D.C. Area Nesties
Dear Community,
Our tech team has launched updates to The Nest today. As a result of these updates, members of the Nest Community will need to change their password in order to continue participating in the community. In addition, The Nest community member's avatars will be replaced with generic default avatars. If you wish to revert to your original avatar, you will need to re-upload it via The Nest.
If you have questions about this, please email help@theknot.com.
Thank you.
Note: This only affects The Nest's community members and will not affect members on The Bump or The Knot.
Our tech team has launched updates to The Nest today. As a result of these updates, members of the Nest Community will need to change their password in order to continue participating in the community. In addition, The Nest community member's avatars will be replaced with generic default avatars. If you wish to revert to your original avatar, you will need to re-upload it via The Nest.
If you have questions about this, please email help@theknot.com.
Thank you.
Note: This only affects The Nest's community members and will not affect members on The Bump or The Knot.
Rec your programmable crock pot
I've never been a huge crockpot fan, but I'm starting to think that maybe my crock pot itself is to blame - it's the $20 version from Target with such exotic settings as low, high and off. And it's now 7 years old. I think if I picked up a programmable one, I might actually use it during the day while I'm at work.
Any recs? Hamilton Beach vs. Crock Pot brand? Size? Thanks!
Re: Rec your programmable crock pot
when you say "programmable" what are you looking for it to do?
I have one that has an electronic display and you can set it for low and high and for a specific amount of time (three hourts, six hours etc) and then it switches to warm.
in my fantasy world, there would be one you could fill in the morning and then it would keep things cool but then switch ON at a certain point. this does not exist for food safety reasons.
i'd recommend mine but they don't make it anymore (and i don't think amazon sells it anymore either) but it's rival and we've been very happy with it for the past 3.5 years. it can be set for 10+ hours and then switches to warm afterwards. the inside looks pretty beat up but it still does a great job. when we lived in nyc, we were gone for a minimum of ten hours so not being able to program it for long periods of time would have defeated the purpose.
i've seared meat the night before, put the insert in the fridget the night before and then chucked it in in the morning and it has worked out really well. i would just get the insert out first thing in the morning and not put it in the base until right before we left for work.
http://www.target.com/p/Hamilton-Beach-6-Qt-Slow-Cooker-Black/-/A-13372065
I have this one, it works super well, I've never had a problem with something not fitting or the crock pot not working as it was supposed to.
It runs perfectly and we've used it 2 meals/ wk for the last 2 years.
Stand up for something you believe in.
I have the same one as maryandkirk - my sis got it for us last year for Christmas and it's awesome. I've never had to do it for 10+ hours, because DH doesn't leave for work until around 2pm, so he puts the stuff in before he leaves and then we eat when he comes home for his break at 7pm, so we never run it for more than 5 hours, plus maybe a little time on warm.
The only thing is, that for only two people, it's a bit big for some recipes. However, I read on the Crockpot 365 blog that you can put one of those white Corningware bakers inside the regular slow cooker insert to make a slightly smaller size. I am planning to get a 4-quart one for recipes that call for a smaller pot.
Edited b/c I said it was too small for recipes for two, of course I meant to big!
Ditto this.
I should note, we usually cook for 4 or more servings and then take leftovers for lunch during the week.
The crock pot is really big, but I have also had success with the Corningware inserts and surrounding the bottom with water.
We regularly make chili and pulled pork that take at least 10 hours in the crockpot. It has an automatic shut off at 12 hours, but for things like those recipes that we want to keep warm for parties or whatever, at the end of 12 hours we just turn it back on to warm and we're set.
Stand up for something you believe in.
Highly recommend this one: http://www.amazon.com/Hamilton-Beach-Forget-6-Quart-Programmable/dp/B001AO2PXK/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1319468065&sr=8-1
It gets 4.5 out of 5 stars with 555 reviews on Amazon. Not bad. I got it about a year ago and have used it at least once a week since then. One of the best purchases I've made in a long time, and it's reasonably priced ($44). I actually threw veggies and some sauce in last night and let it cook all night and then tossed in some bison this morning for a very slow cooked bolognese. I woke up at 6am to an incredible smell and couldn't go back to sleep
we have the crockpot brand that is 6 quarts. we use it for soup and chili and it has worked great.
I made this recipe over the weekend and there is not a bite left. It was super easy and tasty! I did add more garlic and ginger than the recipe says, plus added crushed red pepper. I stir fried some green beans and it was yummy. I found this recipe thanks to my pinterest addiction