Chicks, it's shopping time!!! Well, if DW finds a job sooner rather than later, I can use my tax money to buy two items we desperately need: a food processor and a crock pot.
What kinds of each do you have and do you recommend them? I know a lot of our recipes call for one or the other, if not both. And I am so sick of adding water to everything I make because I have to use my blender and having to spend a few hours preparing food when I get home from work.
I'm a cuisinart fan. My mom still has her Cuisinart food processor from over 30 years ago and it still works like a dream. As does her 45 year old Cuisinart stand mixer. Those things last forever!
I have a rival crock pot (6 quart), and it works really well. I'd recommend it. It has lots of bells and whistles so it can be a bit complicated at times, but it works well.
I also have Cuisinart slow cooker(3 .5 quart) and like it as well. It's the basic model, but I've never had a problem with it.
Make sure on whatever model you buy the lid fits tightly and that the ceramic insert is removable. It's a pain to clear other wise! Some models may let you use the insert on the stove for browning, mine don't, but it's a nice feature one less dish to clean.
Ohhhhhhh, I'm such a slow cooker fan. I have 3 crock pots. All of them Rival (6 qt., 4 qt., 3 qt.) Borrowed one more slow cooker for Christmas and made my complete dinner in them including the cake.
I like my 6 quart, and I use it the most. I'm a huge big batch cooker so I like to make a lot of food at one time. If I'm trying to do just a simple one dinner meal it can be a little big, but its not terrible. I got the 3.5 quart, because there were times when some of my smaller meals came out a bit dry. However, I think the 6 quart is good in that it gives some leeway in cooking. That's what I started with, and I use on a regular basis.
I have a Cuisinart mini chopper (3 or 4 cup I think) which works well for me, but when I'm doing a lot of cooking I like my mom's bigger one. The only thing that sucks with the smaller one (that I have), is that is doesn't have any of the cool blades it just chops. So decide what you want from that. Do you want it to be able to slice, grate, chop, julienne etc. or just chop things into small pieces?
We have the large crockpot. It makes enough for dinner and leftovers for the week. When I need a smaller container for stuff like oatmeal I just put a ceramic bowl inside the crockpot (learned that trick from someone here). Ours is a Rival and it does have hot spots that I don't like. Things can stick and burn in a couple of places even if there is enough moisture in the dish. I will replace it eventually with a different brand.
I'm also a Cuisinart fan for appliances. However my processor is a KitchenAid. It's the model that has a regular and small size bowl. Honestly I usually use the large bowl not the small. I rarely use if for just chopping veggies (too lazy to clean it all after) but use it often for bean burgers.
I love the reviews on Amazon. I've picked several appliances based on lots of positive reviews and the system hasn't failed me yet. Even if you don't buy from them it's worth scanning.
I agree - a removable crock is a must!! i have a big Rival one with no bells and whistles, just settings for low, high, and warm. It was really quite cheap at Target. (I dropped and broke my old one''s lid last year so had to replace the whole thing.)
I have a cuisinart that I got as a wedding gift 22 years ago. It works really well. Those are probably quite expensive! I don't use it that often but it is great when I do. I would love a little chopper someday, maybe. And a mandolin.
I'm a Cuisinart fan, as far as food processors go. I have 2 that are over 20 years old. If I ever need something, the parts are still avaliable. I even sent one in once for repair.
I just have a basic crockpot which I sometimes wish it was a little bigger so I could have more available for freezing.
I have a kitchenaid food processor and love it. I just bought my first crock pot a few months ago and it was the best kitchen purchase I've made in a long time. I wanted the larger Rival digital but the store I went to only had the Crockpot brand large digital one. I have no complaints about it at all and I've been using it at least once a week.
I have 2 food processors. One is a small-ish cuisinart that also came with a blender attachment. I can't remember the size, but it can't be more than 3 or 4 cups. My other one is a Hamilton Beach than is a humongous monster. It's great, but too big IMO, and I am cooking for 8, not 2. I keep my small one on the counter and use it just about every day. I only drag out the big one every once in a while. Now, as far as quality, I am not sure the brand/cost matters. My cuisinart was much more expensive than the hamilton beach but I don't think it is any better for the money. In fact, the blender part of my cuisinart broke after only 2 years and I rarely even used the bender! You'd probably do just as well with a cheaper brand if that's what you can afford.
The crock pot is also something that you don't have to spend a ton on. Mine is a big oval one from Walmart and was I think under $30 a few months ago. It's only got 4 settings- off, low, high and warm- but it works great. I know they have fancier ones out but I am technologically impaired so this one is perfect for me. Probably since you're cooking for 2, you would want a smaller one because I would think extra space might make things cook differently. Even if it didn't, the extra space in there would bother me, but I am just weird that way.
I'm thrifty and practical, sometimes even cheap. Here is my suggestion: Visit your local thrift store, shop Ebay, and check out Craigs List. My Kitchen Aid food processor is refurbished from Ebay and works perfectly. My small crock pot is used and ugly, but works. I see crock pots all the time at thrift stores. I'd rather spend my money on the good stuff to put in my appliances.
I agree about buying a used crockpot. Those things never die! But, like a few others have said, make sure that it has a removable washable insert -- otherwise, it's a pain to wash.
If there is only two of you, I recommend the Cuisinart Smart Power Duet. It's probably about 3 cup size, but is perfect for small portions. I use mine all the time and really love it!
A major consideration with food processor size is what you will use it for. If you're just chopping veggies a small one will be perfect. I use mine primarily for bean burgers (including the falafel recipe) and actually need the larger bowl. I could never make those in the small bowl even for 2 people (I do make the whole recipe though, not a smaller version).
Similarly with the crockpot - my Rival was very inexpensive and it was great when I only used it once in awhile. It's not holding up well to more than weekly use though. It's got these annoying hot spots (can you tell I'm working up to replacing it). For me that's always the balance with new appliances. I want to spend the least I can to get what I want but I have often ended up with something I needed to replace sooner than I expected. Speaking of I have this small crockpot I need to find a home for. Got it as a gift for hot cereals, used it once and the stupid thing heats unevenly and the cereal stuck a lot. I went back to the bowl in crock method. Of course I also have great things I thought I would use but don't I'm getting pickier about my toys
Food Processor and Crockpot
I'm getting pickier about my toys
