are crock pots useless now?

[scalpel_ninja]

I have a few Le Creuset enameled cast iron pots. Aside from the gloss finish scratching, the enamel has yet to come off. We haven't dropped them, but they've been through quite a few bumps and the enamel is still good. Oven cleaner works wonders to burn off any scorch marks on the underside.

On a side note: growing up, Dutch oven could refer to a prank pulled on someone sharing a bed and blanket with you. Let out some noxious gut gas under the sheets, then pull the sheets over both of you and trap the other person inside, forcing them to breath in the "aroma."

 

[Flying Turtle]

In this house my wife uses the crock pot regularly. Don't see a need to replace it, unless the new one has a built in flashlight and radio.

Geoff

 

[KITROBASKIN]

Never used a crock pot enough to keep it around. When we moved it was given to wife's daughter.

Le Creuset (Luh Cru Say') from 1976:

 

[mrfixitman]

I already have induction and all the pots and pans, including a pressure and electric slow cooker. Whilst starting a crockpot I can pressure cook beans, while sauteing onions and mushrooms. All the cut veggies get going in the crockpot. Can you do the same in the instapot? Maybe it can be in my arsenal of: pots and pans, Oster French door oven, Champion Juicer(almond and peanut butter), pressure cooker, blender, immersion blender (best for humus) mixer, microwave and toaster. All my kitchen appliances run on 120vac and are counter top. During the sunlit hours cooking is free of grid power. No need to rewire for a centuries old oven/stove top configuration that dates to the potbelly stove that provided heat in addition to cooking and baking.

 

[mrfixitman]

In this house my wife uses the crock pot regularly. Don't see a need to replace it, unless the new one has a built in flashlight and radio.

Geoff

 

[fuyume]

with instant pots being sold?

Different appliances with different uses. I have a 6-qt Instant Pot and two small 1.5qt Proctor-Silex slow cookers. A lot of things can be left unattended in a crockpot. I would never leave a pressure cooker unattended.

 

[fuyume]

Do any of you use a liner in your slow cooker?

No, I don't cook my food in plastic, and I can't imagine why anyone would. A crockpot is made of glazed ceramic and cleans up easily without leaching plasticizers into your food.

 

[fuyume]

One branch of my heritage is English/Welsh, from the Manchester/Flintshire area, so of course we eat lamb. One of the great things about lamb, aside from it being so delicious, is that lamb isn't factory-farmed. It's all free-range, grass-fed, and much healthier for you than factory-farmed beef, pork, or chicken. The downside is that it's expensive, so I don't eat it as often as I'd like, but in my family, lamb for Easter was always out tradition, with hot English mustard and gravy.

Not too long ago, my local market had boneless lamb cubes on sale for $5 USD/lb, a price which is rarely seen, and I was able to pick up two 1 lb. packages. I made lamb stew and lamb vindaloo (curry) that week, and I was as happy as a bug in a rug.

 

[Chauncey Gardiner]

No, I don't cook my food in plastic, and I can't imagine why anyone would. A crockpot is made of glazed ceramic and cleans up easily without leaching plasticizers into your food.

I've used nylon liners that are BPA and BPA substitute free.

 

[bykfixer]

Why use a liner? I don't get it.

 

[letschat7]

Easier to clean.

 

[Poppy]

Whilst starting a crockpot I can pressure cook beans, while sauteing onions and mushrooms. All the cut veggies get going in the crockpot. Can you do the same in the instapot?

Yes. Anything you can do in a crockpot you can do in a instapot.
The cooking surface of the instapot is a smooth stainless steel that cleans easily.

 

[TPA]

+1 for the Instant Pot, and yes it has a "slow cook" setting which we do use from time to time. Unlike a Crock Pot, it's insulated, so we're not wasting energy like we would with the Crock Pot. The amount of heat that a Crock Pot dumped into the kitchen, especially here in Florida, always bothered me.

We use our Instant Pot multiple times a week for just about everything. Cleanup is a breeze. Stainless steel liner, so I'm not worried about plastic or Teflon getting into the food. The Instant Pot has multiple sensors and will shut down before letting food burn on the bottom. Not foolproof, but I can count on one hand the number of times we've burned something over the past 3 years. Even then, just heat it up, toss some cold water in and deglaze the pot. Done. If you want a nice deep-clean, just make chili or something else tomato-based and it naturally cleans itself. I also like sauteing things in it, as the depth of the pot keeps splatters contained to inside the pot rather than all over my cooktop.

One other kitchen must-have for us: A Hot Logic oven. We have the 4-bay unit as well as two of the portable Mini and one Max version. We meal-prep over the weekend, often using the Instant Pot, then use the Hot Logics to re-heat the prepared meals. I travel for work, so the Hot Logic Mini's my companion on the road and gets used in cars and hotels all the time. I've even used it on the plane a few times. I actually was introduced to them by a flight attendant and have been in love with ours ever since...been 6 years now since I bought it and we still use it weekly.