[Gemme]

Originally Posted by Dylan

Ok, I'm going to sound like a freak, but eh...

When I was 15, our house burned down. So, now I'm kind of afraid to leave stuff just cooking in my house while I'm not there. Are crock pots safe? What if you don't put enough water/liquid in? Will it get too hot and catch the house on fire? Do they shut themselves off if they get too hot or something?

I mean, I would hate it if a pot roast burned my house down.


Do I Need To Get Renter's Insurance Before I Get A Crock Pot?,
Dylan

Originally Posted by apretty

crockpots are really safe--but i can understand the fear, *not* having lived through that experience. what i would do is use your pot during the day while you're around--tile counter, nothing around it and no dogs/animals can get to it--first be around to see just how hot it gets, the outside does get warm but usually the pot will have 'feet' on it so that no heat touches any surface, ever... plus, the way that pots cook, they don't 'dry' up or you'd have to leave it on for a couple of days before you'd get something 'burned', that's my guess anyway, i've never had a pot burn anything and i've left it alone at least 10 hours, probably more--the only time it ever *dried* more than i liked was once when i made beans/chili and i didn't add enough water, so the bottom was 'good' while the top/surface had a crust of hard/uncooked beans--but still, no danger or house fire. --you're not the only one with this concern so i had to speak to this.

Hey, Dylan.

No worries. Apretty's right. Every one I've seen has 'feet' or knobs or something that keeps it off of the surface of what you have it on. You leave the lid on, so as it cooks, condensation builds up and trickles down onto the food (making it less likely to dry out, although you do have add some sort of liquid at some point). As for shutting itself off, some do and some don't. Look for one with an 'auto' feature. Most have a simple off, low, and high button or switch or knob.

Soups are super easy and a good way to get your 'crockpot' feet under you and clean out your fridge in the process! I just made one today with turkey bacon, navy and pinto beans, onions, potatoes, garlic, celery, radishes, peppers, and spices. I heated the bacon with half the onion in a pan on the stove to get some carmelization (read: extra yummy flavor) going on. I let the beans soak in the pot overnight and then dumped the water and any floating beans before adding the rest. I added just enough water to cover the top of everything and that was it. It was cooked on high for almost 5 hours and smells divine. It will be supper tonight.

Also, most pots come with good directions and sometimes even a few recipes to get you going. Happy crockpotting!