I would be dead . It would be a RIP thread .

Haven't learned how to send messages from the beyond - yet!

But ... what with all of the wonderful increases in knowledge and capabilities ... who knows about what possibilities may develop in future?

o j

Does rather look that way, doesn't it?

I figure that it could well be unwise to repeat that "adventure".

I wonder how much it added to the electrical bill ... but, being such low usage per hour ... probably not much.

o j

Crock pots are good if you are away during the day. Like working, which you don't do for money. Next time, put all of your stuff in a pot on the cook top and keep it low. You should have it ready (potatoes, carrots, etc.) done and ready to eat after your nap.

I have never used a crock-pot. I simply use a stock pot with a lid, and follow same directions as given for crock-pots, sometimes use on high, sometimes use on low. But I never stop cooking for hours and then restart the cooking process. Seems to me I remember someone telling me that the "steam" buildup is what helps cook the contents.

OJ, even frugality has its limits. Be good and ask Santa for a new to you crockpot for Christmas. We want you to stay healthy.

I think you were not using it correctly, which is why it did not work. Cut up ALL your ingredients and add them to the pot. Add some liquid. Put on the lid. Set to low and let cook for 8-9 hours, or high and let cook for 4-5 hours. Don't open the lid, as it takes some time for the heat to build up again. If that does not work and your ingredients are not tender, then the crockpot is no longer working and should be discarded.

Dances.

You're lucky you didn't get very, very sick. I don't think a strong immune system will help you much for the risks of eating contaminated food.

Between your technique and your equipment, I think both need serious revamping. Toss that slow cooker (in a way that insures it won't wind up in someone else's home) and get another, if that's something that's of interest to you. Whatever you do, follow instructions to be sure you use it safely and correctly.

Maybe you had too much liquid in your crock pot.

Sue

Wal Mart has a 7qt Crockpot for 19 bucks right now. I'm gong to pick one up next week. I have a smaller round crock pot but I need a larger one too.

It appears that your pot is not getting hot enough to break down vegetables in reasonable time.

Do you, perchance, live at a high elevation? The boiling point of water reduces with lower atmospheric pressure with increase in altitude. Campers and outdoors-men have found that it is tough to cook beans in the mountains west of Denver, Co. A pressure cooker is a requirement or allow for long cooking times.

When the water boils in a pot, its temperature will not get hotter. Additional heat creates more vigorous boiling, not higher temperature. When the last of the water boils away, then the temperature rises.

I live almost within spitting distance of four of the Great Lakes - about 300' above sea level, I think ... but not anywhere close to what we normally call "high altitude".

The appliance is to be consigned to "junk".

o j

The average elevation of Lake Michigan is 577 ft (175.9 m). You are a "flat lander" as are most Wisconsinites.

With the myriad of better options these days, a slow cooker of any brand is only useful as a chamber pot.

That''s a good idea, cynic - thanks! ... and, what with the size of it ... I might be able to use it without leaving the bed!

But ... being as forgetful as I've become ... that might not be a good idea, as I might stub my toe ... trip over it ... or put my foot into it ... later.

o j

A chamber pot is a prime idea! Turn it on a minute or two before use to warm the seat on a cold winter night. An electric chamber pot; What'll they think of next ???

(Tongue in cheek)

Don't forget to turn it off after use. That might be the one time that it actually gets hot. LOL

This may have been said but test your crock...veggies take longer in a crock than meat.....try it by just adding some carrots and a small amount of water..turn it on high and don't take the lid off for 6 hours..than test the carrots. Also the fuller the crock the better.

Always add the raw veggies first and put the meat on top, add everything at the same time.

This is why I love my pressure cooker, the whole meal plus some meat would have been done in 20 minutes or less.

Hi handy jemdandy,

Even with a regular crockpot (which one wouldn't consider using as suggested), what with the heating unit being somewhat below the pot, and the pot having a thick wall and all, and being fairly high to the rim ... one'd have to turn the thing on quite a long time before need in order to achieve the warmth that you suggest ...

... or so it seems to me.

With my old crock, that didn't work on "low" and on "high" took about 48 hours all told to soften the veggies ... one'd have to turn it on a day (or two?) ahead, I think, to achieve anything like that level of warmth at the point of contact.

just thinkin.

additional thinkin ... guys don't sit, do they?

Oh, right - as I've said for years - civilized guys sit down to pee.

Or, as a former parishioner lady, who had a husband and a couple of boys, said years ago ... it they weren't going to sit to pee - they cleaned the bathroom. She (a fairly heavy smoker, died about three years ago - that's right: lung cancer).

ole joyful