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Crock pots have been a family tradition for many decades. Crock pots were originally made in a few select colors, such as pea green and an orangish-red, both were with a design that looked like dandelions across the bottom. They were made as one piece, and made cleaning rather difficult with the prongs that connected into the electrical cord. Change">All of the original crockery pots were round and held three to four quarters of food, which would feed a family of four, with no leftovers.

Crock pots have undergone a complete metamorphosis in recent years. They still have the same four quarter round ones, but they now make oval shaped pots, too. This is great for cooking ribs or pot roast. They now come in larger sizes too, even up to seven or eight quarters. they also make them to hold just two quarters, for those smaller families or individuals. Another vast improvement has been that the crockery pot is now removable from the heating unit, making clean up easier for everyone. The base unit can be wiped clean with a damp cloth, if spills do accord. Many of the newer units have cool touch sides, in the event that small children or unsuspecting adults should bump into the unit, they are not burned. Some of the pricier units are being designed with automatic timers that shut off after a certain amount of time, which can be as long as ten hours.

Crock pots are designed to be slow cookers. What can take three to four hours on a stove or in an oven, can take up to ten hours in your crock pot. Why waste the extra time? Crock pots were made for you to be able to throw your food in before work and be ready for a sit down dinner when you arrive home. They are low watt units that reduce the risk of fire hazards, making them safer to have plugged in while you are at work. Since Crock pots are low watt, it is virtually impossible to burn or over cook your food.

Stirring your food is no longer a necessity, either. The slow cooker heats the whole unit to a steady temperature, making stirring useless. In actuality, when you open the lid to stir the food, you are lowering the heat temperature, by releasing the steam. It will take your food longer to cook, by taking longer to increase the temperature again. Crock pots also do not require preheating as many other units would. Crock pots are great for cooking for large numbers of family members, especially when they will be arriving at various times throughout the day.

Crock pots are a great way to serve your family a healthy meal that doesn't take a lot of effort on your part. Your family can be ready to eat minutes after they arrive home in the evening from work, school or practices. The best part is the limited clean up at the end, and you might even have leftovers for tomorrow's lunch!