It’s bad.
The lady at McDonnald’s knows my kids names.
That’s not good at all.
But between Homeschooling, Sports, Awana’s, the Baby and just life in general I just can’t find the time to cook dinner.
When 5 O’clock rolls around, I’m struggling in the kitchen to throw together a nutritious meal.
If it wasn’t for Hubby cooking outside on the grill, we’d be eating out every day of the week.
(And boy, my husband can work the grill, let me tell ya’)
But charcoal cooking (though delicious) gets expensive.
So, I’ve decided it’s time for a Crock Pot.
I went to Walmart.com to see what there was and get a price range, but I really have no idea what to look for?
So far I think I like this one:
Hamilton Beach Set ‘n Forget Probe Slow Cooker
It looks real pretty doesn’t it.
But I realize it’s not all about looks.
But what is it about?
I have no idea what to consider when getting one of these things.
It says it’s a Six Quart….is that going to last when my kids are older.
Will that make enough food for Me, Hubby, and Three Teenagers? (2 of them boys?)
This is a big purchase for us (That model is about $50)
So if anyone has any advice or can tell me what slow cooker they recommend, my McDonnald’s hating husband would be ever so grateful!
What am I going to wish I would have thought of?
I think pretty much anything will work!! I am 8 months preg & have been buying readymade food (like lasagna & frozen ravioli) because I am so tired!! Croqck pot is a great idea – so easy!
I don’t know about the size, but make sure the pot part comes out for easy washing.
Check this out: http://crockpot365.blogspot.com.
This looks like a great model. You would want one that the inside pot
comes out for easy washing (but dont put it in the dishwasher).
This one looks digital so it should have a “warmer” setting but you
might want to check. That is used for when you aren’t home to turn the
pot off, it automatically goes into a warm hold setting.
I would look at the shape of the pot as well, can a whole chicken fit?
Some of the round styles are too small for a chicken, the oval style is
better. I think the one you show does have some stuff you may never
use, for one thing, the “probe”. The key to a slow cooker is that you never want to
lift the lid to check the food, it takes a long time to build the temp back up.
If you cook meat for 6 to 8 hrs, its done!!!
hope this helps!
I see now that you put the probe through the hole on top, so maybe it
would be usefull, but I still think it’s a little “foo, foo”. I wouldn’t want to
hassle with it. Good luck, and I love your site!
Ohhh, too many bling-blings on that one for me! LoL. It seems like the more gadgets they put on these small appliances, the harder they are to clean. Usually… at least for me. Six quart is a good size, and it should be big enough for you and your family. Now you’ve got ME thinking crock pot meals… it’s been awhile…
As far as the cooker I don’t think that the style matters! I have a
cheap one and it works great! One tip I have for you is buy the
Reynolds Slow Cooker Liners! They are AWESOME you just
put the liner in the pot and then your ingredients and when you are
done you put the liner in the trash and wipe out the crock pot and
put it back on the shelf. lol No letting it soak for hours and scrubbing
for hours! lol Wonderful!
I agree that too many gadgets for a mom with little time is not a good recipe. No pun intended. We make several different recipes with the crock-pot. Most of them are wintertime favorites, but delicious none-the-less. You can put a chuck roast in with some italian dressing and a little extra garlic. Leave it for a few hours and voila, Italian beef! My family fights over the beef and noodlesthat I make in our crock. It’s a roast that cooks with a can of french onion soup and a little beef broth for about 4-6 hours, then I add a can of cream of mushroom soup and chop up the beef. I cook some wide egg noodles and its ready to be served with the beef mixture on top of the noodles. There are so many more. You can even do desserts in there?!
Once you decide and purchase, invest in the crock pot liners. My sister loves them and wouldn’t go without them. She had simple nacho cheese in hers for a women’s outing. She poured out the extra cheese for the refrig, threw the away and put the crock pot back in the cabinet. They’re on my list for the next grocery visit!
Did you ever decide on this crockpot.
Its on sale at Target this week for $35.00, I have
decided Im going to get it. I really like that its bigger
than my other crock pot and its oval shape due to those
odd shape roast we get at the stores. Another thing I really
like is that it shuts tight. Yes its fancy but I think its a great
crock pot. Oh those crock pot liners yes get those that is a
huge time saver.