I love my crock pot. Ok, I guess it’s not really a crock pot since it’s made by Kitchenaid. But I pretty much use the words crock pot and slow cooker interchangeably. Kind of like cotton swab and Qtip. Anyway, last week, when I was cleaning my slow cooker, I noticed a sizeable crack in the crock. Upon further inspection, I noticed the crack was on the inside and the outside of the crock. Not good.
My husband immediately began doing what he loves to do…internet research. He started looking into prices to replace the crock, as well as prices to replace the whole unit. After a few minutes of reading reviews on our slow cooker, he noticed crock cracking was VERY common in our slow cooker model.
So, while he’s surfing the web, I’m going old-school and I call Kitchenaid. A while back I had a problem with my Kitchenaid stand mixer and they promptly replaced it, no questions asked. I spoke with a very friendly customer service rep and she informed me that my slow cooker was out of warranty. If I wanted a new crock, I had to buy it. The cost…$45, including shipping. The only problem was, they were on back order. UNTIL APRIL 2010!
And, even if I get a new crock, I will still run the risk of having the crock crack again. Afterall, it is a common problem among this model. And, the new crock will cost me almost as much as a brand new, less expensive model. On the flip side, I absolutely LOVE my slow cooker.
So here’s my dilemma: Do I a.) order the new crock from Kitchenaid and borrow my MIL’s in the meantime, or b.) get rid of the old one and buy a new, less expensive slow cooker?
Comments? Suggestions? Divine inspiration?
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itsakeeper says
Thanks, Linda! I’m leaning toward staying with the Kitchenaid. I really do love it. But I’m curious to know what other people think of theirs. What kind do you have you? Do you like it? What are the best features?
linda sargent says
I have 3 crockpot/slow cookers now. It’s not unusual for me to have them all going at once on the weekends. Right now I have one with chili and another with pea soup. The third will soon be used for baking potatoes.
Two of them as West Bend. West Bend is the one with the unreliable thermostat in the slow cooker. Only the high setting works reliably now so I only use it for things I cook on high. The other West Bend is the slow cooker that is also a stove top pot and it sits flat on a heated grill. It doesn’t lend itself well to all day cooking but the thermostat seems good and I use it for half day cooking. Foods cooked in it have more of the roast flavor. The third pot is a Rival and I like it a lot. It is oval shape and fits better into small spaces. (I used to use it a lot when we had an RV). I had yet another crockpot which I bought because I liked the idea of having one with a timer. I don’t remember the brand. It cracked after less than a year and always burned everything. I should have noted what it was so I don’t make the mistake of buying another one but I think it was West Bend.
The best features of my fav (the Rival) in addition to shape are the keep warm setting and the finish. It’s easier to clean and has stayed quite white despite my many hours of cooking everything from tomatoes to black beans.
linda sargent says
Go with the KitchenAid! Borrow the MIL’s in the meantime. I’ve bought the cheaper and the most aggravating problems I’ve had relate to the thermostat. Nothing worse than an unreliable slow cooker thermostat.
I just bought my first KitchenAid stand mixer and I’m in heaven.
Nice blog, BTW
G Lo’s Sister