Crock Pots

[Kiwibird]

I am looking at buying a small crockpot for cooking beans in small portions in. I'm pretty sure crockpots with a ceramic crock do not contain teflon but I've heard in the past few years about ceramics made overseas can be contaminated with heavy metals. Since I care about my own health and would likely also be sharing bean/grain dishes with Kiwi, I'd like to know if anyone knows if Crockpot brand crockpots have had any issues with tainted ceramics? I'd prefer to buy the $10 one, but I did find another brand, VitaClay, which sells a small crockpot that has an unglazed clay pot. That one costs $40 though. Anyone have an opinion if the cheaper one is safe or should I go with the VitaClay that has been tested by a third party as being free of harmful contaminants? Is it such a concern it's worth the extra $30?

These are the 2 crockpots I am deciding between (2qt sizes):

https://www.amazon.com/Crock-Pot-Ro...d=1519756546&sr=1-3&keywords=slow+cooker+2+qt

https://www.amazon.com/VitaClay-VS7...=1519751139&sr=8-11&keywords=slow+cooker+2+qt

 

[dhraiden]

The clay insert seems like a pretty smart choice. The premium does not seem worth quibbling over. Some of the reviews mention soaking the insert to prolong the materials' longevity, so take note of that. We use the decidedly all-metal 'Insta-Pot', but generally don't share meals beyond sometimes Mochi getting a beak-full of plain rice. Hope your new acquisition serves you well, let us know!

 

[davefv92c]

i use one a lot and NP here ceramic

 

[SailBoat]

I have no idea how one would manufacture, box, transport, warehouse, prep for ship for that low of price, without cutting some pretty extensive corners.

I believe that you are referring to mining slag being used as a binder in the clay material, which is fairly common with clays from China. The glazing should lock those from the food. But once again, the low cost (even at full price) would likely indicate that the glazing coat is thin.

Sadly, with either product, there is no sure way to proof any of this until some lucky person gets one and reviews it. I believe that Amazon as a fairly kind 'return' policy. I would double check that first.

Sorry,

 

[Kiwibird]

Hmmm... I often wonder how (universally, it seems) so many products that seem like they should be more expensive are so cheap (and alternately how so many products that seem like they should cost next to nothing have become so expensive!). I'm SURE there is plenty of cost cutting but I also think companies have learned it's a valid business model to take a lower profit on each unit and sell more units (thus putting your brand name in more homes) rather than selling less units at a higher profit.

I'm unsure how to tell if a glaze itself is thinner or of poorer quality? Target has the cheaper crock pot in store, which I've seen in person (I just linked amazons listing because it was easy). Compared to my giant crockpot, the glaze looks smoother and 'shinier' but I'm not sure if thats because it's cheaper or because it's going for a different look. The crockpot I have was my grandmas and I think it's 1980's/early 90's era so the weird mottled brown crock I'm pretty sure was a desirable look at that time. I' also not sure if the crock is thinner thickness because it's smaller or more cheaply made or some combo of both...

The VitaClay is not available locally to go look at but I have returned things to Amazon before and they have a good return policy. They seem to be on the upper end of the price range for crock pots. Other brands, it seems, are all very inexpensive. Big ones seem to be around $40 in other brands, so I'm just wondering if their product is really superior to the tune of 4X the cost of an "average" one of better known brand OR if they just have cleverly marketed their products to seem better. Both companies have their products made in China.

 

[SailBoat]

Working from very old memory on this one: As I recall it, the thicker the glazing the duller it appears. But, the timeline on that memory is near 45 years.

Something about when pottery was very popular and people would buy the clay shapes, glaze color them and then add a glazing seal coat in the shop. The shop would fire them and a week or so later they would be ready.

The memory is to old to place full confidence in it one way or the other.

Manufacturing in China is from excellent quality to cut every corner possible. The difference is whether the Product Name Brand is a part owner and therefore onsite or a broker with no onsite staff.

As earlier, without putting hands and eyes on, there is just noway to know.


FYI: Look at the heating coils!!!

 

[Kiwibird]

How would I examine the heating coil in a crockpot without disassembling it (thus voiding any warrantee or ability to return)? At least in the old one I have, there is no visible heating element and I don't believe there was a visible heating element on the cheaper one I looked at in Target either.

 

[SailBoat]

How would I examine the heating coil in a crockpot without disassembling it (thus voiding any warrantee or ability to return)? At least in the old one I have, there is no visible heating element and I don't believe there was a visible heating element on the cheaper one I looked at in Target either.

The one and only one I saw, when the pot was lifted out, the coils where exposed. Maybe they are a safer now.

 

[Kiwibird]

The one and only one I saw, when the pot was lifted out, the coils where exposed. Maybe they are a safer now.[/QUOTE]


The coil was exposed? Sounds dangerous! I've never seen one like that and after some googling, my grandma's crockpot is more likely from the 1970's (50 bucks says neither one I'm looking at buying will last that long!) and it is still effectively the same design as manual dial models today. The crock sits in an aluminum inner 'pot' and the heating element is under the inner pot so the crock never comes in direct contact with the heating element. Perhaps the one you saw was an alternative design being sold at some point?

 

[Kentuckienne]

I personally would not buy the VitaClay pot. I have to cook all the time, and I have become picky about kitchen stuff in my old age. Unglazed clay is porous and absorbs everything. Even soaking it in advance doesn't really help. I had a Romertopf pot for a while which is a German unglazed terracotta pot with lid. It was supposed to be great for cooking moist dishes. It was too much of a hassle. The clay can only be surface cleaned, and anything oily especially soaks in and flavors the next thing you cook. But that' just my preference. I have a big CrockPot and like it for family pot-lucks but even with that there are unexpected issues. For example, I put in a pot roast and timed how long it took to get hot, and it spent way too long in the danger zone of hot enough to encourage explosive bacterial growth and not hot enough to kill them yet, so I started heating everything to temp before putting it in the crock pot, which wiped out most of the savings of time.

There seem to be quite a few complaints about VitaClay manufacturing problems and customer service issues.

If you lived closer, I would give you a crock pot. I love them. I would buy that one in a heartbeat and not think twice. The pot is glazed ceramic, and anything that's going to come out with heat is already cooked out of it. If you are worried about heavy metals, you can soak it in vinegar for a while, it won't hurt the pot insert at all and if there are any trace metals the acid will pull them out. Manufacturers don't waste money putting teflon on places that you can't see or touch. They put it inside toaster ovens to make them easier to clean, and in pans, but there's no reason for CrockPot to put anything on a heating element that is fully covered, will never be in contact with food, and never have to be cleaned by the user. I'm very confident that the pot would be safe - just make sure it's large enough, because many grains foam up in cooking and you can only fill the pot half full or so. You can find brand-new ones in secondhand stores all the time for next to nothing.

I wound up caving in and getting an Instant Pot on black friday sale time, and I love it. It does rice, it does heavy mixed grains that normally take two hours in 20 minutes, it makes yogurt, makes soup, works as a slow cooker as well as a pressure cooker. I have a small kitchen, so having a single thing that can do the work of three things is a real bonus. It was way more expensive up front than a crock pot, but not more than a crock pot plus pressure cooker plus rice cooker.

 

[davefv92c]

to much thought going on here, think long,think wrong
a saying i live by.

crock pots are cool, a modern glazed one is not going to hurt yer birds.
now i see why people say us bird folks kinda different, guess we are.
i would worry more about the birds being able to run up into it,while it is sitting on the counter working and hot.

 

[Carl_Power]

90 of metal based based products from China are not real metal, its recycled hence the cheap prices. Its why i dont own any Chiniese guitars anymore. I dont know if this helps at all. Id imagine a really cheap pan would be safer. I got a cheap one and use it for Xander with no problems. You can get steel pans too, they arnet coated or anything, just steel x

 

[Kiwibird]

So after some extensive researching, I am leaning towards the VitaClay due to being certified free of toxins and the manufacturer being very open with testing results. The information on whether CrockPot brand crockpots have lead or not was sketchy at best. People online who tested them at home claim to have detected traces of lead in them.

The manufacturer of CrockPot brand answered a question about the specific crockpot I'm looking at on Amazon:

Q: Is the pot lead free?

A: We continue to proactively test our products for lead and other toxic metals, with the results continuing to come back favorably. Lead is not an additive in the Crock-Pot® slow cooker ceramic glaze. We are diligent in our efforts to ensure that our products are compliant with applicable regulations regarding the presence of lead. Should you have any other questions or concerns, please contact customer service directly

The language used by crock-pot brand is evasive and they don't actually answer the question. They say they have "favorable" results, they say they don't add lead to the glaze, they say they comply with government regulations (which does allow some lead in consumer products FYI), but they never say their products are lead-free. They also offer no results of their official tests online (that I could find) for consumers to review to decide for themselves if the levels are "safe" or not.

VitaClay answered the same question on their crockpots on amazon:

Is this product guaranteed lead free?

Hello, This is VitaClay, the manufacturer. Our clay is tested frequently and is guaranteed lead-free. You can view a copy of a recent testing report on our website. Thank you for asking!

I did just that and went to their official website in search of the test results. They were very easy to find on the website and their official tests showing their products to be lead, cadmium and arsenic free:
https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/1...1401_1488311980000_6.pdf?12618813348408421565

IF I only planned to use this a couple times a year like I do my big crockpot, I would just get the cheaper one and not worry about it. However, I do plan to use the small one frequently and I feel that means I should have higher standards for the safety on frequently used items that come into contact with food (especially hot food) for extended periods of time. Still, $40 for a teeny tiny crockpot. Dang.

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Oh, one last thing to note, in my research I did find that Hamilton Beach crockpots consistently tested negative for lead in consumer home tests as well as the manufacturer stating clearly in the FAQ's on their website that their slow cookers do not contain any detectable amounts of lead. Unfortunately they do not offer as small of a unit as I need but for those reading this thread in the future, Hamilton Beach may be the way to go for large crockpots. I can also attest to the longevity as it is the brand of my grandmothers crockpot Heres what Hamilton Beach brand says about lead in their slow cookers:

Hamilton Beach specifications applicable to all slow cookers and their components (including the earthenware crocks) prohibits the product from containing any measurable amounts of lead. Furthermore, the factories that manufacture the earthenware crocks for Hamilton Beach are certified ceramic production facilities whose ceramic ware is deemed to satisfy FDA heavy metal requirements. Hamilton Beach takes all reasonable steps to ensure that the earthenware crocks accompanying our slow cookers provide safe and satisfactory service to our consumers.

 

[Kiwibird]

For anyone interested, I did some research into cooking in unglazed clay vessels. One of my biggest apprehensions about the VitaClay is that a number of reviewers claim theirs crack while cooking. I suspected user ignorance or error and researched further. While VitaClay as a company does not say you need to 'season' their clay crocks, it seems as though traditionally unglazed clay does in fact need to be prepared before first use or it will be more prone to cracking while cooking. Proper "seasoning" also makes it non-stick and resistant to retaining flavors. I went through a similar process when I got a pampered chef unglazed stoneware pizza pan to prepare it for use. The basic process for "seasoning" a clay vessel (according to the info I found) is as follows:

1. Soak the vessel in water overnight.
2. Dry the vessel and rub the bottom that will be in contact with the heat with a clove of garlic. Coat the entire vessel in a light coat of oil.
3. Fill the vessel with water
4. Place in a cold oven, turn on to 300 and set the timer for 2 hours.
5. Let the vessel cool completely before removing from the oven.
6. Wash and apply a second light coat of oil.

Much like cast iron and unglazed PC stoneware, it sounds like you shouldn't be using a lot of soap to wash clay and you need to apply a light coating of oil after each washing to build up a seasoning. If it's anything like the pizza pan I have, soaking and applying oil will give the clay a mottled appearance and change the color to look kind of yucky but it actually becomes a better cooking surface with each application/the more it darkens!

****This method is NOT suggested anywhere on the VitaClay website I could find. I will be trying it on my own clay crock before use when it arrives and let everyone knows how it works but if you want to try with your own clay cookware, do so at your own risk if it is not recommended by the manufacturer****

 

[WakaWaka]

Excellent information from everyone !

Thanks
Kelly, Karl, and Arika

 

[Kiwibird]

Just a little update for those interested:

I did get the VitaClay 2qt crockpot. Before use, I prepped the crock exactly as above. So far, so good with no indications it is going to break.

Oh, and it makes wonderful non-dairy yogurt too! Safety was my priority in choosing a new crockpot, but another feature of interest I saw on no other slow cooker was the 'yogurt' feature this one has. Coconut yogurt in stores is well over $2 for a single little 'cup' of it and soy yogurt is hovering around $1.50. I can make a whole quart (using homemade milks) for around $2 if you factor in the cost of the special non-dairy culture. Kiwi also enjoys a little yogurt with fruit as a treat

 

[buurd]

I am looking at buying a small crockpot for cooking beans in small portions in. I'm pretty sure crockpots with a ceramic crock do not contain teflon but I've heard in the past few years about ceramics made overseas can be contaminated with heavy metals. Since I care about my own health and would likely also be sharing bean/grain dishes with Kiwi, I'd like to know if anyone knows if Crockpot brand crockpots have had any issues with tainted ceramics? I'd prefer to buy the $10 one, but I did find another brand, VitaClay, which sells a small crockpot that has an unglazed clay pot. That one costs $40 though. Anyone have an opinion if the cheaper one is safe or should I go with the VitaClay that has been tested by a third party as being free of harmful contaminants? Is it such a concern it's worth the extra $30?

These are the 2 crockpots I am deciding between (2qt sizes):

https://www.amazon.com/Crock-Pot-Ro...d=1519756546&sr=1-3&keywords=slow+cooker+2+qt

https://www.amazon.com/VitaClay-VS7...=1519751139&sr=8-11&keywords=slow+cooker+2+qt

DId you ever get a crock pot, what kind, and did it work out ok for you?

This is by far the most troublesome thing about owning a bird. You never know exactly what will hurt them. You can research til you're blue in the face, and you still can't trust anyone. The only thing we have to go on really is first-hand experiene by bird owners on specific products (make, year, etc), and no one seems to go on the record much. I wish we had a directory of reviewed products.

I've had the birbs over a year now, and only have one induction range and a cast iron pot to use to cook food.

 

[Kiwibird]

DId you ever get a crock pot, what kind, and did it work out ok for you?

This is by far the most troublesome thing about owning a bird. You never know exactly what will hurt them. You can research til you're blue in the face, and you still can't trust anyone. The only thing we have to go on really is first-hand experiene by bird owners on specific products (make, year, etc), and no one seems to go on the record much. I wish we had a directory of reviewed products.

I've had the birbs over a year now, and only have one induction range and a cast iron pot to use to cook food.

I did end up getting a crock pot- https://www.amazon.com/VitaClay-VS7...=1519751139&sr=8-11&keywords=slow+cooker+2+qt

I have had it quite a while now and so far, all seems well with it. The company does have a good reputation for making safe crocks and there is also no Teflon components (outer is stainless, inner is aluminum, lid glass and plastic and crock is clay). I also still use a very old Hamilton Beach one that was my grandmas (maybe from the 70s based on design?) that is a lot larger for big batches of soup, but this little one has been perfect for cooking grains, beans and making dairy free yogurts in. Hamilton Beach (which I already happened to own one) and Vita Clay are the 2 brands I found that consistently didn’t test positive for lead in the crock glazes (vita clay is unglazed FYI). Whether or not other brands have cleaned up their acts since then, I’m not sure.

Also, if you get the vita clay, be sure to research how to “season” and care for unglazed clay pots. I soaked mine overnight in water, then rubbed oil over it and baked it in the oven before using. Can’t remember exact details. It’s a similar process to seasoning cast iron and helps prevent the clay from loosing moisture and cracking.

 

[buurd]

Wow; thanks , Kiwi, for the fast reply

I wonder if it's similar to cooking in a Moroccan tangine. I'd like to try some ethiopian recipes, too, and I think it might be good for that, too.

https://www.thespruceeats.com/how-to-season-a-tagine-2394972

I was looking at some Hamilton Beach ones today in a store, since they are so common, and tried to get through on their line, but couldn't.

Thanks again!

Edit: Omg, I didn't realize there was a 2nd page of post on this thread. Sorry :/