Totally random food related question

M

mariadnoca

Moderator
Why is it people would be appalled to leave something on the stove all day on low while they go out, but doing the same with a crockpot is totally fine?

i’ve never owned a crockpot. Mom had one, but we hardly ever used it. I just cook things on the stove and have never understood why crockpots even exist except to maybe take them to a potluck or cook outside the kitchen. Then again, I have no place to put one. Even my Dutch oven gets stored outside the kitchen.

and then there’s that episode of “this is us“. My hesitation about crockpots was vindicated.
 
mariadnoca said:
Why is it people would be appalled to leave something on the stove all day on low while they go out, but doing the same with a crockpot is totally fine?

i’ve never owned a crockpot. Mom had one, but we hardly ever used it. I just cook things on the stove and have never understood why crockpots even exist except to maybe take them to a potluck or cook outside the kitchen. Then again, I have no place to put one. Even my Dutch oven gets stored outside the kitchen.

and then there’s that episode of “this is us“. My hesitation about crockpots was vindicated.
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Excellent question, Maria. I never had qualms about leaving my Crock Pot on low all day long while my husband & I were both at work and gone all day. Evidently, some people did, though, or you wouldn't be posting your inquiry. I still use mine for caramelizing onions because I can set it inside our screened-in porch or in the garage for all night and not bother my husband with any of the odor.
 
wigs said:
Excellent question, Maria. I never had qualms about leaving my Crock Pot on low all day long while my husband & I were both at work and gone all day. Evidently, some people did, though, or you wouldn't be posting your inquiry. I still use mine for caramelizing onions because I can set it inside our screened-in porch or in the garage for all night and not bother my husband with any of the odor.
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I'm in the "Home Alone" can't do it crockpot camp. I mostly use mine for serving food hot at a buffet. Wigs--I tried caramelizing onions once in my crockpot and it was so soupy, I kept having to bail the "onion juice" and it took a really long time to get to caramelization. I had the crockpot outside on a table and did have the cover on, maybe that was my mistake? Do you have any tips you can share, or is my experience accurate? TIA!
 
I would feel less comfortable leaving the stove on rather than leaving on a plug-in appliance but I cannot tell you why. I often cook in my instant pot, which goes to a keep warm function which is warm enough to keep food safely warm which I appreciate. But I also feel comfortable using that and falling asleep versus falling asleep with the stove on. But is the concern that the temperature is not safe?
 
For me i don't have the space for a crock or insta pot, but either way it’s a heat generating burner on low. One folks feel comfortable leaving on while gone, the other, not so much, but both are creating heat. Seems like anything a crockpot could do, my Dutch oven could do on the stove.
 
I think an advantage when promoting crock pots was this:
** Back in the 1970's, more women were entering the work place. This allowed them to set up a family style meal (stew, spaghetti sauce, etc) and leave the house, returning home to finish off the dish.
**They were also very popular for pot-luck dinners because you could bring the hot dish to the event...and keep it hot for however long it was needed.
** a toaster oven uses much less electricity than a stove. My electric co-op had a chart that showed a toaster oven used 1/10 the electricity to bake something over using the oven. So small meatloafs, etc could be baked without heating the oven--and heating the house.

That said, my 1.5 QT OLD thrift store crockpop lives upstairs in my tiny kitchen (used solely for steel-cut oats made with almond milk) and the 5 QT puppy stays down in my basement pantry. The thrift store toaster oven got re-donated, as I always toast my bread in a frying pan.

PS: I am probably one of the few remaining humans who did not watch "This is Us." Ever. So I had to Google your comment about the show.
 
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It was certainly promoting to be left unattended, but have no idea if it actually is. If it has an auto shutoff feature, that would be one additional measure of safety, but don’t think those original ones had that.
 
I never have the trust to leave with anything running, esp. the dishwasher. But what about auto ovens? I don't have one now, but I sure made use of it and it bothered me not at all, to set it for dinner to be ready when I got home, usually after 9 and a long day.

In the 50s, my mom bought an auto clock thing that attached to the big Frigidaire stove. It turned the oven into an automatic. Very handy. And brilliant.
 
Marg CDN said:
I never have the trust to leave with anything running, esp. the dishwasher. But what about auto ovens? I don't have one now, but I sure made use of it and it bothered me not at all, to set it for dinner to be ready when I got home, usually after 9 and a long day.

In the 50s, my mom bought an auto clock thing that attached to the big Frigidaire stove. It turned the oven into an automatic. Very handy. And brilliant.
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We had one*, but don’t think ever used it. Wasn’t sure how it would work given food would be out of the at rm temp for hours before turning on the oven. Never knew if it was food safe to do that. How did you use it?

*still have that oven but the clock has since died.
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