My crockpot cooks TOO HOT! What kind do you have?

[NEM]

Well, the title pretty much says it all....

I have a Rival that I had not used very much, but the recipe thread from a week or two inspired me to dig it out. I tried the pot roast....but the sauce/liquids were boiling and the meat was done in half the time the recipe indicated....and this was on LOW

And it was rubbery as it cooked too fast and did not have time to break down the tough meat at a low temp...so frustrating....I will be throwing the meal out it is pretty close to inedible due to the meat texture.

So, what kind do you have? Do I have to go ebay and get an antique to get a true SLLLLLooooowwww cooker?....please help! I feel like I should have cooked it on the warming setting....ugh

I want to try again, but this Rival has got to go!

Any advice? What model do you have that truly cooks on LOW HEAT?
Michelle

 

[ElizK]

Sounds like my new one. It cooks much faster than my old one. I can put frozen chicken in mine, and it'll be done in 3hrs on high.

 

[Beth76]

You might just have to try to find an old one. I have a Rival but I must have bought it right before they changed them because mine works. My mom and my sister both bought news ones and they do exactly what yours did.

 

[DeterminedOne]

Hamilton Beach - the kind where the pot pulls out from the heating element. It works great. When the old one took a dive I sent DH to the store to get a new one. When he showed me the receipt I was like, WTH - why did you pay $60 for a crock pot. It ended up being a very good investment.

 

[BelleBoo&AmisMum]

The Rival ones are horrible for stuff like that. My mom contacted them and they sent her a new heating element/base, the new one has the same problem. So does mine! I cook stuff for an hour or two on low then bump it down to warm.

 

[ctinct]

Good to know about the Rivals. I thought it was just mine. I have taken to putting the stuff in there frozen, and even then it is done way too soon. My old crockpot, on the other hand, took way too long, which is why I got a new one. I can't win.

 

[Annette_VA]

I've had the same problem with Rival crock pots. I bought an All Clad one and it cooks great. I love it!

 

[tw1nsmom]

I have a Rival and it cooks too hot too. I've found that if I make sure it's full and the meat is still a little frozen it works better. If I only fill it half way it's boiling in a couple hours.

 

[doxdogy]

Another Rival owner with a crockpot that cooks to hot. Ended up throwing it to the curb.

 

[Disney_Dreaming]

Another Rival owner! Mine cooks too fast also.

 

[simpilotswife]

You might want to look at a slow cooker rather than a crockpot. The slow cooker I have has a thermostat so I put it on 200 and get much better results than when I used a crockpot.

 

[TTFN]

I have the same problem with the larger one I have (6 quart, I think), but I recently wanted a smaller one for the camper and found a Rival on sale. It's a 4 quart and it seemed to work fine. I usually set the bigger one for low, and then come home and lunch and bump it down to warm. Seems to work okay that way....but not everyone can come home for lunch!!

 

[MrsNick]

Last winter I bought my first slow cooker: 4 Quart Oval Hamilton Beach with removable "crock" and with heating element on bottoms and sides. It works great, and didn't cost me more than $30.

I got the 4 Quart since it's just DH and me, but last week I wished I had the 6 Quart since I made a whole chicken in it, and the 4 Quart was just a hair too small for that. I use the 4 Quart ALL THE TIME, though, and love it. I may invest in a 6 Quart for those times when I want to roast a chicken, or plan on having company and it would be so great to have one large enough to cook for a crowd, as well as having the ability to make two dishes.

I'm wondering if the old Rivals were made with only a bottom heating element and the new ones have a bottom element as well as side heating elements, and that's why they cook so much faster? I also know that when I first got mine, I read up on using slow cookers, and everything I read said they work best when at least two thirds full, otherwise they will cook too fast.

 

[jipsy]

I have a Farberware country crock-r-cooker that I got at a yard sale for $5. It's from the 70's; and has a lift out crock to serve from. It has high or low. If I want it done in 3 hours, I put it on high, otherwise I throw everything in there and put it on low in the morning and it's ready when I get home. I love it!