Do you leave your crockpot on while you are not home?

[pixiewings71]

No way! You never know if you are going to be late. I love my pets too much to try to risk it.

I love my pets too...I fail to see how using a crock pot during the day equals me not loving my pets....my pets are so spoiled, they are more spoiled than the kids are. lol I have 2 types of crock pot, 1 with a timer and 1 without. When I only had the one without the timer I didn't use it if I wasn't home, now I have one with a timer and it automatically switches to warm when it's done cooking. It has 4 settings, High for 4 hrs, High for 6 hrs, low for 8 hrs and low for 10 hrs, then after that time it switches to warm. I keep mine on my stovetop (glass stovetop) and keep it away from the cord and pulled out from the stove top controls. Maybe you need to look into one witha timer?

I may run a few errands while I have it on but I don't use it if I'm going to be gone all day. Then again I don't use the crockpot for a meal we'll be eating that same day. I'll cook a pot roast or something like that but then I let it cool in the fridge so I can get the fat and gristle off. The thought of eating that makes me want to become a vegetarian.

Oh ew, I hate fat and gristle too...but I just trim it off (well actually I tend to make DBF do it LOL) before we eat it. lol

 

[Floridagal23]

I leave mine on overnight (when home) and then put the food in a tupperware or leave it directly in the crock in the fridge. I either warm it up in the micro or let the crock warm a little bit in the warmer.

 

[kkacar]

After reading this I am guilty of so much. I never turn the dishwasher on unless we are going out the door or going to bed. I do a load of laundry every day when I get up. By the time its time for me to leave, its ready to go in the dryer. With soccer at least 3 nights a week and any other after work social functions I have to do, we eat out of the crock pot 4-5 nights a week.

Without doing those things clean dishes, clean clothes and food would never appear. I just do what I have to do to keep my family going. We both work full time at very busy jobs and our DD9 has stuff to do as well, so those things make our lives much easier.

kelli

 

[AmberHeartsDisney]

I leave it on but only when its on low and i make sure there are no other things around it.

 

[Gr8t Fan]

We leave ours on all the time, sometimes on high sometimes on low. Generally we try to clear the countertop but we're "guilty" of leaving stuff on the countertop too. Fortunately we've never had any problems and will continue to use it as we do now.

 

[2disneyboys]

Yikes! I'm a BAD pet mom I guess! you would never know it by looking at my pampered pooch's!

w/ both of us working fulltime jobs, 2 active boys w/ various activities, active in our church, etc... well, frankly, the bulk of our meals either come off the grill or out of the crockpot!

The timer ideals are good also, but I do like a pp, I load up the cermic crock the night before, put it in the fridge, and then in the morning plug it in on low right before I leave....since its cold, it has to heat and then start cooking...no more overcooked roasts!... perfect "doneness" when I walk in the door after a long day away from home

 

[C.Ann]

No.. Never left my washer or dryer going either.. Fire is one of my biggest fears, so I'm pretty picky about those sorts of things..

 

[labdogs42]

Only on the DIS could a conversation about crock pots turn into a debate about who loves their pets more!!

Now for my 2 cents -- I love my pets and I use a crock pot when I'm not home. I also run my dishwasher when I'm out or sleeping. Im living on the edge.

As for the timer cords for the crock pots -- bad idea. Letting your food sit in the crock pot for hours before it turns on is a recipe for food poisoning. I know people have done it and survived, but that's actually one risk I'm not willing to take. Get the crock pot with the timer that switches to low or warm after so many hours. That kind of timer works great and keeps your food at a safe temperature.

 

[pixiewings71]

No.. Never left my washer or dryer going either.. Fire is one of my biggest fears, so I'm pretty picky about those sorts of things..

We've had a fire, it wasn't started by any of our appliances. Our washer/dryer are in the garage so I don't worry about those at all.

Only on the DIS could a conversation about crock pots turn into a debate about who loves their pets more!!

Now for my 2 cents -- I love my pets and I use a crock pot when I'm not home. I also run my dishwasher when I'm out or sleeping. Im living on the edge.

As for the timer cords for the crock pots -- bad idea. Letting your food sit in the crock pot for hours before it turns on is a recipe for food poisoning. I know people have done it and survived, but that's actually one risk I'm not willing to take. Get the crock pot with the timer that switches to low or warm after so many hours. That kind of timer works great and keeps your food at a safe temperature.

I love my pets more than you! We do the dishwasher when we are sleeping too, we got one of those with a timer as well so we could set it for a 6 hour delay and it would run at night when we are sleeping. We have the crock pot you are talking about, it switches to warm after the cook time is up.

 

[Bell30012]

I leave my crock pot going at least three days a week. I love my Fix It & Forget It - Lightly meals. I walk into the house and smell the wonderful dinner that awaits me.

 

[aprilgail2]

I do it all the time. I've never had a problem. That's the beauty of a crockpot, cook while you're running.

I use mine all the time while I am at work. I also throw in a load of laundry as I leave for work, come home at lunchtime and take it out toss it into the dryer and leave for work again! I also run the dishwasher the same time as the dryer when I am at work. Heck if I didn't do it that way no one would have any dinner or clean/dry clothes!

 

[mhsjax]

YOu should never leave a dryer running, just ask an insurance adjuster or fireman. Also I guess none of yu have ever had a plastic utensil fall onto the heating element of the dishwasher.

Running these appliances while gone is just dumb and asking for trouble.

 

[SandrA9810]

YOu should never leave a dryer running, just ask an insurance adjuster or fireman. Also I guess none of you have ever had a plastic utensil fall onto the heating element of the dishwasher.

Running these appliances while gone is just dumb and asking for trouble.

Why would you have plastic in the dishwasher in the first place?? I know they say the gladware and the like are supposed to be micro/freezer/dishwasher safe, but I've always found them to get bent out of shape if put in the dishwasher.
About the only plastic I would put in the dishwasher are some cups (my disney mugs always got tossed in, but lids were hand washed). But nothing that could get pushed up by the water and slide between the racks.

Life's a danger waking up in the morning, no need to fret over every little thing that could go wrong, because whether you stay locked in your home or walk out the door, you're still putting your life at risk. At some point, you just have to say you're going to live life and walk out the door. Even my aunt is a paranoid safety freak will leave the dryer going when she's not home. She's even been known to leave stews/chili simmering on the stove overnight. She used to make HUGE stock pots of chili for her job, and it'd sit on the stove till she left in the morning.

 

[mhsjax]

Why would you have plastic in the dishwasher in the first place?? I know they say the gladware and the like are supposed to be micro/freezer/dishwasher safe, but I've always found them to get bent out of shape if put in the dishwasher.
About the only plastic I would put in the dishwasher are some cups (my disney mugs always got tossed in, but lids were hand washed). But nothing that could get pushed up by the water and slide between the racks.

Life's a danger waking up in the morning, no need to fret over every little thing that could go wrong, because whether you stay locked in your home or walk out the door, you're still putting your life at risk. At some point, you just have to say you're going to live life and walk out the door. Even my aunt is a paranoid safety freak will leave the dryer going when she's not home. She's even been known to leave stews/chili simmering on the stove overnight. She used to make HUGE stock pots of chili for her job, and it'd sit on the stove till she left in the morning.

When I say plastic I mean like the utensils that you use when cooking in non stick pans.

Also, OMG to the like is dangerous. I put that comment on the Dis boards right up there with snowflakes and helicopter parents. Really, this makes no sense. Why do I need to run the dishwasher or dryer when I am not here and take a chance on losing everything that I have, including my dog. That is just crazy. If you want to take a chance fine go ahead, but firemen and insuracne adjusters will tell you, it isn't a good idea.

Your aunt, well good luck. If she is crazy enough to run the dryer while she is gone, well then oh well. I am not willing to do that. I paid too much for my stuff and am too attached to my dog to run something that can wait until I get home.

Also for everyone that works, I have plenty of friends that work full time and they feel the same way.

As far as a crock pot, yes I will use it when gone, it is for that use, the dryer and dishwasher are not.

 

[Bell30012]

Actually the truth is, if my house burns down I don't want to be home when it happens. I have insurance, my photos are all stored offsite and my other stuff I need to save is in my safe. My "stuff" can be replaced in the event of a fire but my DD8 can't be.

 

[cm8]

, I do it all the time, and let me tell you, I worry about it catching fire and burning up all the liquid and all sorts of other things that can go wrong while at work. That usually disappears the moment I realize that I now have something wholesome and yummy waiting on me.



Not to hi-jack this thread and may be a bit off topic, but does any of you who are against slow cookers, and other electronics unattended, leave things like your Glade plug-ins home by themselves, I am sure that you are aware that they***could*** catch fire as well

 

[herdtoDisney]

YOu should never leave a dryer running, just ask an insurance adjuster or fireman. Also I guess none of yu have ever had a plastic utensil fall onto the heating element of the dishwasher.

Running these appliances while gone is just dumb and asking for trouble.

The danger of dryers isn't the dryer itself, it's the lint buildup in the vent pipe and the dryer filter. If you properly maintain this, you reduce the risk of fire tremendously. Which is wise, whether you run your dryer when you are out or not. This is also what I've been told by firefighters and insurance people-not to not run a dryer, but to maintain it and the vent pipe.

I have never heard of a fire resulting from a plastic utensil falling on the heating element in a dishwasher. I would think the worst that would happen is that it would melt and maybe smell a bit. I have never heard of a dishwasher fire.

 

[kimgg]

I 100% agree that if my house burns, I'd rather not be home. I do sometimes worry about running my dryer right before I go to bed, but not when I'm leaving the house. Dishwasher, I don't worry about at ALL. I also have never heard of a dishwasher fire???? I mean we leave the A/C and heat on if we leave for a short time, are we to worry they will catch fire? I don't see how a dishwasher is any more likely go catch fire?

I've mentioned before how funny it is how people think so differently about these things, even those who were raised the same. My sister watched my house for me while I was on vacation, and when I called to check on things, she informed me I forgot and left a small space heater plugged in in my kitchen. No, not ON, just PLUGGED IN. She felt that somehow that could start a fire just being plugged in (and it was on a ceramic tile floor). I told her that no, I did not forget to unplug it, that I leave it plugged in all the time. She had no idea why I would do such a thing . Of course, she has a touch of OCD I think .

Reading all these accounts about crock pots is inspiring me to try slow cooking. I admit when I used one to make soup years ago, it did worry me to leave it cooking overnight. Not so much about a fire, but it bubbling over since I had overfilled the pot, and sure enough it did. No fire, just a big mess . Good soup, but enough of a pain I haven't made it again. Only me that can fail at just about every kind of cooking there is .

 

[floridascgirl]

The danger of dryers isn't the dryer itself, it's the lint buildup in the vent pipe and the dryer filter. If you properly maintain this, you reduce the risk of fire tremendously. Which is wise, whether you run your dryer when you are out or not. This is also what I've been told by firefighters and insurance people-not to not run a dryer, but to maintain it and the vent pipe.

I have never heard of a fire resulting from a plastic utensil falling on the heating element in a dishwasher. I would think the worst that would happen is that it would melt and maybe smell a bit. I have never heard of a dishwasher fire.

Me neither until it happened to me. My DH was out of town so luckily I was sleeping extra light that night. I woke up and thought that I was smelling smoke. I toured the house sniffing outlets and even feeling the walls to see if they were hot and couldn't figure out the source. I then assumed that it was coming from outside...opened the front door and sniffed...hmmm...

Anyway, got back in bed and couldn't relax 'cause it was still slightly smokey. Got up, checked the kitchen again, but this time turned on all the lights. I followed my nose to the dishwasher (which was on the dry cycle) and when I opened it, smoke billowed out. Somehow a wooden spoon had fallen from the top rack and landed on the heating element. It was actually slow burning and only 1/2 of the spoon portion was left...the bottom of the dishwasher had a small pile of ash!

I don't know if it could have actually developed into a full on fire, but now I have one more thing to add to my list of neurosis!

 

[LadyBeBop]

I have no problem leaving the slow cooker on while I'm away.

However, here is my problem. I'm usually away from home for about 11 1/2 hours a day.

I've tried keeping my slow cooker on low for 8 hours, and it automatically switches to warm for the remainder. Even then, it seems as if the food is too dry. My family won't eat the food It has gotten to the point that if my family believes I'm using the slow cooker, they think I'm poisoning them.

So now I only use the slow cooker on my days off. And even though I have the setting on low (8 hours), the food is usually done in 6 hours. I start supper no later than 11 am, and we have a pretty good meal.

However, I'd love to start using my slow cooker on work days again. I'm tired when I get home from work, and I usually resort to microwave meals and freezer vegatables. My family complains that I never cook a good meal.

I won't use a timer. Leaving home at 5:30 am and not having the slow cooker turn on until 11 am is unsafe and out of the question. But what are my options? I must be doing something wrong if others can go to work all day and have a nice, slow-cooked meal, and I cannot.