a better alternative for them is to start OAWC or OAMC and reheat.