Which slow cooker do you have?

18 years ago

I just noticed my old one that I have had at least 25 years has developed a crack in the stoneware that goes all the way through. It is the orginal Rival 'Crockpot' stoneware slow cooker. I use it for a lot of things like soups, meat main courses, puddings. I have even made jam in it.

On Christmas I use it to make sauerbraten. So I guess I need to buy a new one today or tomorrow. There are so many out there that I am not sure what to get. What one do you have and what do you like about it?

Thanks.

Clare

Sort by:Oldest

Comments (12)

susanjf_gw
18 years ago
rival on both. we have the large and smaller sizes.
Mystical Manns
18 years ago
Oh, mine is an older Rival that's a big oval ... but let me tell you what a co-worker brought to our potluck on Tuesday!

It's basically like mine in size ... and it's a Rival ... but it has TIMERS on it! She programmed it to High for 1 hr. and Low for 3 hrs.

My next one's gonna have a timer!
Related Discussions
Which Slow cooker do you like best?
Q
Comments (18)
I used the same bean pot style enameled West Bend slow cooker for decades. I was doing bookkeeping in an appliance and hardware store newly married and the West Bend salesman sent one to each of us. Completely simple. It had high or low, off or on. Nothing else and did a wonderful job. I could put it on cooking as I left for the office and come home to a kitchen that smelled wonderful and a fully cooked tender meal. After many years of use, the interior was looking pretty stained and worn. What i found in researching new was that all more recent models cooked hotter than those early appliances. It was explained as a safety thing, food temps. Only - hotter was not turning out better tasting products. In frustration, I bought a Fagor multi cooker after carefully researching its temps. Could have been as long as 20 years ago? The browning function worked flawlessly, it would slow cook on high or low, there was a rice cooking setting and it would pressure cook or even just keep warm. I use it a lot and enjoy it still. I don't know what I'll do when it quits - I understand they've gone out of business. I think I could be tempted by a Breville product, I've had quite good luck with their small appliances. Mushy discolored vegetables is making me think possibly cooking at too warm a temp and I don't know how you get away from that since someone has decided the original cooler cooking models were not always safe. We were certainly never sick from my original (70's) West Benn Bean pot style 😊
...See More
Would you use the Slow Cooker while you sleep?
Q
Comments (33)
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
...See More
Pressure Cooker vs Dutch Oven vs Slow Cooker
Q
Comments (10)
I have all three as well. PC's are excellent timesavers--steamed artichokes in 12-14 minutes instead of 45. Excellent for quickly tenderizing cuts of meat. (Great curry dishes in 20 minutes.) And sometime this week I'm gonna make corned beef & cabbage in just a little more than an hour. And I find that I prefer osso buco made in the PC to the non-PC way. Also, with a PC I can make foolproof risotto with hardly any effort and very little time, so I end up making risotto more often. (Indeed, Kuhn Rikon markets a small PC as a 'risotto maker'.) Dutch ovens are great for unfussy cooking; starting something on the stovetop and then finishing them in a slow oven is their forte. If you like this technique, take a look at Molly Stevens' All About Braising. Great resource. I have found that since I got into PC cooking I don't use my slow cooker as much. Slow cookers are great for stews, chili, beans and other things where the timing isn't critical--but the pressure cooker is very good on beans and grains as well, in about a third the time. If you want to work more grains and beans into your menus, a pressure cooker really is worthwhile. Lorna Sass, the pressure cooker expert, has written a pressure cooker cookbook precisely aimed at vegetarians. (See the link.) If I had to give up any one of those gadgets, it would be the slow cooker. I definitely wouldn't give up my PC, and I really like the enameled cast iron Dutch ovens as well. Here is a link that might be useful: vegetarian pressure cooker cookbook
...See More
Do You Use Your Slow-Cooker Year-Round?
Q
Comments (13)
Slow-Cooker Porcupine Meatloaf In a large bowl combine: 1 Â½ lb lean ground beef Â½ cup uncooked minute rice Â½ onion, chopped 1 T Worcestershire sauce Â¼ tsp salt Â¼ tsp pepper 1 garlic clove, minced 1 egg In a smaller bowl combine: 1 can tomato soup Â½ cup chunky salsa Â¼ cup water When the meat mixture is combined, add Â½ cup from the small bowl, and mix together. Shape into a loaf and fit it into your slow cooker. Pour rest of the small bowl on top and cook on low for 7-9 hours. Serve with a garden salad and cheese bread. Hint: To make it easier to lift the loaf from cooker when done, use 1" wide folded strips of tinfoil, long enough to line the cooker bowl with extra hanging over the sides, and use as lifters when the loaf is done. (I use the new slow cooker liners)
...See More
DYH
18 years ago
Only because it was a present from DH for Christmas a few years ago --- I have an All-Clad. Love it.
oscarthecat
18 years ago
We have two, both rivals. One never used. Cooks great stuff. Steve in Baltimore County.
ruthieg__tx
18 years ago
I have several and two are Rivals and one more expensive...I always end up using the Rivals...It's sort of like the old saying...if it aint broke, don't fix it....Rival has been around forever, they are generally the cheapest, and they work just as good or better than the more expensive....
kathyg_in_mi
18 years ago
Rival, oval, liner comes out for easy cleaning.
Kathy G in MI
bunglogrl
18 years ago
Hamilton Beach Stay or Go. It has a meat probe so I can program it (hi or low) by time or by meat temperature. When the timer runs out it switches itself to 'keep warm' for a few hours before turning itself off.
debnfla8b
18 years ago
Mine is a rival that was a wedding gift 25 years ago. The stoneware pot also has a crack in the bottom, but so far it doesn't go all the way through. I have been using it like that for the past 8 years or so. I don't use mine all the time but I love to cook pork roast in it for mexican dishes.

Deb
Marcia Thornley
18 years ago
I have an old Rival like yours with a crack in the stoneware. I am hoping that there is a new stainless steel and stoneware Rival under the tree with a timer. I pointed it out to Santa and let him know that one was needed!
I also have a very small inexpensive one (brand unknown) that I use for dips and to make steel cut oats for breakfast. It only holds about 2 cups.
caflowerluver
Original Author
18 years ago
Thanks everyone. I ended getting a Rival white 6 qt. one because saw it at Big Lots for $20. Seemed like a good price. My last one was 4 qt so this is much bigger. That is an improvement because I have been cooking larger cuts of meat with my son now being 23.

The only new feature was a keep warm setting which I didn't have on the old one. That will come in handy. It has the removable stoneware pot which makes it easy to clean. I love to cook dishes like Sauerbraten, Corned Beef & veggies (New England boiled dinner), Slow-Cooked Pork Shoulder, Chicken Cacciatore to name a few. I don't know what I would do without my slow cooker.
Clare
gadgets
18 years ago
I have the one that the crock doesn't come out. It's my favorite and the oldest one. The other is a couple of qts bigger. Both are Rivals. When the ones came out with timers, I couldn't see replacing either as they worked fine. But what I found was a thing called Rival Smart Part. You plug your crockpot into it and it does the same as the Smart Pot. I don't remember what I paid for it; nor do I know if it's still available.

Shirley
kathi_mdgd
18 years ago
I have an old rival,the big one with the removeable stoneware pot(green).Use it quite often.
Kathi

Which slow cooker do you have?

Comments (12)

susanjf_gw

Mystical Manns

Related Discussions

DYH

oscarthecat

ruthieg__tx

kathyg_in_mi

bunglogrl

debnfla8b

Marcia Thornley

caflowerluver
Original Author

gadgets

kathi_mdgd

COMPANY

BUSINESS SERVICES

GET HELP

CONNECT WITH US

Which slow cooker do you have?

Comments (12)

Related Discussions

caflowerluverOriginal Author

COMPANY

BUSINESS SERVICES

GET HELP

CONNECT WITH US

caflowerluver
Original Author