Do you notice a smell of burned wire or overheated plastic every time you use your Crockpot or slow cooker?
That’s exactly what I experienced every time I used my Rival Crock Pot for the past 2 years.
This week… it finally died.
It was a long, slow death. (Precisely the way that a slow cooker should go, right?)
The burning smell was always so strong, and so long-lasting, that I can’t help but think that my Rival Crockpot was simply overheating each time I used it. For the most part, the food seemed to cook okay.
The day my Crockpot died, it simply wouldn’t cook sliced potatoes (for an augraten potato dish I was making)… even after 6 hours of cooking on HIGH.
The burning smell started the very first time I used my Crock Pot.
Naturally, I thought it was just the “newness” of the product that just hadn’t burnt off yet or something.
Wrong.
Over the course of the past 2 years, I’ve probably used my Crockpot about once every 2 months. And the burning wire smell always continued.
The worst part: it would linger long after the meal had been cooked and served. Sometimes it seemed like days that the entire house (especially the first floor — where the kitchen is located) would smell like burnt plastic. Ugh!
I guess it was the heating element all along.
Apparently, I’m not the only one…
- Another Rival Crock Pot user
- Hamilton Beach/Proctor-Silex Crockpot user
- Unknown brand of slow cooker user
- Another fellow Rival Crockpot user
- Farberware Slow Cooker user
There’s Probably Another Crock Pot In My Future
I think I’m still going to buy a new one though. Crock Pots are quite convenient — under the right conditions.
Although I admit… I never really use my slow cooker nearly as much as I thought I would.
Back in the day, when I had limited skills in the kitchen, a Crock Pot was the perfect answer. But now that I’m enjoying cooking more and more on my own, I find that I like the immediate gratification of having stirred, sauteed, baked, and broiled my own concoctions — by hand.
I like to help people find unique ways to do things in order to save time & money — so I write about “outside the box” ideas that most wouldn’t think of. As a lifelong dog owner, I often share my best tips for living with and training dogs. I worked in Higher Ed over 10 years before switching gears to pursue activities that I’m truly passionate about. I’ve worked at a vet, in a photo lab, and at a zoo — to name a few. I enjoy the outdoors via bicycle, motorcycle, Jeep, or RV. You can always find me at the corner of Good News & Fun Times as publisher of The Fun Times Guide (32 fun & helpful websites).
