Crockpot RecipesFrom A To Z - How To Buy A Slow Cooker
Buying a Slow Cooker
Okay, so you"ve heard your friends or family touting how they are saving time and money on meals with their new crock pot. Heck, you might"ve even gotten one for Christmas. You"re interested in using one, but don"t have a clue about crock pots. All you want to know is which one should you get, and more importantly, which one is right for you. Well, I am here to help you sort through all of this.
You"ll first have to ask yourself some basic questions: 1. How many people will the crock pot be used for? We"re talking about servings in one pot. You might know the answer to this one yet, but, what sort of food do you think you"d be cooking in the crock pot? 3. As an example, my husband and I will dump all of our ingredients into the crock pot before we leave for work, and have it start cooking while we are at work, so we come home to a nice, hot meal. 4. In a nutshell, if you can answer these questions, you"re pretty much all set.
Some crock pots have simple lids, while others actually allow you to seal the lid via a clamping mechanism, etc. Good for taking it to a potluck, etc. You can cook the meal and serve it directly out of the pot. There are also smaller crock pots that are mainly used for dips, etc.
As already mentioned, there are crock pots with many features while some are pretty much just a turn on / turn off variety. The feature-rich variety will allow you to switch certain settings depending on the type of meal you are preparing. Generally speaking, most crock pots will have a warm, low, and high setting.
Locating a crock pot is pretty easy. Any major retailer carries them, online or off. My husband and I purchased ours at Wal-Mart, for the very reasonable sum of $19. For that price, it even has a timer! What a bargain.
As also mentioned above (question #4), some are have removable inner bowls for ease of washing. These are usually dishwasher safe as well. Lids will either come in glass, or plastic. I"d go with the glass lid for safety.
If you have a large family (let"s say, at least 4 members), then you"ll probably want at least a 5 or 6 quart unit. If it"s only two persons, then a 3 quarrt unit will probably suffice. Lastly, for those single people, 1.5 quart units are also available.
I hope you have found these tips useful. Crock pots are very economical, but also create very delicious meals. Leftovers can be used for the next day"s lunch or even dinner again. Do your research, read some reviews, and start using that crock pot.