I just gotta know..

Original post by don424

Jan 13, 2005 01:42 PM

OK, I know alot of you on here swear by the crock pot. I never even heard of one until I read all the posts about the correct shape, color, height, weight, brand etc.

Which leads to my question. If I understand the concept correctly, you leave the crock pot simmering all day while you are out, the food cooks slowly and then it's ready when you get home.

OK, that being said, am I too much of a devil's advocate and am I the only one that has a problem with leaving a burning pot on the stove on all day, not to mention a dull flame?

I'm just curious as to why they are so popular given the circumstances -- or am I missing something?

MomNeedsTissues Posted: Jan 13, 2005 03:06 PM

Re: I just gotta know..

I would be lost if something happened to my crock pot.

I use it all the time. I prepare my crock pot meal the night before, put it in the refrigerator, then before I leave for work in the morning, I put it on the low setting, place a wooden spoon between the lid and pot and off to work I go. I keep the lid open a bit so the steam escapes and doesn't water down the food.

When I get home, I turn it off until dinner time.
I make soups, stews, franks and beans (LOL), sauce including meatballs and an awesome beef strogonoff. (sp).

When I was a stay at home mom, I also used it. Its a great thing to have. I don't think they create germs. After 30 years of using one, my family would be dead if it did...

There are many receipe books out there. And you can even go online. Try it! I'm sure you'll be happy!

MrsERod Posted: Jan 13, 2005 03:11 PM

Re: I just gotta know..

Posted by FeliciaDA

And I can only guess that they might be a breeding ground for germs because the food is sitting there all day, but aren't they covered?

yes it is covered....and isn't it the equivalent of, for example, cooking sauce from scratch... that has to cook for hours, so its the same thing...
I still don't get how its a breeding ground for germs??

MrsERod Posted: Jan 13, 2005 03:12 PM

Re: I just gotta know..

Posted by BMD'sPeanut

Posted by jozieb0925

Is it any good? What's so great about them??

I've heard that they can be a breeding ground for germs. bleh.

BMD...wanna shed some light??

heidla Posted: Jan 13, 2005 03:19 PM

Re: I just gotta know..

Now this coming from a vegetarian and I am just guessing. I think that if you cook meat at a lower temp. then recommended so that it can slow cook you do risk the chance of bacterial infection. This is not just a problem with crockpots or slow cookers it happens when using the oven also. I know that I have heard this about people that cook Turkeys at lower heat and longer.

TwoBugs Posted: Jan 13, 2005 03:23 PM

Re: I just gotta know..

It's because some slow cookers can take a long time to get up to the right temp to kill bacteria. So your food can be sitting in there for hours breeding bacteria before it gets hot enough to kill them.

This is why you want to cut meat into small pieces and make sure it's completely thawed before putting it in the crock pot - otherwise it won't heat efficiently, possibly causing bacteria to thrive.