No Crock Pot, No Dinner

Just shy of it's 10th birthday, my beloved crock pot bit the dust.  Actually, I melted the bottom but the poor thing already had a melted handle and a chipped lid, but until recently, it still worked great.

This means I'm in the market for a new one.  I'm a big fan of slow cooking mainly because by the end of the day, I just don't want to deal with the kitchen.  Most of the time my crock pot has a prominent place on my counter top, really no need to put it away if it is constantly used.  Now it is sitting, looking rather lonely, on my back step because it needs to go out with the bulk trash.  Aside from when my in-laws were here, I haven't actually planned a meal, even a regularly cooked one!


I must admit, I'm not 100% without a crock pot, a friend of mine has two and loaned me her spare while I search for the perfect replacement, but it's just not the same.  My goal for 2011 food wise is to feed my family less processed foods, more home cooking, which would typically mean more time in the kitchen and we all know none of us has more time in the kitchen. 

This void in my heart kitchen needs to be filled soon but I don't want to jump into this relationship decision lightly.  Here are my requirements:

• Programmable (my old one wasn't and I definitely think this is a handy feature)
• 6 Quart
• Stainless Steel or Black (since it will live on my counter, I'd like it to look like it belongs)
• Good Reviews
• Removable Liner (there are actually ones out there still that you can't remove the "crock")

Consumer Reports ranks the Set 'n Forget is the best in programmable.  They seem to have a version that meets my needs and it is the best seller on Amazon.

In my searching, I also found the BDY Slow Cooker on Amazon, it only has 6 reviews, one not so great (and very recent).  It is more expensive than others out there but it has a unique feature I haven't found anywhere... a divided insert so side dishes can me cooked separately from the meat!

So now I am not sure which one to get.  While looking to see if there was something similar by another company, I found that you can put a corning wear or Pyrex dish into any slow cooker to keep something separate.

Any advice?

Peace be with you,