I don't use it a lot, but appreciate having it for some things. I use it for things that need to cook for a long time because then I don't need to stay home to monitor it. I also use it for potlucks when I am not going straight from my home to the potluck. Like the Thanksgiving potluck at work--I can start cooking at home, and then let it finish cooking in the crock pot in the kitchen at work, so I can offer something nice and hot. I primarily use it for slow-cook meat dishes like pot roast, or carnitas, or beef (not ground beef) chili.

When I see crockpot recipes that involve chicken breasts or other quick-cooking items, I am baffled, because why would you want/need a crockpot for something that you can cook in 10 minutes?

My crock pot was in the pantry, where it spends much of the time until it's chili season, but I dragged it out on Sunday to make a recipes my DD gave me. She served it to friends recently and it was a hit:

http://www.thecrepesofwrath.com/2013/11/13/crock-pot-asian-style-ribs/

This was easy and so yummy! I cut the recipe in half for just DD and me, but we still have leftovers. I served it with brown rice, corn on the cob and steamed green beans. Such an easy meal.

Wanted to add crockpot is also great for overnight oats

have never used it for applesauce... good idea!

I think I have one in the back of a kitchen cupboard (yes, cupboard. lol). Never thought to make applesauce in it. I might try that. I have a very fond memory of having warm applesauce right out of the cooking pot at a friend's house when I was a kid. I think my friend's mom thought I was a deprived child when I said I'd never had homemade applesauce before. Can someone share a favorite recipe?

Like so many other young bridal couples we received one as a wedding gift along with a fondue pot. Since both of us worked we did use it regularly. But when I 'retired' to stay home with 3 little kids it became relegated to the back of the pantry. I still made many of the same dishes that I used to make in the Crock pot but now I did them on stovetop or in the oven.

I did read that many of the older models did not maintain the food at a high enough temperature to avoid bacteria growth so I finally tossed it.

However DS and DIL use their Cusinart Slow Cooker several times a week. He makes great braised ribs, pulled pork and stew.

Spaghetti sauce, chili, vegetable bean soup, beef stew, and pulled pork.....our housekeeper has elevated the lowly crockpot into the firmament :-) She makes these recipes for us in winter and I LOVE the crockpot.

I don't use them either. Tried one I got as a wedding gift years ago and didn't care for it. I prefer a Dutch oven.

No, but I don't like stewed meat and I like my vegetables cooked to crunchy.

I think it has its uses. The problem comes when people try to make things that are not really a good fit for that cooking style. The crockpot does use less energy than something done in a large oven. I like mine for cooking a large batch of beans (chickpeas, pintos, bolitas, black beans, etc). I can then freeze them in recipe sizes. As above, we also cook large portions of chicken or pork or beef for shredding, which will also be frozen for later.

Recipes that might need a long cooking time are a great candidate for the crock pot as well. Mine finds posole, Bolognese sauce, apple butter, chicken cacciatore, etc. in it frequently. I can do a large batch of chicken tikka masala in it and freeze half for another evening. When schedules get crazy, I can have a soup or something going so that we can have something healthy for dinner (cheaper, too).

It can also be good for grains. We do steel cut oats overnight as mentioned above but prefer the texture when we put the oats in a separate bowl and use the crock as a water bath. It is also great for polenta. There are some very good recipes out there. One blog used the crockpot for 365 days and she has some honest reviews of the recipes, I believe she also put out a cookbook. There is even a cookbook out there entitled Not Your Mother's Slow Cooker (or something to that effect, with some more "modern" recipes). I am an almost strictly from scratch cook (food allergies in the house) so none of what I do involves cans of soup, soup mixes, etc.

I really like mine and use it a lot over the fall and winter for mostly shredded meats, chili, overnight oatmeal, and bone stock. I actually have TWO. One is a large one that was my mom's. She never liked it and swore she would burn stuff. Mom can cook so I'm not sure how she achieved this. I received a small one as a bridal shower gift and remember thinking I would never use it. Lo and behold the smaller one sometimes works out better.

Whatever is supposed to be cooked at 250 in the oven is good for a crockpot on low except for any browning. It's a tool, not a magic wand.

Ladies - I will have to see if I can find the actual "recipe" for the tenderloin, so I can give you exact measurements, which is something I do not do, other than baking. LOL I learned from the best, my grandmother, using a pinch of this and a dash of that. Anyway, it is simply a pork tenderloin. You mix brown sugar (I use the splenda brown sugar blend) with balsamic vinegar and then add water to make 1 cup of liquid. It's just the two of us and I use a small tenderloin (which provides us with leftovers), but I have used two small or a larger tenderloin and just adjusted the liquid. You pour the liquid over the tenderloin and this is usually something I will prepare on a day I work - so it cooks approximately 8 hours on medium low.

I had one of the originals and got rid of it. A few years ago Costco had them and I thought, I should get another crockpot. Why, who knows. It's a big one and I think I've used it once. I do happen to like casseroles, but I cook them in the oven. As others have said, if you work and are out of the house most of the day, it would be nice to have something slow-cooked ready when you get home. But while I was at work I would probably have fretted over whether it is cooking too much or not enough. Makes me nervous to have food cooking when no one's in the house.

I don't need a crockpot, but I have one and room for it, so it stays.

I have tried to like and use my crock pot, because I have frequent and reoccurring guilt about how often we eat takeout and convenience foods. However, I am gone 10+ hours for work/commute, and everything turns to mush in that length of time.

Dinner is the bane of my existence. Planning for it, shopping for it, cooking it, and cleaning it up, ugh. I'm a complete failure in this area :-(

I have several. I don't use them often, but do love them... Sort of like my pressure cooker, panini grill, meat slicer, etc. Luckily I have a bulk storage room just off the kitchen to keep these appliances!

Favorite thing to make in mine is apple butter, but I also use it occasionally for pulled pork, batches of beans, and stews or soups. I had not used one in years but really like the Cuisinart slow cooker. Much better temperature control.

If anyone is interested my daughter sent me this recipe last week to try and it is very good and easy.

Crockpot balsamic chicken

jlc712 - Try once a week cooking. It's an intense session but produces meals for the whole week -plus- since you can freeze. I do this before spring migration when (officially retired) DH is supposed to be cooking supper but is way too busy with his bird studies to think about supper. In an ideal world he would think that far ahead but.... he's a man. So I do it.

As usual, I figured out a great use for mine right before it broke!! It is not an inexpensive model, and I cannot afford to replace it right now.

crock pots make great slow roasters !

for a large pork shoulder(5or 6pounds), season well and set for 18 hours on low. Pour off liquid as needed, and save for sauce.

i also did stewed tomatoes a couple of years ago. Delicious!

I do see the value for working mothers-- even couples and singles. I am sure it's great to come home to a hot, tasty meal with minimal effort. I guess I just think about how I really enjoy the stages of cooking and I think (right or wrong) that putting everything in the crock pot might take that joy away.

I do make lots of soups and stews.. sometimes applesauce and apple
butter.. braised/pulled meats.. but I I make all of them in soup pots or
dutch ovens. I do make full use of the freezer which certainly helps in getting a warm, tasty meal to the table more quickly. I think I'll stick with that.

I've never owned one, but all the hype makes me feel compelled to buy one (or a multicooker --- the pressure cooker is the other thing that gets hyped). The use as a buffet warmer is appealing (although I have an electric warming table). I tend to use dutch ovens when I have a roast loin or something I want to cook a long time. I can imagine it is more energy efficient and less likely to heat the house. .

We use it in the winter, but usual only for pot roasts and chili. In fact, I can't think of the last time we used it for something other than pot roasts or chili.

I also have one of those small ones that I use for queso when we have people over for football, etc.

When I was working all day, it wasn't a problem, but now that I'm home, the aromas coming out of the crockpot all day make me hungry!

I got rave reviews from this one...so easy to do...Cranberry Roast Pork.

Yesterday, I received the latest Sur La Table catalog in the mail. What struck me was the huge number of tricked out small electrics -- but essentially there isn't anything new except the $800 blender. And only the price of that is new. I was also amused to see a $120 Wolfgang Puck steamer that does the same thing as my $30 Oster steamer with less steaming space.

What did occur to me is that a couple or small family could live fairly
easily without major appliances by subbing in small electrics.

I didn't understand crockpots in the 70s when they were popular and still don't. No matter how much they trick it out, the functionality is basically warming. I have never owned one, never will. Not something I'd ever use.

The two appliances I bought in the last five years that do get frequently and heavy use are the Breville grill/panini and the Nespresso machine. The grill is especially great during the winter as I don't care for saute.

But all these things are so individual. If you want a crockpot get one and enjoy it.

A crockpot does more than warm. Small electrics will never take the place of major appliances for me LOL. I use very few. We don't even use a coffee pot unless we have guests!

Funky, I too enjoy cooking. But on the days I work, I do enjoy having something in the crockpot. We strive to eat healthy, fresh food - as someone else mentioned, I too pretty much cook everything from scratch. A cooked dinner each evening is something we do and starting to cook @ 6:00 just doesn't cut it for me. We probably have 4-5 dinners cooked at home during a week, eating out the others. I'm funny about freezing stuff. I do freeze some things but I do not like things to be stored in the freezer for a long period. I also prefer certain things, such as meat, to be fresh. I know - it's weird!! Another thing that is a big help to me is leftovers. It's just the two of us, so many weeks I actually only cook 2 or 3 meals. Or at least portions of a meal. We have a fair amount of veggie meals but when cooking meat, I almost always have it for two meals. I.E. grilled chicken breasts, roasted veggies, rice one night - the leftover grilled chicken becomes an addition for a salad another night. Or lunch. On days I work, I sometimes take my lunch and hubby actually comes home for lunch (lucky dog!!) just about every day.

Our most used appliance (other than stove/oven) is hands down a grill. Year round. We have a covered area where I can pull the grill in if it's inclimate. I could not do without my grill.

I have two crock pots but pretty much just use them for warming and making beans. I used to make carnitas but found the dutch oven does a much better job.

I have a friend with celiac so will often make rice pudding for dessert for her which comes out great in my little crock pot. Set it and forget it.

I love using my crockpot/slow cooker. I do applesauce, homemade chicken stock, pork and beef roasts, even turkey breast. Most recently, I started making large batches of caramelized onions in the slow cooker. Once done, I portion the onions into quart-size freezer bags. It's so convenient to just pull a bag out of the freezer when needed.

I highly recommend a cookbook by Judith Finlayson titled "The 150 Best Slow Cooker Recipes." Some excellent recipes that I make over and over. A couple of my favorites are beef carbonnade, an easy chicken paprikash, and an excellent white chili (ground turkey).

My experience with the newer-ish slow cookers is that they cook much faster than the original ones from the 1970s era. I almost never use the high setting.

my crockpot that I purchased ~ 15 yrs ago will be too hot if set on high-- have to watch it if i cook something more than 3 hrs when on high- definitely does more than 'warm'! :)

low needs to be the setting if cooking something all day in it- I don't worry about the crockpot being on when I'm not home, but I don't like to leave the stove on when I'm not home, even tho it has a reliable simmer setting...

1 use mine for beef and pork roasts. The meat stays so moist and delicious!

I have not used a true "crock" pot in years, don't like the crock too hard to clean and too heavy. But what I do use almost weekly is my Aroma multi cooker. I have 2. They do so much more than a crock pot. You can brown and saute your foods right in the cooker then add remaining ingredients and it will set itself to simmer until done then switch to keep warm. It has a slow cooker setting, a steamer setting which makes wonderful steamed vegetables and foods, it has settings for white and brown rice, it's a great device. It is a cool to the touch unit and it locks shut so much safer than a regular pot. I just bought my new one at Costco for half the price it normally is $29.99!! I posted pictures and information about it over on the KT forum I can get the link.

I highly recommend this multi cooker especially for the price. I have tons of recipes for it and very few are casseroles. I made some very good baby back ribs that were super tender. This is not your momma's crock pot!

Link to aroma cooker information

I'm confused over the "too hard to clean" comments. Don't your crock pots have removable ceramic? liners? When cooled, pop in sink, add dish soap and soak for a bit, wash out.

I bought my 2nd crock pot, a stainless steel one with black liner 10 or more years ago but never used it much as I had to store it in the basement. I have been looking forward to using it a lot this fall after I move to enjoy yummy hot meals when I come home from work. A favorite is beef stew. I cook organically; never adding processed foods.

Thought I don't use it as often as I did when I worked outside the home, I still love cooking in my crockpot. Some of our favorites are beef and noodles, beef and potatoes with carrots and celery, pepper steak.
Roast is super tender when cooked when frozen. Timing does make a difference, but I've never been disappointed with anything we've made in it.

Oh, wow, Raven....thank you for mentioning the multi cooker! I've never seen or heard of them before but love, love, love the idea of being able to brown and sauté in it. The only thing I don't care for when using my slow cooker is the mess created by browning the meat and sautéing onions before putting in the slow cooker. My favorite recipes come from "gourmet" slow cooker cookbooks that usually require the browning and sautéing so this will be wonderful. Headed to Costco tomorrow...yippee!!

Gramarows, I believe the older crockpots didn't have the removable ceramic containers that the newer ones have, thus the difficulty in cleaning.

My original crock pot definitely did not have a removable crock and of course you can't submerge it. Plus I have mobility and hand issues which would no longer allow me to lift a heavy crock or handle it. What works for one doesn't mean it works for others.

You are very welcome dawn! The saute and simmer feature is absolutely my favorite feature. It's definitely worth that price and actually double that. Aroma has several models this new one is my favorite.

Never owned one, probably never will. My husband dislikes casserole-type food intensely, so that is a big factor. We don't eat red meat so no need for a device to cook cuts of that. And t's just the two of us now, both light eaters so no need for massive quantities of beans or whatever you would make in one.

I do use our grill extensively and year round. Grilled chicken breast--nature's universal meal base :).

The first crock pot I had (a wedding gift LOL) had the removable crock - which was kind of heavy. That one did not last long as the "crock" got dropped! I've had a few since. I don't see the ones with the crocks anymore, but have not looked lately. Mine is more of an oblong shape, with a non-stick finish. It's light weight and clean-up is a breeze.

Just - you put a FROZEN roast in your crockpot? I've never heard of that. Any meat like that, I always brown first and it is thawed (at least almost thawed).

OK, you all have convinced me to start using my crock pot more often. My beef roast made in the crock pot the other night turned out so delicious, and the house smelled fantastic for hours while it cooked. While I will probably never make a casserole in it, I am going to start looking for more recipes, and I'm going to definitely try that great sounding cranberry pork roast recipe very soon. Another thing, although I am considered to be a very good cook, I cannot cook pork chops that come out tender and moist enough no matter how hard I try! I'm going to look for some pork chop recipes for a crock pot and make them in there from now on.

Thanks for starting this post - maybe I'll resurrect the crockpot that I have never used. It was in the pile of stuff to get rid of 2 years ago (kitchen reno) but ended up having room for it.

lynn, you're probably overcooking the porkchops! the fear of trichinosis has had people cooking their pork to death! I recently read in the paper that the incidence of the disease is much much lower in the us than it used to be due to better pig raising practices and freezing methods so less pork is being sold that has the parasite... ( consumption of bear meat has a much higher incidence of trichinosis...)

I like pork chops marinated and cooked on the grill in the summer...

I have a great pork chop recipe I will try to remember that I need to post it.

I use mine about three times a year-twice for chili and once for pulled pork. I can see doing soup in it too, but I use our 'lobster' pot for soups.

I use mine mainly for roasts and turkey breasts. If I plan to stay up late watching movies on a Saturday night, I will thaw a frozen roast just enough to brown it, then season with onions and celery and cook all night on low. In the morning I will move it to warm and it is ready to eat after church.

I found this pork chop recipe originally on pinterest. Since I use my Aroma multi cooker I can do it all in one pot because I set it on saute first to brown the meat and cook the onions etc then just switch it over to the slow cooker setting for how ever many hours it calls for. Yay! only one dirty pot that is a breeze to clean. I usually serve it with some type of rice and add the sauce over the rice as a gravy. I like the very thick bone in chops but I have done this with thick boneless pork loin chops too, there's only the 2 of us.

Crock Pot Maple Dijon Pork Chops

Ingredients:

2 large bone-in pork chops

1 large yellow onion, chopped

3 tbsp pure maple syrup

2 tbsp dijon mustard

1/4 cup cider vinegar

1/4 tsp salt

1/8 tsp pepper

1 tbsp vegetable oil

Directions:

Heat up the oil in a large skillet over
high heat. When hot, add the pork chops and sprinkle generously with
salt and pepper. Sear both sides of chops over high heat (about 2
minutes per side) then transfer to your Crock Pot.

Lower the heat to medium low and add
the onions. Cook until onions are just starting to soften then add
the cider vinegar, maple syrup, mustard, salt and pepper. Cook for 2
more minutes and then pour sauce over chops in the slow cooker.

Cook on low for 6-7 hours. Serve chops
drizzled generously with sauce.

If you like roasts pork or beef which can be used as is or pulled for making pulled pork sandwiches this is a very good recipe you can use for either meat. Included in her recipe is a link for a dry rub that is also very good. When I do a pork roast to use for pulled pork after it is done and pulled I add some Sweet Baby Rays bbq sauce and mix it up. There are several flavors I prefer original or brown sugar.

crock pot roasts

I have a crock pot, and while it doesn't get used as frequently as other items, I would have a hard time getting rid of it.

We use it for chili, several different types of soup, beans, and for once a month cooking. I make a large batch of spaghetti/marinara sauce in it and when I'm assembling a dish that requires it, I can walk over to the crock and get how much I need while keeping the rest warm.

I also use it during the holidays to make apple cider.

Basically, I use it the same way I would use a large stock pot and I use it when I will either be leaving the house or when I need the burners on my stove for other recipes.

I've never tried making a roast in it, that always goes in the oven.

My crockpot caused the seam in my Corian countertop to pop open. I seized that mishap as an excuse to dump the Corian and get granite. I kept using my crockpot until the lid shattered while putting it away. I decided to go back to using large pots in the oven at low temps...same effect, less hassle. The only plus I found in using a crockpot is I was willing to leave the house with the crockpot on, but I am unwilling to leave home with the oven on (except maybe to run a quick errand).

BB that happened to me as well! When it popped it sounded like a gun shot going off. It took me a while to figure out what in the world happened.