Crockpot not heating correctly?

[Theo]

I know a lot of you swear by your crockpots. I have not used mine a lot; I never liked the way it cooked. I used it maybe twice and put it away for a long time, around 8 years.

This morning I got it out to cook my rooster. I popped the chicken parts in and turned it to "high". After one hour, the outside of the cooker was hot, but the water inside was lukewarm and the chicken was about room temperature. I transferred everything to my pressure cooker to complete cooking.

That isn't the way they are supposed to work, is it? I seem to remember the last time I used it, I had to finish the cooking in another pan because it didn't seem hot enough. It's discouraging, because I got it new and it was not cheap (it's a large one.)

 

[PotterWatch]

I think you just need to be more patient. They are meant to cook most things in 6-10 hours, so one hour isn't at all long enough to see if it is working.

 

[shober]

Crock pots take 6 to 8 hours to cook on low. 4 to 5 on high. I have used them for years and I think they are great and a life saver when you have to work. Dinner is ready when you get home and no fuss! 1 hour is not enough time at all! Maybe try it again when you have more time or go out and don't have to think about it?

 

[Ridgerunner]

It should have heated up faster than that, but maybe your chicken was frozen when you started? I suggest putting some room temperature water in it and turning it on for a couple of hours. Then check the temperature. I suspect yours is not heating properly.

 

[LilyD]

Quote:
If it is a much older model crock pot it might not heat as evenly. I used to have an older one and it didn't heat as evenly or as quickly. The newer ones seem to heat much more evenly. The one that I got recently (like within the last 3 years) works very well.

 

[Theo]

So what model of crockpot do you all have, and are you satisfied with it? I really, really think mine is not functioning properly. I don't think holding food at perhaps 80-90 degrees for an hour or more can be safe.

The chicken was very cold but not frozen.

 

[Oregon Blues]

A cheap and easy test. Soak some dry beans. Put them in the crock pot in the morning with some water a little more than three times the depth of the beans.

If the beans are done in the evening, your crock pot is working. If not, you need a new crock pot, but you haven't wasted more than about 50 cents. In fact, you haven't wasted anything because you can still finish cooking the beans with another method.

The beans must be completely covered in water, or they won't cook. If they swell up and raise above the water, the ones out of the water won't be cooked.

 

[LilyD]

Quote:
Mine is a Proctor Silex and is about 3 years old. I use it at least 10-15 times a season and it works beautifully each time. It has off, low and high settings.

 

[Theo]

The bean test sounds good. I'll try that tomorrow.

 

[darkmatter]

Quote:
From Wikipedia:
ToxicityThe toxic compound phytohaemagglutinin, a lectin, is present in many varieties of common bean but is especially concentrated in red kidney beans. Phytohaemagglutinin can be deactivated by cooking beans at 100 °C (212 °F) for ten minutes. However, for dry beans the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) also recommends an initial soak of at least 5 hours in water; the soaking water should be discarded.[2]

The ten minutes at 100 °C (212 °F) is required to degrade the toxin, and is much shorter than the hours required to fully cook the beans themselves. However, lower cooking temperatures may have the paradoxical effect of potentiating the toxic effect of haemagglutinin. Beans cooked at 80 °C (176 °F) are reported to be up five times as toxic as raw beans.[2] Outbreaks of poisoning have been associated with the use of slow cookers, the low cooking temperatures of which may be unable to degrade the toxin.

The primary symptoms of phytohaemagglutinin poisoning are nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea. Onset is from 1 to 3 hours after consumption of improperly prepared beans, and symptoms typically resolve within a few hours.[2] Consumption of as few as four or five raw kidney beans may be sufficient to trigger symptoms.

Beans are high in purines, which are metabolized to uric acid. Uric acid is not itself considered a toxin, but it may promote the development or exacerbation of gout. For this reason, persons with gout are often advised to limit their consumption of beans.[3] Uric acid is also an important antioxidant in humans and, according to cohort studies, might be neuroprotective in cases of multiple sclerosis and Parkinson's disease.

No offense intended for Oregon Blues, but people, you really should be sure of your advise before giving it.