ISO: ISO help on buying a crockpot/slow cooker...I'm so confused...

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mariadnoca

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Yes, I've made it to the age I am and have never used one of these but since I'm trying to eat better I'm thinking of getting one -- can you low carb using one???

However, it seems like the more I read up on them the more confused I get. Some folks say don't get one smaller than 6 qts (it's only me here now); some say you must fill them half way or things burn; cooker or crock; oval/round; cooks too fast/cooks too slow; some of the reviews on Amazon aren't so great for one seemingly highly rated in other places.

I want to toss stuff in, go to work, and find dinner waiting when I get home. I often don't get home till 7-7:30ish (and I'm tired hence the whole idea of buying one). Also, I'd like to not burn down the house. Some say they have an "auto" feature which switches food to warm after it's "comes to temp" do I need this feature so I can be gone all day? (Seems like a good idea.)

Since it's only me (1-2 w/guest)I feeding most of the time I don't need a big one, but I'd like to be able to put a chicken in it - am I asking for something that would need 2 sizes? Sigh!

Help... I need your expertise!

 
My crockpot experience:

I use my crockpot, maybe once every few months. When I first got it, I thought that I would be using it all the time, cooking dinner while I was at work smileys/wink.gif I found that I don't like to leave the crockpot on if I'm not home, although I know that they are very safe.

It comes in handy if you are going to a party and want to keep things hot. I will fill it with what I already made and then plug it in when I get to the destination.

When I cook w/ ground beef in the crockpot, I brown it first on the stove. By that time, I might as well make the rest of the dish on the stove.

If you do get a crockpot, keep in mind that you can cook a whole chicken. or make a soup or chili and then freeze what is leftover into smaller portions. Then, just microwave when you get home from work.

I have a large crockpot, but I think that a smaller one would work just fine for you. Have fun with it--there were just a bunch of crockpot recipes posted here smileys/wink.gif

 
I use one a lot, Maria- and yes, you can cook low-carb in them

Just adjust recipes to keep the carbs out- i.e. no potatoes but extra other veggies or when a recipe calls for dredging meat in flour then browning, brown without the flour- things like that.

My advice is to go and eyeball the slow cookers and pick one that seems the right size to you- I'm with Joyce- I think the smaller ones will hold a whole chicken. If you keep to a name brand you should be fine.

I do leave mine on when I leave the house- they are pretty safe. I figure if the water heater can kick in when I am gone, a slow cooker is probably even safer.

For the last 9 months I have been low-carbing it- if you find slow cooker recipes you think sound good but you don't know how to adapt them to low-carb, I will be glad to help- I'm sure others would jump in too!

 
The cookers with crockery insides will less likely burn foods than the slow cookers that are metal.

I have one of each, and the metal one is more of a slow roaster. I have to watch it more carefully than the crockery cooker as it gets hotter.

 
Thanks for the great input!!! I looked today and will need to find a smaller one...

the nicest ones seem to be 6 qt but they say "feeds 4-6" - I saw a 4 qt which looked good but they were out of stock so I guess I need to go to a few more stores. smileys/smile.gif

 
Maria, I was at Target today,

and they have a four-quart with removable crock liner for $19.99. They also had a 12-inch electric frying pan like the one my sister gave me (mine is an older extra one she had around the house), and I have been using it like mad. I just love it. They had them on the end cap by the small appliances.

 
One more thing--

Try to get a crockpot w/ a removable ceramic insert. It's alot easier to clean! You may also want the option to remove the insert to set out for serving.

 
And it allows you to put the crock in the fridge the night before, if you are

so efficient as to have assembled your dinner ahead of time. I wonder if you could assemble dinners, depending on the recipe of course, and freeze them in zip loc bags, so you could just open one up and empty it into the crockpot before you go to work? I know they make crockpot frozen entrees in the freezer section, but I haven't ever looked at them very closely.

 
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