Paleo Diet and Paleolithic Diet Questions & Answers

Question

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My beloved vintage crock pot just kicked the bucket (in the middle of me trying to make some bone broth). I need to buy a new one ASAP! What's the best of the newfangled slow cookers out there? I'd prefer one that could fit a whole chicken.

flag	asked Jan 29 2012 at 22:05 Gazelle 2,345●4●11

	We have something labeled Aroma that we got at sam's club. It holds a whole chicken, and does other things like simmer, steam, and cook rice. – Mary in FL Jan 30 2012 at 1:28
	I bought the digital Hamilton Beach one that has been the #1 seller in Amazon's slow cookers section - and I'll just caution that it does auto shut off after something like 18 hours. It's perfectly sufficient for cooking meats, but if I'm making a two - three day broth, I have to reset it to prevent the shut off feature. Not a BIG deal, but the first time I came home to a cold pot of broth I wasn't too thrilled. The ability to plug a probe thermometer (included) in and tell it what temperature to cook to can be rather nice. – raney Jan 30 2012 at 3:18

Jan · Answer 1 · 2012-01-30 14:19:06Z UTC

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Any large dummy slow cooker or rice cooker that has no extra fuzzy logics etc. Then add an pid controller to that. That way you can precisely sellect the cooking temperature. PID controller will hold it within 0.5F degrees. Great for many things.

answered Jan 30 2012 at 14:19

Jan
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	Its better to cook anything in precisely right temperate, like rendering tallow etc! – Jan Jan 30 2012 at 14:22
	amazon.com/… – Jan Jan 30 2012 at 14:23

NoGlutenEver · Answer 2 · 2012-01-30 03:11:25Z UTC

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cookbook author Barbara Kafka suggests a large rice cooker because of the steady low temps. I've been pretty happy with an electric pressure cooker.

answered Jan 30 2012 at 3:11

NoGlutenEver
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Would steady low temps in a rice cooker be enough to cook the meat thoroughly? – Domtx008 Jun 5 at 18:41

Elthea · Answer 3 · 2012-01-30 00:35:30Z UTC

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Breville makes fancy appliances and may be worth a look. I don't have their slow cooker, but I have their grill and enjoy it a lot.

answered Jan 30 2012 at 0:35

Elthea
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Joan · Answer 4 · 2012-01-30 00:16:38Z UTC

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Vintage crockpots are the best in my experience (I have 5, don't ask...). I find good ones at yard sales and thrift stores. 80's and earlier (Rival or other brands) are better - the new ones tend to run hot. I do have one newer one that I like made by West Bend. The newer Rivals run way too hot.

answered Jan 30 2012 at 0:16

Joan
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	I'm glad you posted which you like. I have an old (cool running) one and I want a modern one with a timer, but you always here about the too-hot modern ones. – syrahna Jan 30 2012 at 0:42
	I have two vintage Rivals from the 70s. The one I thought kicked the bucket still seems to be going strong actually! Just took a while to warm up. – Gazelle Jan 30 2012 at 12:33

Paleo Designer · Answer 5 · 2012-01-29 22:35:11Z UTC

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I want one like this that can steam and pressure cook too!

answered Jan 29 2012 at 22:35

Paleo Designer
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Tom · Answer 6 · 2012-01-29 22:22:53Z UTC

Honestly, I think a crockpot is a crockpot. We've had my little sister's cheapo cast off for years and although it's a little small, it does the job perfectly well. There's very little with them to go wrong. Aside from looking snazzy on your worktop, I would go for the cheapest one available in the size you want and spend the extra money on good quality meat to put in it!

Nance · Answer 7 · 2012-01-29 22:18:50Z UTC

The 3 things I like best about mine are: oval shape to accommodate whole birds or roasts (as you mentioned), ceramic insert which is fairly standard these days and "manual" controls that don't second-guess me. It stays on whatever setting I select until I change it. The lack of timed cycles actually makes it cheaper which is a plus. I paid less than $30 for a 7-qt cooker because it isn't digital.

What’s the best slow cooker/crock pot?

7 Answers