1 I know of one older 'Gent' that would make beans on sunday, and not move them to the frige untill the 'counter top boiled'  I still dont know how he did not die from that.  just a hint to all, if you ever have anything left on a counter for a few days and it starts to 'boil' get ride of it, do NOT feed it to the dog/friends/yourself/others,  Flush it down the toilet now, send it down the sink, something anything just get ride of it.

2 On the bright side, a lot of people liked the Kitchen Aid. 

It's always a hit/miss proposition when looking at opinions, because invariably something will go wrong on a unit... or several.  Who to believe?

I'm waiting to see which one you buy... 

3 LOL - dagamore... how gross. It's amazing the things people will do.

Pam - I'm kinda partial to the Faberware... but I'd have to order it through Amazon because I can't find any stores around here that carry it.

It seems that everyone who had a Rival crock from over 10 years ago just loved it - but the more recent ones seem to have some quality issues. I don't know if that's true or like you said - we're only hearing the complainers. (I must admit to not getting on to epinions and other sites to do reviews of products I like!).

I lean toward the Faberware because America's Test Kitchen has put it through its paces and liked it. As far as one can determine when looking at those who review products - they seem to be impartial on their reviews and they really use the hell out of a product before coming to a conclusion.

4 I can understand the delay if what you are cooking is fully frozen and you want it to thaw a bit first, but no other way!  Yuck.  Exactly why so many of my crocks only last a few years, I'm constantly preparing the night before and setting in the fridge till a.m. when it is promptly turned on - hence, cracked crock!

5 Oddy - have you ever thought to prepare things in a large bowl the night before, cover with foil or saran wrap and then just dump it into the crock in the morning?  That way you have one extra bowl to wash - but the crock won't crack... *grin*

6 Have 2 crockpots.  Love the liners to help with cleanup.  Must say the Oval does not work well for many recipes.  The 'juices' are not deep enough.  Or it spreads the 'fat' too thin across the top.  But both have their good points.  The oval one is great for keeping rolls warm while the cylinder shape is great for most recipes.  Good luck.

7 Thanks for the info VW!  I didn't realize that. I've only had the round one. 

8 BTW, I read somewhere that some folks use their crockpots to keep mashed potatoes warm.  Not that I have that issue... they go quickly in this house.

9 Yeah, mashed potatoes never ever lasted long enough to get cold in our house.  I don't really make them for my husband and I when we're alone - doesn't seem worth the trouble.  But with the kids at home it was an instant empty bowl.  It must be the Irish in us. *grin*

10

T- I'm not that smart!

I love my oval one but I am in need of a cylinder . . . oh, and extra cupboard space to store it!  That is my dilemma.

11 Oddy - I'm with you on the cupboard space thing. I think that's why an oval is really out for me.  If I get a new one it will have to be cylindrical and fit where the old one now sits in my cabinet. 

Oh and the "not that smart"... nope you're way smarter - you just have other things on your mind. :-)