about the small crock-pot

[Guest guest]

   This is to recommend a small crock pot I got a couple months ago from, of all

places, Walgreens.  I don't normally look for any kind of household or kitchen

item in a place like Walgreens, but this small-size slow cooker caught my eye. 

I used to have one of the smaller, (is it called a " crock-ette " ?) about a

quart-size, Rival crock pots, and it quit on me.  I kept the liner to use as an

extra baking dish or whatever.  This one has the same size container and the

liner comes out--which is convenient.

 

    The cost was not all that much--I forget the exact amount, but at the time,

there was even something like a $4 rebate, which I eventually got thru the

mail.  I can and do " cook beans " in this little pot.  (About 3/4 cups of dry

beans is about the amount that works really well with this cooker.  I think

starting with 1 cup dry beans might also be ok--remember how beans swell up when

they cook from dry.  I just use the 3/4 amount so I won't have buckets and

buckets of cooked beans to deal with after the meal!)

 

     This little pot also has a " warm " setting, in addition ot " high " , " low " and

" off " --I like that.  What I don't like is the setting dial seems reversed with

most of my other crock pots--when I don't pay attention and think I am turning

it to " warm " , it's way over on " high " instead!  (I don't make that mistake too

often--LOL!)

 

      Another point I'll add is that I have usually cooked beans (to use them as

an example) by doing the " quick-soak " method.  You put the beans and water into

a REGULAR pan, bring to a full boil, boil for about 2-5 minutes (I've tried

different times, it all comes out the same) and then cover, remove from heat,

and set it on the cold stove for an hour.  THEN, bring back to a boil, and then

lower it and simmer until done. 

 

     With the slow cooker, I do all the steps up to bringing it back up to a

boil after the quick-soak--do that all on the stove with a regular pan. 

Meanwhile, I heat the slow cooker on HIGH with a little water in it (don't heat

it up empty).

When the beans are brought back up to a boil, then turned down to simmer, that

is when I remove the hot water from the pre-heated crock pot, put the

boiling-hot beans into it, and then season as desired, replace the lid on the

slow-cooker and set it to whatever setting I want to finish cooking the beans.

    

       I like this little slow cooker and it does a great job.  I would

recommend it for someone who needs something smaller than a " regular " sized

crock-pot.

The price is reasonable.

 

--Laura B., in Illinois