<p>I want to replace my programmable 6 qt. Rival Crockpot because it cooks too hot. Even when I cook on low, I come home to burned and overcooked food. If I’m home while it’s cooking, I can just cook for a shorter time but the whole point of having a slow cooker is for it to cook unattended while I’m at work.</p>
<p>I’ve researched online to find the best slow cooker, but I can’t afford the ~$150 All Clad. I want to keep the price under $50 if possible. I want at least a 6 quart oval cooker. Any suggestions?</p>
<p>Last year I noticed that, prior to Christmas, Williams Sonoma began running some really good discounts on things like hand mixers, slow cookers, etc. If you sign up for their e-mail distribution list, you might want to watch and wait as the holiday season approaches.</p>
<p>^^ That one has had good reviews. It’s one of the ones I’m considering. I just want one that has a true low setting. Although mine has a separate high and low setting, anything I cook in it boils rapidly at the low setting. I’ve never cooked on the high setting – I’m afraid to!</p>
<p>I recently read that the standards for slow cookers having changed from the earlier models–the minimum permitted temps were raised over concern for food safety. So if you’re using a recipe developed for an older model, it may not work for one that cooks at a higher “low”.</p>
<p>This was a problem for me when my husband bought me a new Rival Crock Pot to replace the one that I used for almost 30 years. (The removable crockery lining was cracked). The new one has warm, low and high settings. The first time I tried my old standby, chicken soup, on the low setting, It was boiling like crazy within a hour. Lucky I was home. I searched the internet, and almost everyone had the same complaint. Apparently, manufacturers have increased the heat on these things due to food safety worries. </p>
<p>Lucky for me, when we were cleaning out my late mother-in-law’s house, we discovered an unused version of my old Rival Crock Pot in an unopened box! I think it may have been a Christmas present from us to them, that they thanked us for and never used, ha ha!</p>
<p>One day, for an experiment, I used my newer one on the “warm” setting, and it cooks the same way as the old one does on low. So I wondered if this is some kind of open secret. </p>
<p>I wish you luck in finding a new slow cooker that actually cooks slowly. There’s no way I could leave one of those unattended. Back when I was searching, the advice I received was to find an old one at a garage sale or on EBay!</p>
<p>Don’t know how it works but I saw a really nice looking one today at Costco for $39.99 - was just doing a walk by so didn’t pay attention to the brandname, but it was a really nice looking one. It did look (at a glance) to be a decent size.</p>
<p>I think it is time for a new crockpot at my house. I liked the 20 year old one ok, but the knob broke off and I just can’t trust that it will ever click into on into hi/low reliably.</p>
<p>Question - Are the setting logistics on the Hamilton Beach 33967 going to drive me crazy? I am used just setting it on low and leaving it all day long.</p>
<p>Get the one that is nonelectronic-old style.</p>
<p>We used the old style (knob) slow cooker for making yogurt. We use a rheostat (light dimmer) infront of the plug and have the cooker set on low. It roasted the last three milk batches and decided that it was a toaster. :)</p>
<p>the electronic slow cooker’s pot, has a soft glaze scratches easily.</p>
<p>We have a hamilton beach we got last year to replace my very old rival (which still works) that did not have a removable insert. Very happy with it. I think it is a 4 quart. Already had a larger one and wanted something in between</p>
<p>colorado_mom, the Rival one is what I have, except that mine is a 6 qt., just a tiny bit larger. Same controls, though. I would imagine that it also cooks hot.</p>
<p>I’ve heard good reviews about the Hamilton Beach one with the 3 different-sized inserts.</p>
<p>I have a Proctor Silex with a white lift out crock and a knob that says off, warm, low, high and have it in 2 sizes. They are either 2 and 4 qt or 1 1/ 2 and 3. The warm is perfect for all day cooking. They are still sold at Walmart. I had a digital and it boiled and burnt things and I threw it away. The small is perfect for cooking for 2-3 and the larger for the family.</p>
<p>Thanks for the comments. I have had the same $19 cooker for 25 years… I can’t tell you have many times I was thankful for having one with removable crock. That is a requirement! (although 3 might be nice too… I was thinking the small crock would be good for oatmeal.)</p>
<p>Can you make roasts in it? How many hours does it take for lets say a large chicken in juices or a big pc of meat. Have never used one but wanted to start now.</p>
<p>I have a Rival 6 quart oval that I bought two years ago. I liked my old original one that had about three settings, but my husband “borrowed” it for work and then replaced that one with a lousy one, thinking that they were all the same. My newer one does heat hotter but I usually use the 10 hour low setting even if I want it done in 8 hours, and that works out well. My buying tip though is to wait until it goes on sale at Kohls and buy it with a coupon. That’s how I got mine and it ended up being less then half price. Electronics are always on sale around Christmas.</p>
<p>My big one is great because I can cook whole chickens and roasts in it. I use it about once every 10 days in the fall and winter, which is much more then I used my original smaller one. I used the little one for stews or chili, but being able to put in a frozen hunk of meat with some raw potatoes in the morning and coming home to a hot cooked meal after work is just wonderful.</p>
<p>If you put a frozen roast (or whatever) in the crockpot in the morning, it’s cooked by the end of the day (dinner time)? I have never put the meat in frozen.</p>
<p>I use crockpots mostly for pot roast. (I brown the meat and onions first, but that is not required. Then I add pototes and carrots and a little bit of water and cook on low all day). Crockpots also work well for corned beef (and cabbage and potatoes and carrots) and many other recipes.</p>
<p>I’ve heard the newer ones run hotter, to avoid food poisoning. I may not like that. Usually I cook all day on Low while at work.</p>
<p>I guess I should clarify my hunk of frozen meat statement. I put in a pork loin roast in this morning (about 3 lbs.) with four very large potatoes and a marinade. When I got home at 5pm, the pork was so tender you didn’t need a knife to cut it. I would not put in a big beef roast frozen.</p>