Comment, new crockpot problem

[Guest guest]

I'm an old crockpot cook, with an interest in cooking healthy foods,

and a new crockpot. Of course, I still also have my old one that

I've had for a million years! The new one is a small Rival crockpot,

I think it's only 1.5 quarts, maybe 2, with a removable crock liner

and no temperature control.

 

I got it to fix whole grains in, like steel-cut oats. The old one is

a 4-5 quart size, really too big for small amounts of grains. But I

discovered that apparently they are now making crockpots cook much

hotter than they used to! When I tried to cook a batch of steel-cut

oats overnight, they came out terribly overcooked. (This is not any

kind of rolled oats, but the tiny cut pieces of oat grains I'm

talking about, that normally take a long time to cook).

 

I think I read somewhere that the manufacturers have upped the

temperature of the crockpots now because of concerns about

undercooked foods (like chicken, I guess). I'm certainly glad I

didn't get rid of my old one, and hope it lasts forever, since I need

to be able to cook things overnight or all day. Otherwise, what's

the use of the crockpot?!?

 

I just wondered if anyone else has encountered this, and what your

solution was, if any. And thanks for a great site! I'm looking

forward to searching the archives for recipes--to use in my *old*

crockpot.

 

Kris

[Guest guest]

Kris,

Sorry it took me so long to read your post and answer.

 

I got a small Rival crock last year, and have had the same problem. I

suspect that when you turn it on it is always set to what would be the " high "

setting on your older, bigger crock. The combination of smaller volume and

hotter

temp means overcooked food in a shorter time. I don't know what can be done to

get around this.

Jude