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  1. #1
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    Default Looking for a new crockpot- Any recommendation?

    We currently have a Rival one but I heard that it has the lead issue. So, I need to get the new one but has no idea which brands are good. Could you please share with me your experience with other brands? If you love them, please tell me where I can get one.

    Also, is there anyway to use crockpot without canned food? I tried to use the fresh tomato but it did come out that good. For example, the recipe said that a can of whole tomato. I put the sliced fresh tomato instead. I am pregnant and try to avoid any processed food. If I make my own chicken stock, how long can I keep them in the refrigerator?

    My SIL pointed out that meat may not be fully cooked in crockpot and it may not be safe to use it during the pregnancy. Any thought?

  2. #2
    bnme is offline Sapphire level (2000+ posts)
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    What is the issue with lead and the rival pots?
    Donna

    Mom to JT 1/03 and TJ 8/04

  3. #3
    hellokitty is offline Pink Diamond level (15,000+ posts)
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    I want to know about the lead issue too...

  4. #4
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    There was a thread at MDC about the lead. A friend shared it with me and I don't have the details anymore but the Rivals have lead in them.

    I do know that Hamilton Beach c. pots are lead-free. I've been cooking in my Rival for 9 years--just lovely.....


    ETA: I think the only way meat wouldn't fully cook is if you don't cook it long enough....C.pots are *slow* cookers.
    Truth does not become more true by virtue of the fact that the entire world agrees with it, nor less so even if the whole world disagrees with it.
    --Moses Maimonides

  5. #5
    egoldber's Avatar
    egoldber is offline Black Diamond level (25,000+ posts)
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    I got this one for the holidays and I LOVE it!

    http://www.hamiltonbeach.com/product...ow-cookers.php

    I love that I can have more than 1 thing in a crock pot in the fridge at a time. I can switch bewteen a stew and a soup or a meatloaf, etc. Love it!!!
    Beth, mom to older DD (8/01) and younger DD (10/06) and always missing Leah (4/22 - 5/1/05)

  6. #6
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    bubbaray is offline Blue Diamond level (20,000+ posts)
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    WTF? Seriously. What the !@#%$% is WRONG with these companies?!

    I just called Rival. I didn't even have to give the CSR the model # of my Rival Crockpot -- when I said I was calling to find out if my crockpot had lead in the glaze, the CSR immediately said, "Oh yes, ALL of our crockpots contain lead, but its safe, its an amount that the FDA allows."

    So, I call Hamilton Beach and ask the CSR there if their crockpots are lead free OR if they contain "safe amounts" of lead. She actually read me a memo and, you guessed it, the HB crockpots have "no measureable amounts" of lead and they "satisfy FDA requirements".

    There you have it. Both Rival and Hamilton Beach crockpots do have "safe" amounts of lead in the stoneware glaze....

    I give up. I thought I was doing well by avoiding teflon.
    Melissa

    DD#1: April 2004
    DD#2: January 2007

    "My friends, love is better than anger. Hope is better than fear. Optimism is better than despair. So let us be loving, hopeful and optimistic. And we’ll change the world." Jack Layton 1950 - 2011

  7. #7
    elektra's Avatar
    elektra is offline Red Diamond level (10,000+ posts)
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    WTF? Lead?
    I have something cooking in my Rival crockpot right this minute! I went out this weekend to whole foods and bought a bunch of organic food, and planned a few crockpot dinners. I rarely use my crockpot, but after reading all the crockpot posts here on the boards it seemed like a great way to be healthier. I am seriously bummed. It's like I can't win, and all I do is worry about lead, plastic, pesticides, inappropriate car seat use, toxic soaps and cleaners, etc. Maybe I should go back to the old "our generation grew up just fine didn't we?" approach.
    What to do.
    DD
    DS

  8. #8
    bubbaray's Avatar
    bubbaray is offline Blue Diamond level (20,000+ posts)
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    Quote Originally Posted by elektra
    I have something cooking in my Rival crockpot right this minute!

    Me too.

    I'm going to bury my head in the sand on this issue. It seems its all brands (at least Rival and Hamilton Beach, which are the major ones).

    Using the slow cooker is pretty much the only way I can get DH to help with the cooking (aside from BBQ'g and that has its health risks too -- not to mention, our Vermont Castings BBQ has porcelain grids, so those probably had lead too!). I need his help with cooking more than I need to worry about lead. If there was a brand that was 100% lead free, I'd get one of those slowcookers, but there doesn't seem to be a lead-free alternative.
    Melissa

    DD#1: April 2004
    DD#2: January 2007

    "My friends, love is better than anger. Hope is better than fear. Optimism is better than despair. So let us be loving, hopeful and optimistic. And we’ll change the world." Jack Layton 1950 - 2011

  9. #9
    hellokitty is offline Pink Diamond level (15,000+ posts)
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    How annoying! I hate that our gov't is screwing us too, kwim? If they cared, they would set decent guidelines and the companies would have to abide by it, but of course they will go the bare minimum, so they still put some lead in there, b/c they can get away with it, "according to FDA regulations." All they care about is keeping corporate america happy. UGH!

    You know, I do want to suggest an alternative for those of you who are fed up with this. Some of you may groan and roll your eyes, but how about a pressure cooker? They are making a big comeback. I snagged one at TJ maxx in december and tried it out last wk. There is a little bit of a learning curve to it the first time you use it, but the new ones are nowhere as complicated (or scary) as the ones our parents and grandparents used and I really like mine! I think that I will be using it a lot in the future. Anyway, just thought I'd offer up a suggestion. I am annoyed with the crock pot, b/c as I read this post yesterday, I was cooking spaghetti sauce in my rival crockpot and afterwards I remember that I could have just made spaghetti sauce in my pressure cooker! I know you cannot leave a pressure cooker unattended like you can a crock pot, but it cooks so much faster, so if you will be around for an hr or so, it's not that bad. I got a ***or and I really like it so far.

    If you are interested in pressure cookers, check out www.missvickie.com

    That site is a wonderful source of info!

  10. #10
    Aishe is offline Platinum level (1000+ posts)
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    I received this slow cooker for Christmas:

    http://www.amazon.com/Cuisinart-CSC-...dp/B000JEUSP4/

    I contacted Cuisinart customer service to inquire about lead content, and they replied that there is no lead in the pot. I am taking their word for it! I really like the slow cooker. It's on the spendy side, but it doesn't overcook and it automatically switches to warm when it finishes cooking, which is a nice feature.

    I looked at the Hamilton Beach models. According to the HB website, the pots contain "no lead or cadmium." That seems fairly consistent with a response of "no measurable amounts of lead", but it all depends on your comfort level, of course.

    I also researched the disposable slow cooker liner bags (yes, I got a little obsessed with this!). They're made of nylon and are supposedly safe. They're also biodegradable. So that's another consideration.

    ETA: I would not worry about meat not being fully cooked. I think overcooking is much more likely.
    Last edited by Aishe; 01-22-2008 at 05:42 PM.

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