Of ‘crock pots’ and slow cookers

Recently I realized I’ve been under-utilizing my “crock pots.” Not only that, I’ve been calling them by the wrong name for years.

I can’t actually remember when I first started preparing meals in one of these time-saving appliances but with a little research my memory has been jogged to recall that the Rival company designed a slow cooker in the early 1970s and trademarked the name “Crock-pot.” The original motto — “Cooks all day while the cook’s away” — describes the convenience that their arrival brought to homemakers then and continues to provide some 40 years later. 

If you’re of “a certain age,” you’ll call to mind that the inner pottery lining in the first models was attached to the cooking base. Washing them was a bit of a hassle as, of course, the electric cord could not be immersed in water. The invention of the removable crock lining was sheer genius, if you ask me.

I understand now that there is really no such thing as a “crock pot” because Crock-Pot® is the brand that invented the “slow cooker.” But, I imagine I’ll always use those terms interchangeably just like I do with “Kleenex®” and facial tissue, “Band-Aids®” and flexible adhesive bandages or “Jell-O” and flavored gelatin.

I’ve made many a roast over the years in the Crock-Pot® slow cookers I’ve owned but I don’t recollect using what I would call a “recipe” for those. I’ve prepared them surrounded by onions, potatoes, carrots and canned tomatoes or other similar combinations. They’ve always turned out to be delicious meals waiting to be enjoyed when we’ve arrived home at the end of a day at work.

I’ve served hot dips at parties from these convenient gadgets and warmed up dishes for potlucks at work. But — this is where my “under-usage” has occurred. In researching recipes and reviewing techniques for a slow cooker collection for FFF, I recognize I could do so much more with this great invention.

So, please check back often this month to brush up on tips for improving slow cooker skills or to add a few new “crock pot” recipes to your collection. CJK