People have started stopping me on the street to ask about my coming out of the closet about the Crock Pot Lifestyle. I explain that I was in denial about the benefits of the CP for too long and that a stroke of luck helped me see the light.
About a month ago, I was in the basement looking for something. I’ve completely forgotten what treasure I was seeking that day. The basement of the Louvre has nothing on our basement. Somewhere between the crates of Victorian era tiles and chicken brooder, I came across what may, in fact, be the ORIGINAL Rival Crock Pot. I don’t know how long it’s been there, but it hasn’t seen the kitchen in the last 20 years. Of that I’m certain. It’s avocado green. It holds about 3 quarts. I took the relic to the kitchen and cleaned it and discovered that it still worked. I made a couple of dishes and decided that the vintage piece had some design flaws. The crockery portion is fixed in the metal housing. It’s a pain to clean after use. More importantly, I wanted size. Don’t judge.
After much research, I settled on a sleek 6 quart Crock Pot. I haven’t named her yet, but am open to suggestions. It would seem that the world of slow cookery hasn’t changed that much since the days of avocado green kitchens. It cooks at either hi or lo temperature. None of that quandary as to what’s meant by ‘slow oven’ here. The liner comes out for easy cleaning or, as is advertised, for presentation at table. I guess you could do that if you weren’t having guests. Seriously? No one in their right mind would take the liner to the table as a serving piece…unless you were hosting a pot luck dinner, in which case you’d take the entire beast to the buffet table, not just the liner…like good church people do. She’s as smart as a Thermos, though. When she’s finished with her cooking time (yes, she has a digital timer, too), she goes to ‘warm’ mode, so you don’t overcook dinner (like another 30 minutes would ruin something that has been cooking for 10 hours already) and dinner remains at serving temperature until you’re ready for dinner.
Please meet Crock Pot Doe:
Betty Crockpot, of course.
ReplyDeleteWe have a similar rival model that I stole from my Great-Grandmother. Ours is actually 6 quarts with a removable pot so it's easy to clean but I'm afraid to use it much for a variety of reasons. Our new digital model should arrive today. Interestingly, Consumer Reports likes a $250 AllClad slow cooker best, but their second favorite (and the scoring is very close) is the $40 digital Hamilton Beach model.
ReplyDeleteFor $250, a cooker had better be able to bathe itself. I spent between 40 and 50 for the new model. I also found a vintage Rival (in avocado) for $30 on eBay. Next up, I'm making brisket.
ReplyDelete