LindaC, it's all in what you're comfortable with. Remember, I'm the person who has had a couple of house fires and so I don't ever light a fire in the fireplace and I refuse to burn candles. It's my own particular phobia... I do have an old Presto pressure cooker which I don't use a lot but I really like it for certain thins. Elery uses it to make beans, I'd prefer to just dump mine in the crockpot in the morning. I do use it to make chop suey for Ashley, even slightly tough round comes out fork tender. I don't like taditional chili in the crockpot, the ground beef "overcooks". I am a huge consumer of vegetables, though, and sometimes make a vegetarian chili that's delicious. Plus, like Chase, it gets used as a "warming" device for office potlucks, to keep soup warm and even to make oatmeal because I'm not a morning person and would never make oatmeal before I go to work, and I detest the instant stuff. Annie

I also have the Nesco 6 quart and love it, the dial actually has a setting that says "slow cook" on mine. I set the temperature and let it cook all day, just as I would a crockpot. I use it in place of the crockpot, I use it in place of the oven and I use it in place of the electric skillet sometimes. I can plug it in and roast a chicken without heating the whole house, or I can bake brownies in it, and I can plug it in outside on the back porch. I really like mine, and I put the lid in the dishwasher, but not the nonstick insert. Mine actually takes up less space than the Corningware crockpot I have and is far more versatile. That said, neither of my girls have one, because they both have crockpots and don't have the space for another large appliance that they would only use occasionally, they don't cook like I do. Yet. So, if you know the bridge well enough, I'd call and ask. If not, I would buy the Nesco and add a nice note saying why you chose that in lieu of the slow cooker. And keep the receipt handy, just in case she really DOESN'T want it, she can always take it back and get the slow cooker, although I can't imagine that she would. Annie

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

This sounds like something we'll like, Angie, thanks.