My crock pot caused me a lot of grief yesterday. I worried all day long that it was going to catch fire and burn down my apartment complex. Fortunately, that didn’t happen. But burning did happen, that’s for sure.
I drove up to my apartment, and upon seeing that it was still standing I felt relieved and walked through the front door expecting to smell the delicious aroma of chili.
Instead… I smelled burning 
Not life-threatening burning but nasty food burning. I was not happy to say the least.
You can’t really tell from that picture how badly it was burnt, but trust me – it was not appetizing. I used this recipe and followed it to the T, since I’ve never really done the whole crock pot thing before (despite having one for like 5 years now).
I guess the most annoying revelation to come out of this whole experience was my discovery of just how long I’m at work every day. The recipe said to leave the crock pot on low for 8 hours. So, I got everything ready and turned it on low and left for work at 7 a.m. Since I did not return to the apartment until 5:30 p.m. that meant that I actually left it cooking for 10.5 hours.
WTF?! I spend 10.5 hours of my day at work?! How had I never realized this before?
As sad as this newfound knowledge made me, (granted I realize that many people work much longer days than that and I could have it much, much worse – at least I have a job, right?) I still thought that crock pot recipes gave you a little wiggle room in the time you could leave it cooking. Anyone have any wisdom here? Should I have just added some more liquid?
I did try to eat it, because I hate wasting food. I prettied up a bowl with some cheddar cheese and a dollop of Greek yogurt.
But, sadly, it just tasted like burnt beans I ate about half that portion and had to toss the rest of it. Which was not only wasteful but quite messy.
So, to sum it all up, my first experience with crockery ended quite badly. Still, I’m not giving up! The good news was that it didn’t catch fire, right? Now all I have to do is find a way to make a delicious crock pot meal that won’t turn into what you see up there ^. If you have any good crock pot recipes, please send them my way, I’m on a mission now!
Oh, and I almost forgot, in the midst of all this commotion, I did go to the gym to do some strength training. I did this lower-body workout from Women’s Health. I loved that the moves were different from your typical squats/lunges/etc. and it was seriously hard! For me anyways.
When I got home I ate my gross dinner and then had some cottage cheese and apricot preserves for dessert.
This totally redeemed the burnt chili. I forgot how much I loved cottage cheese and preserves together. Yum!
Okay, that’s enough about the crock pot. But please do enlighten me with any wisdom you may have here, I am determined to get it right!
Have a wondeful day 
eek i bet that was a biatch to clean up
. Ill look and see what good crock pot recipes I have!
I have a WHOLE COOKBOOK devoted to crock pot recipes. It’s called “Make It Fast, Cook It Slow.” I would love to send you some recipes if you let me know food preferences or something you’d like to try – shoot me an email!
As for the burning issue, it freaks me out, too. If you really want to invest in this, there are crock pots that go to “warm” after eight hours so that your meals don’t overcook and you don’t end up with burnt beans. I know it’s a downer to have to buy a new one, but it might save your 10-hour days in the long run!!
lol I have yet to use my crock pot when I havent been home. Im far to afraid of it catching fire. SO glad to read Im not the only one. The first time I used it, I made soup and went for a run (after about an hour of heavily monitored cook time had already passed) and I had to cut my run short because all I could think about was the potential fire hazard I just left alone in my kitchen.
I use my crock pot all the time on low – and usually leave it on for 12 hours. Just this weekend I made something with bbq sauce, and it started burning after 3 hours! It really sucked because the beef wasn’t finished, so I just had to let it burn. I think it actually ruined my crock pot.
I’ve decided that if the contents are more ‘liquidy’ they don’t burn. But if they are thicker like a sauce, then they do burn. Bummer – especially since I told you on twitter it would be fine!
I have zero experiencia in the crock pot department but i feel like id probably burn my house down. im sure they were terrible if you couldnt eat your dinner, but burnt beans kind of sounds good to me?
There is a blog that has 364 days of crockpot- it’s pretty funny, you should google it!
I have no idea how the dessert works, but the soups and chilis all look decent, does that help?
Oh no! I saw your tweet and was wondering how it turned out. I always assumed crock pots were pretty forgiving
Have you ever made cholent? My mom used to cook that from 7pm on a Friday until Saturday lunchtime and it just got better the longer it cooked. The comments on this recipe ( http://allrecipes.com/recipe/moms-authentic-kosher-cholent-recipe/Detail.aspx ) say it works in a crock pot.
Here’s the site Adrien was recommending…..http://crockpot365.blogspot.com
This lady wrote the book that “Twentyfifthyear” has. It’s quite an interesting site as she cooked everything you could imagine.
As for your chili….more liquid. I had the same problem once
It’s all I’ve ever made in my crock 
I wish I could help with the crockpot dilemma but I don’t even own one! Now that I am going back to work, it probably wouldn’t be a bad idea to buy one!
I’ve never thought of putting cottage cheese & preserves together, that looks yummy!
That happened to me the first 2 times I used my crock-pot, but it hasn’t happened since … liquid is key!
Oh man, that sucks. I am thinking about doing a crock pot recipe on Friday. I leave the house around 7:00 too, so I’m hoping all is ok by the time I get home. Crossing my fingers!!
Boo! I’m sorry about your crock pot burn! I wonder what went wrong? I don’t have one but I secretly always have wanted one.
My first crockpot experience was the exact same! I tried to make steel cut oats overnight and they burnt by the time I woke up in the morning. Google told me that my crockpot may be too large for small recipes, so it burns easier. I don’t know what I’d do with 10 servings of oats though!
Oh, and another thing about crockpots – what’s the deal with having to sometimes cook things before you put it in there? I hardly have time for breakfast in the mornings, as if I have time to brown turkey for my chili 
sorry girly, i’m helpless when it comes to this- no experience! seems like plenty of others have given u good advice
xoxo
shelley
http://findinghappinessandhealth.wordpress.com
I would def recommend getting the crock pots that has the automatic “warmer” that turns on after it’s’ done cooking (i have the hamilton beach “set it and forget it” and i love it!) …. although i haven’t had the guts yet to leave it on while at work, so paranoid haha, but i use it on the weekends when we are in and out of the house and does a great job every time!
Now I’m scared to use my crock pot! I’m so sorry about your ruined dinner but at least your house is standing?!!?!?
i’m no whiz when it comes to the science of crockpots but i imagine more liquid might have helped…
if you like lima beans i have a good vegan recipe on my blog:
http://theactorsdiet.wordpress.com/2009/11/03/lynn-love-taxes/
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Aww sorry to hear it didn’t work out!! I still haven’t left my crockpot by itself for a whole day yet. I’ve used it on weekends when I’m going to be out for an hour or two, but can keep an eye on it for the rest of the day. Good luck with future endeavors!
love your blog! looks like a lobster claw to me! and i am ravenous when i wake up! (its usually what wakes me up in the first place!) a happy balance of hunger would be nice in the morning!
Well if its burnt, do not mix the good with the bad but just scrape and serve from the top of the pot. If its all burnt, throw it all out. That lesson is from stove top cooking. I slow cook almost every day and have not faced this problem. I use my coffee pot which is the right size for “meals for one” and leave it on all day. I know this is safe because I left a coffee pot on during vacation for a week with coffee in it and nothing happened except for the stain on the bottom of the pot.