My slow cooker gave up on me right before a big batch of chili

It happened on Sunday night. I was making my usual big pot of bean and veggie chili, the kind that costs maybe $12 total and feeds me for a week. I had everything in the pot, set it on low, and went to watch a movie. About an hour later, I smelled something hot and plastic. The whole thing had just stopped heating. The display was dead. I had to quickly move everything to my biggest pot on the stove and babysit it for two hours instead. It was a hand-me-down Crock-Pot from my mom, so it had a good run, but the timing was awful. Now I'm looking for a new one, but I don't want to spend a lot. Has anyone had a slow cooker die like that, and what's a good cheap brand that will last?

3 comments

3 Comments

hollym823mo ago

Hand-me-down Crock-Pot from my mom" makes me miss my grandma's old one, the one that always made her stew taste a little like plastic.

thea7043mo ago

My grandma's old Tupperware always gave her cookies a weird aftertaste. That plastic flavor is a whole memory on its own.

owens.willow1mo ago

That plastic taste is so specific, do you think it came from the containers being too old or was it actually how they made them back then? I've heard old Tupperware had some chemicals in it that could leach out over time, especially with heat. Did your grandma ever try to get rid of that taste by doing anything special with the cookies before serving them?