Manual Crock Pots versus Programmable ones?

Question

I want to know if a programmable Crock Pot is worth the extra money for a college student who will be using it for only the very basic recipes. I mean, is it necessary to have a timer and stuff, or will a good old manual one do most of the job.
Like I said, my cooking skills aren't the most ambitious. I'll be just doing the simplest of stuff on it.
If anyone uses a manual one, I'd like some feedback.
Also, I want some suggestions as to where it'd be best to buy one(at Target, Walmart etc) and where I can get the best bargains on it.

Answer 1

On board timer versus manual: You could accomplish the same effect with a manual crock pot and a lamp timer. It wouldn't have the keep warm feature but you could set it to start and finish at a later time. Most people in the http://groups.yahoo.com/group/slowcooker/ use the "low" setting any ways. The keep warm setting runs only a couple of hours. The manual crock pot will stay warm about an hour after shut off. Check out the newsgroup's "slowcooker group cookbooklet" about 3/4 of the way down on their list of files. It's a pdf file in their "files" on the left side. The cookbooklet is a collection of favorite recipes as voted by the readers.



Some say Crock pot brand crock pots run hot. Depending on the size of your family. I think the feeding suggestions on the packages are too big. The box suggests a 4 quart crock is appropriate for a 4 person family. I think a 3 qt. crock pot would fit better. If you're just feeding yourself, a 2.5 qt. crock pot should give a lot of leftovers.

Answer 2

Ooo my mom made this really good soup in her crock pot and it was really good :) Its a tortellini vegetable soup~ -You start with about a container and a half of good beef broth (sodium free, natural) -A bag of your favorite frozen or fresh veggies -You could also put in a little bit of left over meat (chicken,roast,turkey) -A little oregano -Some thyme (put in seasonings that you like) -1/4 of a bag of 4 cheese tortellini (too many will make the soup to thick) Put in all of the beef broth, veggies, meat(optional) and seasonings first, set it on low heat. It will take about 7-8 hours to cook on low, (ie: put the ingredients in the crock pot in the morning and it will be ready in the afternoon) If you put it on high, it will take about 5 hours. Towards the end - about the last half hour of cooking time - put in the tortellinis. Otherwise if you put them in with the other stuff they will turn into mush. Good luck with your new crock pot! This recipe it sooo good! Try it out.

Answer 3

Fruit and Vegetables both are too Important for our body and the two are tasty so I like both.. and both are packed with VitaminsA, E, B, C and.. minerals.. and packed with energy with protein

Answer 4

thanks to each and every one of you for the replies.