ILiveInFlipFlops Posted January 18, 2016 Share Posted January 18, 2016 Now that I have your attention :lol: I have a six-quart slow cooker, but in the past, when I've made smaller meals in it, I've had trouble with food burning and drying out. Now, granted, I haven't made a lot of meals in the slow cooker, but I'd really like to try using it more. So I've been looking at crockpot breakfasts and soups and such, but I also don't want to make breakfast for 12 when there are four of us, just so the crockpot will cook the food properly. Am I better off getting a 3- or 4-quart crockpot? Or do you find that you successfully make smaller meals in a 6-quart? I do find that my crockpot tends to run on the hotter side, so maybe that's more of an issue than size? Also, please feel free to share your favorite recipes and rave about your slow cooker if you love it. Disclaimer: I know I'm playing with fire asking this question here. Let's all be nice! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted January 18, 2016 Share Posted January 18, 2016 Crockpots cook better the more full they are - if you're consistently cooking smaller meals use a smaller pot for the best results. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pawz4me Posted January 18, 2016 Share Posted January 18, 2016 Yes, yes. Size matters. At least in this regard. ;) I have one large crockpot (6 or 7 quarts, maybe -- not really sure) and a smaller one that's either a 4 or 5 quart. It definitely works best when using one to fill it about 2/3 to 3/4 full. Less than that and things will cook too fast and dry out. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Arcadia Posted January 18, 2016 Share Posted January 18, 2016 My MIL has crockpots in three sizes for that reason. Most times she is cooking for two, sometimes for six and rarely for more than 10. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bluegoat Posted January 18, 2016 Share Posted January 18, 2016 Before Christmas, someone here suggested to me that rather than getting a seperate smaller crock-pot, I could put a smaller casserole dish in my big one. THen just add water around the smaller dish. It works really well! 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Reefgazer Posted January 18, 2016 Share Posted January 18, 2016 I don't think a smaller one is more efficient, and none of them burn, that I know of. Oh, wait....crockpots :laugh: 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ILiveInFlipFlops Posted January 18, 2016 Author Share Posted January 18, 2016 (edited) Thanks, everyone, I think I'm going to go ahead and buy myself a smaller one. I have an Amazon GC burning a hole in my pocket, and there's a 3-quart with great reviews for only $17, so it seems like a good bet. Before Christmas, someone here suggested to me that rather than getting a seperate smaller crock-pot, I could put a smaller casserole dish in my big one. THen just add water around the smaller dish. It works really well! That's a great idea, thanks! I don't have a casserole dish that would fit, so either way I'd still have to buy something, but I'm going to remember that for the future. I can think of a few recipes that idea might come in handy for, actually. I don't think a smaller one is more efficient, and none of them burn, that I know of. Oh, wait....crockpots :laugh: :lol: And if one does burn, somebody needs to make a visit to customer support! Edited January 18, 2016 by ILiveInFlipFlops 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted January 18, 2016 Share Posted January 18, 2016 Big ones are only good for big families and a lot of mouths to feed. Small ones are better if you only expect to feed a small family. :D 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
melbotoast Posted January 18, 2016 Share Posted January 18, 2016 (edited) My mom has one that has 3 different size inserts. They nest, it so takes up less space and gives you more options. ETA: Here's a link. http://www.amazon.com/Hamilton-Beach-33135-6-Quart-Stainless/dp/B000R8A1OK Edited January 19, 2016 by melbotoast 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThisIsTheDay Posted January 19, 2016 Share Posted January 19, 2016 :hurray: :hurray: :hurray: I don't know about crockpots, but you definitely get applause for your hilarious topic title!! :lol: 6 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
knoxinsox Posted January 19, 2016 Share Posted January 19, 2016 I have a casserole dish that fits perfectly into the bottom of my crockpot. I use a long folded strip of aluminum foil across the bottom and under the dish so I can take it out easily when its hot. But yeah....way to get our attention. LOL 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Farrar Posted January 19, 2016 Share Posted January 19, 2016 I had a couple of smaller ones and they were both the pits. Now I have a big one and it's great. It may have just been luck though. And while I'm not cooking for a crowd, I find the sort of recipes I want to make nearly always require making more anyway. I mean, I could do a smaller recipe of many things, but other things, like doing a whole chicken or some ribs or making pork bbq requires a bigger one. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Reefgazer Posted January 19, 2016 Share Posted January 19, 2016 :ohmy: My mom has one that has 3 different size inserts. They nest, it so takes up less space and gives you more options. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
melbotoast Posted January 19, 2016 Share Posted January 19, 2016 :ohmy: Added a link for you. I don't want my mom to suspect me of anything :) 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Desert Strawberry Posted January 19, 2016 Share Posted January 19, 2016 My big one was SO HOT. I often burned things, and it was always quite full. I cooked on low and "Serve" unless I wanted it done very quickly. The High setting would have a 6 hr recipe done in 2. I gave it away when we moved. :( Someone gave me a smaller, but not small one. It barely heats! I have yet to have anything finish cooking. It is full to overflowing. Even cranked all the way up, it takes about 24-36 hours to cook dry beans. and then they are kind of underdone, still. Dang. I think I have to buy a better crockpot :( 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ILiveInFlipFlops Posted January 20, 2016 Author Share Posted January 20, 2016 My mom has one that has 3 different size inserts. They nest, it so takes up less space and gives you more options. ETA: Here's a link. http://www.amazon.com/Hamilton-Beach-33135-6-Quart-Stainless/dp/B000R8A1OK :ohmy: Added a link for you. I don't want my mom to suspect me of anything :) :smilielol5: :smilielol5: :smilielol5: 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ILiveInFlipFlops Posted January 20, 2016 Author Share Posted January 20, 2016 :hurray: :hurray: :hurray: I don't know about crockpots, but you definitely get applause for your hilarious topic title!! :lol: I'll be honest, I'm kind of hoping to make it into the Forum Game thread :lol: 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ILiveInFlipFlops Posted January 20, 2016 Author Share Posted January 20, 2016 My big one was SO HOT. I often burned things, and it was always quite full. I cooked on low and "Serve" unless I wanted it done very quickly. The High setting would have a 6 hr recipe done in 2. I gave it away when we moved. :( Someone gave me a smaller, but not small one. It barely heats! I have yet to have anything finish cooking. It is full to overflowing. Even cranked all the way up, it takes about 24-36 hours to cook dry beans. and then they are kind of underdone, still. Dang. I think I have to buy a better crockpot :( Yeah, I can get analysis paralysis from reading the Amazon reviews for this reason. I started reading the reviews on the one I'd decided on, and people were complaining that it didn't cook food all the way etc. So then I started looking at another one, thinking I'd really like something programmable, and then when I started reading reviews, people were saying that because of the placement of the electronic panel, it would fail after a few uses. It makes it hard to choose! Anyway, it finally occurred to me (silly, I know) to actually TRY cooking one of the recipes I really wanted to make in the crock I currently own. I did a ton of research (because my past experience was so negative), and I ended up modifying the original recipe I'd found (for steel-cut oats in the crockpot) quite a bit. It turned out perfectly! So I guess I'll just keep going with what I have until it becomes apparent that I actually need something smaller. It did make a huge amount of oats, but I just put the rest in the fridge and will either just warm it up for breakfast tomorrow or, assuming I wake up early enough, I'll turn them into yummy oatmeal pancakes :D My next attempt will be breakfast casserole, probably this weekend. I'm hopeful that I can just stick with the crock I have and tweak the recipes accordingly. Of course, having spent that much time on Amazon, I ended up buying a cast-iron griddle and silicone muffin cups anyway, so I spent even more than I would have on a crockpot. It figures! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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