Any thoughts on crock pots?

[jacqueg]

Youtuber foresty forest used a thrift shop crockpot while living in a minivan. He puts a meal together in the morning, plugs in his crockpot, spends the day climbing a mountain or three, comes back to a hot dinner. In the dark. In the winter. In Canada.

He just bought a full-sized van, and is now doing a build. All anyone really wants to know about the build is where will the crockpot live.

 

[Uncle Todo]

If I were to buy another one, big if there, I'd buy one from a thrift store.
The older ones do indeed cook slower.
Here's a link explaining...
Indicating food poisoning and x amount of deaths per year from, but how many years have crock pots been around, and how many cases do you think were from it?
https://www.thespruceeats.com/are-hotter-cooking-crockpots-good-or-bad-479985

 

[treesprite]

Thrift store have tons of them here. I don't like using things that meat was cooked in, so if I get one, it will probably be a new one.

 

[Gypsyjoe#1]

My thoughts are that they are a "real crock".

 

[vanbrat]

Lots of great feedback

I basically want to make meatless stews and not have to keep watching and stirring. I kind of am under the impression the one of the reasons people are willing to pay so much for fridges on vans, is that they want someplace to keep meat fresh. Most veggies don't need refrigeration.

Cooked veggies and cold crisp salad also need fridge. Nothing better after a LONNNNNGGGG day then having food ready to eat when you just open the door.

 

[Treknik]

I prefer a pressure cooker over crock pot. Similar cooking process however the PC cooks in a fraction of the time. At altitude it will actually cook those beans before you starve. And yes do some browning of the meat. Pulled pork in an hour anyone?

 

[bagabum]

 fridges on vans, is that they want someplace to keep meat fresh.  

That and also to keep beer cold and other things cold that need refrigeration after opening. I am not a person that can eat peanut butter and jelly sandwiches everyday.

 

[Uncle Todo]

My sister has an Instant Pot, several veggies she cooks with it, she sets timer as 0. This brings it up to temp/pressure and they're ready by then.

 

[user 37446]

So I gather about half of these posts ignored the OP's question about crock pots/slow cookers and morphed into the benefits of the instanpot.
Oh, apparently the two aren't the same: "In the simplest terms, a Crock-Pot is a type of slow cooker; however, not every slow cooker is a Crock-Pot. ... It has a stoneware pot that is surrounded by a heating element, whereas a slow cooker is typically a metal pot that sits on top of a heated surface." Reference is https://www.tastingtable.com/cook/national/slow-cooker-crock-pot-difference

One commenter to this thread didn't give the size of their IP but said they needed a Jackery 1000 to run it! That's uhh, pricey...

I'd think the instantpot mini 3 qt wouldn't need that much but if it does then you possibly are better off with a slow cooker.
When I searched for one example to check the wattage draw, I found they vary from 120 watts for the smaller 1.5 qt models to 300 watts for the 8 qt model. The 1.5 qt one one that had a bazillion reviews for $14 is listed here:

Elite Gourmet Lid & Ceramic Slow Cooker with Adjustable Temp, Entrees, Sauces, Stews & Dips, Dishwasher Safe Glass Lid & Crock Pot,
1.5 Quart, Stainless Steel
4.7 out of 5 stars 8,875 ratings (that's a lot even if some are fake)

A recent review which touches on the temp settings said this:
"Reviewed in the United States on August 12, 2020
Size: 1.5 Quar tVerified Purchase
I have used this several times after purchasing here on Amazon. Great little micro slow cooker! I have made meatballs, petite filet steaks, and some rice. All turned out excellent. The "low" setting is perfect for traditional (expected) slow cooking times. The "high" setting is really, really strong (be careful!). The "warm" setting is perfect. That is something I wish my bigger Crock pot had. The warm setting keeps it JuSt RiGhT! Clean up is a breeze, glass lid is solid, cord is kinda short. Perfect size for single, old, fat, retired turds like me who are lazy."

Seems to me other than the quickness, this is a better way to go as far as energy consumption.

 

[JDub]

I've got a vintage 35 year old Rival 6 qt. Works like new but looks like the 80's threw up on it. Forest green ceramic and white tub covered in grapes, leaves, and vines. I don't use it as much as when I had a whole family here but when I do, makes the house smell great (crock pot rotisserie roast chicken's my favorite). Best of all dinner (or breakfast) is ready when you need it. Love that thing. I have an IP that was a gift. I've never used it. I'm told they're very handy.

Cheers!

 

[LERCA]

I’m always reading about food even though I can’t cook and don’t eat much due to acid reflux but I find the creativity of some nomads mind blowing it sounds so good. I wonder if there’s a YouTube channel dedicated only to cooking on the road in a tiny space. Some of these posts are driving me crazy with food lust.
Yes I can cook but nothing fit for human consumption.

 

[vanbrat]

I love my instant pot and my old fashioned crock pots, but for the Van, I think I'm going to take my instant pot just because of the many different ways it works.
I like my old fashioned crock pot, but one of the things I learned is to cut my big chunks of meat into smaller pieces. I like things cooked slow and low, but it can be dangerous to cook big pieces of meat, they can get bad bacteria from cooking to slow. (I know my momma didn't cut hers up) And by cutting smaller I mean quartering the chicken as opposed to whole. I might take a chance at home more so then on the road.... The idea of having food poisoning on the road. YUK
I haven't learned yet how to do breads yet, but I have seen it on here somewhere. And I can think of almost nothin' better then being out all day and come into my van and smell a really good soup cooking up.

So my kido just gave me a tiny little crock pot for my van.

 Now I am defiantly bringing my crock pot. Again the idea of a really good cooked hot pot of soup after a day at the beach just sounds good. There are "tricks" to cooking safely with a crock pot as I said cut the meats up into smaller pieces and even veggies can host bad bacteria so not to low and slow. If you can't because it is to cold where the pot is to keep it high enough use something else to fast cook stuff.  (Then again if it is that cold, drive someplace warmer. IMHO) I also add hot or boiling liquid to help get things going & preheat the pot while you are cutting things up. The whole point is to get things up to safe temp fast enough and keep it there so nothing you don't want to grow can grow. Also save any milk stuff, or noodles until the end of cooking time just before eating they will taste muuuuch better.

I used a crock pot to help teach kids in the classroom more about foods. We did all kinds of stuff in that thing.

Still on the fence about the instant pot it is HUGE and was for when I was cooking for 6-10 kidos a day, not just 2 old folks who don't eat so much anymore. It is to big to fit where I thought it would. Same kido gave me a tiny air fryer. I'm not sure how he is getting these tiny things, but they fit much better.

 Hubby thinks I'm nuts to be so excited to cook in the van's mini kitchen. But I don't cook inside the van my kitchen is like a teardrop thing it is half in and half out and the idea of cooking where I can see something pretty, besides my own back yard, is fun.

 

[MGfromBC]

Well, here's my tangent.

I still live in a house most of the time and I haven't used the stove in more than 4 years. If it gets cooked, it gets cooked in the rice cooker.

On the road I have a small single burner propane stove that I only use for one cup of coffee each day. I ask myself sometimes if that is really necessary. Meals in hot weather usually involve things like apples, dates, granola bars, almonds and whatever else appeals to me and doesn't need refrigeration. If there is some sort of running water like a creek, I keep some bottles of water and other drinks in there. If my travels take me near a store I broaden my horizons for a day or two, usually with fruits and veggies.

By the time it gets cooler I hope to have access to more electricity than I do now. With cooler temperatures and electricity comes cooking inside. Rice cooker on the inverter and the 12v coffee maker. With the rice cooker I usually start with V8 juice and then use my imagination. Sometimes I use rice. At home V8 is in large bottles in the fridge. On the road it is in tiny cans that don't need to be refrigerated before they are opened. I picked up 9 bags of assorted dried beans, peas, lentils, etc., mixed them all together and poured them into large V8 juice bottles. I call it soup mix for lack of a better name. It doesn't have rice in it but I often mix equal amounts of rice and soup mix. The rice is in V8 bottles too. I don't plan very well so I waste less with dried and frozen things. Frozen veggies go in with the soup mix, sometimes fish or chicken. One in a while some other things. On the road this is where fresh veggies would come in and, in cooler weather, I could keep them longer. The rice cooker is 300w on high. Don't know what it is on low.

MG

 

[tx2sturgis]

Since I bought the can cooker I rarely have a use for the crockpot anymore.

 

[Tony's Dream]

When I first saw this post......I was thinking about my grandmother's crock pots that she used to make pickles. They were thick clay and weighed 20 pounds. I've never stayed any place long enough to make a slow cooked meal. I know some people use them while they are driving down the road.

 

[maki2]

My thought is  perhaps a solar oven wold be a better choice. You can make everything in that you would do in an electric crock pot..

 

[ALEXB]

I'm a convert to the "Instapot" approach... does all that a crockpot does, plus Sooo much more!

You can do the "Slow Cooking" (of a crockpot), but also Sear, and (best of all) Pressure Cook.
Being able to Pressure Cook opens up a whole range of possibilities in terms being able to cook Faster than ever (ex: Dry Beans in just 1-hour, rather than soaking overnight); cheap cuts of meat are tenderized beautifully; and the Instapot also gives of Minimal Heat (eg won't heat up your RV) hardly at all.

 

[Scorpion Regent]

The idea of a pot of chili, soup or stew slow cooking while I spend the day doing everything else is a glamping dream.  Unfortunately it doesn't fit my reality.  I don't have the power when I'm boondocking.  Crock pots are heavy and take up space.  If you have a RV, a converted box truck or a skoolie with lots of solar or access to shore power a crock pot is gold.  Crock pots are far more efficient for large meals.  You have to be able to store the leftovers, so you will also need decent refrigeration.
If I am going to add a specialty item to my traveling kitchen it will be a unpowered pressure cooker pot that I can use on my propane stove.

 

[Camper]

Both Amazon and eBay have mini crock pots...... 1-1/2 quart and smaller.

 

[gizmotron]

Morph into this: Go with a 6qt NinjaFoodi pressure cooker, broiler, air fryer, slow cooker, sear, bake, roast, and dehydrate. It takes from 1100 to 1300 watts of 120 AC. So rig big on your solar, get two monster lithium batteries. Buffola Chicken Wings from the freezer to the plate in 30 minutes after the pressure cooker gets pressurized. This thing makes crispy barbecued pork baby backs real fast too. An my favorite feature is to set it and forget it. Once I switch from pressure cooker to air fryer on Chicken Wings, I just set the cook time and they come out perfect every time.