WOHMs, rec. your slow cooker

[AnnieW625]

Thanks! I have done the frozen meat thing before as well, once with chicken and we survived.

I am leaning towards the Cuisinart one, just am not sure if I should get a 4 qt. or a 6 qt. 99% of the time I cook things like chicken breasts or 2 to 3 lbs. of meat that don't take up the entire crock, but then I think maybe just maybe I should get the 6 qt. for those bulk cooking jobs I do the other 1% of the time, but then seriously if I do bulk cook it is usually soup, chicken breasts or thighs without veggies or maybe 4lbs of pork shoulder roast for BBQ pork so again it doesn't take up the whole space, kwim?

[hellokitty]

Thanks! I have done the frozen meat thing before as well, once with chicken and we survived.

I am leaning towards the Cuisinart one, just am not sure if I should get a 4 qt. or a 6 qt. 99% of the time I cook things like chicken breasts or 2 to 3 lbs. of meat that don't take up the entire crock, but then I think maybe just maybe I should get the 6 qt. for those bulk cooking jobs I do the other 1% of the time, but then seriously if I do bulk cook it is usually soup, chicken breasts or thighs without veggies or maybe 4lbs of pork shoulder roast for BBQ pork so again it doesn't take up the whole space, kwim?

I know you'd like to get a smaller one, due to it hogging up kitchen space, but I believe I read somewhere that you really shouldn't have your crock pot filled up all of the way. I can't remember where, but that it ends up taking longer, etc.. So, that may be a reason to get the larger one. Also, batch cooking is something to think about. I often cook double portions of something and then freeze half of it and when I am in a crunch and know I can't make dinner some night, I just make sure I defrost the frozen, pre-cooked meal the a night or two ahead of time and it's ready to go.

[TwoBees]

I know you'd like to get a smaller one, due to it hogging up kitchen space, but I believe I read somewhere that you really shouldn't have your crock pot filled up all of the way. I can't remember where, but that it ends up taking longer, etc.. So, that may be a reason to get the larger one.

I think you are not supposed to fill it more than 2/3 full. I don't know about less than that though.

Annie, maybe the 3-in-1 crockpot might be a good choice for you, even though it does nto have a timer?

[sntm]

I frequently prep everything the night before and keep it in the fridge, so it's cold when it goes in the crock-pot. Usually get an extra hour that way. And add extra wet ingredients to avoid scorching.

If warm seems to be cooking more than low, could you just keep it on low the whole time?

[hannah]

I have both the 4qt and 6qt cuisinart. The 6qt (which I got first) is HUGE! I hardly ever use it - only if entertaining or cooking a HUGE piece of meat. I use my 4qt much more than the 6qt. We are just a family of 4 and usually have leftovers after crocking in the 4qt. I love that the insert is removable for easy cleaning. But be advised it is very pricey to replace a crock should you break it. I had to purchase a new 4qt crock after I dropped it while washing it.

[AnnieW625]

I ended up ordering the Cuisinart 4 qt. . I'll let you know how the first recipe turns out. I can always use my larger crock pot as needed as it still works for those occassional large batches of stuff or if I ever get around to cooking large batches of stuff on the weekends.

[jam224]

I ended up ordering the Cuisinart 4 qt. . I'll let you know how the first recipe turns out. I can always use my larger crock pot as needed as it still works for those occassional large batches of stuff or if I ever get around to cooking large batches of stuff on the weekends.

Love that you chose a small round crockpot! They're much easier to wash in a double sink than a large oval one!

[TwoBees]

I'm curious, how much smaller is a 5.5 qt than a 6.5 qt crockpot? Not by volume (I know the difference is 1 qt!) but in how much food it makes. I got rid of my 6.5 qt because I hated it, it was waaay to big for what I needed. Is a 5.5 qt still going to be too big? Or does that 1 qt really make a huge difference in how much food you can make?

(I'm asking because the crockpot I think I want is a 5.5 qt)

[hellokitty]

Love that you chose a small round crockpot! They're much easier to wash in a double sink than a large oval one!

I agree that the round ones are easier to wash and take up less space. That is probably the only thing I don't like about my round one, but it seems like once you get past a certain size, they are all oval, and no longer have a round option like they used to.