I have an older slow cooker by All Clad. It takes a very long time to
reach a stable temperature (hours), especially when it contains a large
amount of liquid. Since some cooking processes don't begin until the
temperature is above 160 or 170 F, there are times you might want to get
there as quickly as possible.

Looking for ways to speed up the heating process, I sent an email to All
Clad asking if I could stick the crock (with liquid) in the microwave,
to heat things up faster.

Here is their response, in full:

"Please respond with the entire REF number (typically 10-15 characters
in length) from the underside of your All Clad appliance, your complete
physical address (no PO box please) and telephone number. *Once we have
that information we will be able to better assist you with your request."

Which is as content-free as the Republican's response to last night's
SOTU.

So the question:

Has anybody tried sticking a slow cooker crock in the microwave?

Isaac

On Wednesday, January 21, 2015 at 4:30:00 PM UTC-6, isw wrote:
>
> I have an older slow cooker by All Clad. It takes a very long time to
> reach a stable temperature (hours), especially when it contains a large
> amount of liquid.
>
> Looking for ways to speed up the heating process, I sent an email to All
> Clad asking if I could stick the crock (with liquid) in the microwave,
> to heat things up faster.
>
> So the question:
>
> Has anybody tried sticking a slow cooker crock in the microwave?
>
> Isaac
>
>
Not sure why you would need to have a large amount of liquid in your crockpot when starting it as they are notorious for producing copious amount of liquid. But if you still want a large amount of liquid and want your crockpot to start cooking sooner why not heat the liquid in a separate container in your microwave? Then add the hot liquid to your crockpot that is on and it should start cooking much sooner.

On 1/21/2015 4:29 PM, isw wrote:

> Which is as content-free as the Republican's response to last night's
> SOTU.


Now THAT'S funny! Sad... but funny.

George L

On 1/21/2015 12:29 PM, isw wrote:
> I have an older slow cooker by All Clad. It takes a very long time to
> reach a stable temperature (hours), especially when it contains a large
> amount of liquid. Since some cooking processes don't begin until the
> temperature is above 160 or 170 F, there are times you might want to get
> there as quickly as possible.
>
> Looking for ways to speed up the heating process, I sent an email to All
> Clad asking if I could stick the crock (with liquid) in the microwave,
> to heat things up faster.
>
> Here is their response, in full:
>
> "Please respond with the entire REF number (typically 10-15 characters
> in length) from the underside of your All Clad appliance, your complete
> physical address (no PO box please) and telephone number. Once we have
> that information we will be able to better assist you with your request."
>
> Which is as content-free as the Republican's response to last night's
> SOTU.
>
> So the question:
>
> Has anybody tried sticking a slow cooker crock in the microwave?
>
> Isaac
>

I wouldn't hesitate to stick a ceramic pot in the microwave. Just don't
stick the cooker in there. You'd probably have to leave it in there for
at least 5 to 10 minutes.

"isw" > wrote in message
...
>I have an older slow cooker by All Clad. It takes a very long time to
> reach a stable temperature (hours), especially when it contains a large
> amount of liquid. Since some cooking processes don't begin until the
> temperature is above 160 or 170 F, there are times you might want to get
> there as quickly as possible.
>
> Looking for ways to speed up the heating process, I sent an email to All
> Clad asking if I could stick the crock (with liquid) in the microwave,
> to heat things up faster.
>
> Here is their response, in full:
>
> "Please respond with the entire REF number (typically 10-15 characters
> in length) from the underside of your All Clad appliance, your complete
> physical address (no PO box please) and telephone number. Once we have
> that information we will be able to better assist you with your request."
>
> Which is as content-free as the Republican's response to last night's
> SOTU.
>
> So the question:
>
> Has anybody tried sticking a slow cooker crock in the microwave?
>
> Isaac

Slow cookers are cheap these days. If it is old, then just get a new one.
It obviously is no longer working properly.

In article >,
" > wrote:

> On Wednesday, January 21, 2015 at 4:30:00 PM UTC-6, isw wrote:
> >
> > I have an older slow cooker by All Clad. It takes a very long time to
> > reach a stable temperature (hours), especially when it contains a large
> > amount of liquid.
> >
> > Looking for ways to speed up the heating process, I sent an email to All
> > Clad asking if I could stick the crock (with liquid) in the microwave,
> > to heat things up faster.
> >
> > So the question:
> >
> > Has anybody tried sticking a slow cooker crock in the microwave?
> >
> > Isaac
> >
> >
> Not sure why you would need to have a large amount of liquid in your crockpot
> when starting it as they are notorious for producing copious amount of
> liquid.

I was making soup.

> But if you still want a large amount of liquid and want your
> crockpot to start cooking sooner why not heat the liquid in a separate
> container in your microwave?

The gas cooktop would do that job a whole lot faster.

> Then add the hot liquid to your crockpot that
> is on and it should start cooking much sooner.

Which would cause a thermal shock to the crock. Whether that would
matter or not, I'm not interested in finding out.

Isaac

On Wednesday, January 21, 2015 at 4:18:29 PM UTC-8, Julie Bove wrote:
> "isw" > wrote in message
> ...
> >I have an older slow cooker by All Clad. It takes a very long time to
> > reach a stable temperature (hours), especially when it contains a large
> > amount of liquid. Since some cooking processes don't begin until the
> > temperature is above 160 or 170 F, there are times you might want to get
> > there as quickly as possible.
> >
> > Looking for ways to speed up the heating process, I sent an email to All
> > Clad asking if I could stick the crock (with liquid) in the microwave,
> > to heat things up faster.
> >
> > Here is their response, in full:
> >
> > "Please respond with the entire REF number (typically 10-15 characters
> > in length) from the underside of your All Clad appliance, your complete
> > physical address (no PO box please) and telephone number. Once we have
> > that information we will be able to better assist you with your request."
> >
> > Which is as content-free as the Republican's response to last night's
> > SOTU.
> >
> > So the question:
> >
> > Has anybody tried sticking a slow cooker crock in the microwave?
> >
> > Isaac
>
> Slow cookers are cheap these days. If it is old, then just get a new one.
> It obviously is no longer working properly.

The food safety police have meddled with slow cookers, and they now
must run hotter. I would cherish the old ones.

On Wednesday, January 21, 2015 at 2:30:00 PM UTC-8, isw wrote:
> I have an older slow cooker by All Clad. It takes a very long time to
> reach a stable temperature (hours), especially when it contains a large
> amount of liquid. Since some cooking processes don't begin until the
> temperature is above 160 or 170 F, there are times you might want to get
> there as quickly as possible.
>
> Looking for ways to speed up the heating process, I sent an email to All
> Clad asking if I could stick the crock (with liquid) in the microwave,
> to heat things up faster.
>
> Here is their response, in full:
>
> "Please respond with the entire REF number (typically 10-15 characters
> in length) from the underside of your All Clad appliance, your complete
> physical address (no PO box please) and telephone number. *Once we have
> that information we will be able to better assist you with your request."
>
> Which is as content-free as the Republican's response to last night's
> SOTU.

They are trying to understand the problem.

You say this is an older model. Has its behavior changed since you first
received it? Perhaps something is broken.They would like to know which one
you have in order to properly advise you.

They might even have two of everything. In which case they cold pop a crock
into the microwave, and see what happens.

But what I would want to do first, is compare your experience to the
time-temperature plots for that model.

>
> So the question:
>
> Has anybody tried sticking a slow cooker crock in the microwave?
>

No. Either my microwave is much smaller than yours, or my crock
is much bigger than yours.

isw > wrote:
> I have an older slow cooker by All Clad. It takes a very long time to
> reach a stable temperature (hours), especially when it contains a large
> amount of liquid. Since some cooking processes don't begin until the
> temperature is above 160 or 170 F, there are times you might want to get
> there as quickly as possible.
>
> Looking for ways to speed up the heating process, I sent an email to All
> Clad asking if I could stick the crock (with liquid) in the microwave,
> to heat things up faster.
>
> Here is their response, in full:
>
> "Please respond with the entire REF number (typically 10-15 characters
> in length) from the underside of your All Clad appliance, your complete
> physical address (no PO box please) and telephone number. Once we have
> that information we will be able to better assist you with your request."
>
> Which is as content-free as the Republican's response to last night's
> SOTU.
>
> So the question:
>
> Has anybody tried sticking a slow cooker crock in the microwave?
>
> Isaac

Transfer from cooktop pot to crock pot after heating. Crock watts, 250
microwave 900 cooktop, over 2000 .

Greg

On Wed, 21 Jan 2015 14:29:56 -0800, isw > wrote:

> I have an older slow cooker by All Clad. It takes a very long time to
> reach a stable temperature (hours), especially when it contains a large
> amount of liquid. Since some cooking processes don't begin until the
> temperature is above 160 or 170 F, there are times you might want to get
> there as quickly as possible.
>
> Looking for ways to speed up the heating process, I sent an email to All
> Clad asking if I could stick the crock (with liquid) in the microwave,
> to heat things up faster.
>
> Here is their response, in full:
>
> "Please respond with the entire REF number (typically 10-15 characters
> in length) from the underside of your All Clad appliance, your complete
> physical address (no PO box please) and telephone number. *Once we have
> that information we will be able to better assist you with your request."
>
> Which is as content-free as the Republican's response to last night's
> SOTU.
>
> So the question:
>
> Has anybody tried sticking a slow cooker crock in the microwave?
>
I have the cheapest Crock Pot I could find. The directions say to
start it on high and recommends and hour before it's turned down. By
that time, you should be seeing tiny bubbles that indicated it is up
to temp. Try not to take the top off your crockpot because it takes
a long time (20 min) for it to get back to the temperature it was
before you removed the lid.


--
A kitchen without a cook is just a room

On Wednesday, January 21, 2015 at 4:30:00 PM UTC-6, isw wrote:
>
>
> Has anybody tried sticking a slow cooker crock in the microwave?
>
I have done it many times with the little (1.5qt?) one. I fill it about
halfway with water, even if I'm going to empty most/all of the water out
after I get it hot.
>
> Isaac

--Bryan

On Wed, 21 Jan 2015 22:27:19 -0800 (PST),
wrote:

> On Wednesday, January 21, 2015 at 4:18:29 PM UTC-8, Julie Bove wrote:
> > "isw" > wrote in message
> > ...
> > >
> > > So the question:
> > >
> > > Has anybody tried sticking a slow cooker crock in the microwave?
> > >
> > > Isaac
> >
> > Slow cookers are cheap these days. If it is old, then just get a new one.
> > It obviously is no longer working properly.
>
> The food safety police have meddled with slow cookers, and they now
> must run hotter. I would cherish the old ones.

I'm new to this slow cooker thing, but I think mine works just fine.
Can't imagine them being any slower. Wouldn't want that anyway.

--
A kitchen without a cook is just a room

On Wed, 21 Jan 2015 22:21:53 -0800, isw > wrote:

> In article >,
> " > wrote:
>
>
> > Then add the hot liquid to your crockpot that
> > is on and it should start cooking much sooner.
>
> Which would cause a thermal shock to the crock.

Why? Is your crock coming directly from the freezer?

> Whether that would matter or not, I'm not interested in finding out.
>
Why don't you set it on high for one hour and then turn it down?

--
A kitchen without a cook is just a room

On Thursday, January 22, 2015 at 1:27:23 AM UTC-5, wrote:


> The food safety police have meddled with slow cookers, and they now
> must run hotter. I would cherish the old ones.

I didn't know this - thanks. I will hang onto my ancient Rival, just like my ancient Pyrex stuff.

On Thu, 22 Jan 2015 03:46:26 -0800 (PST), Bryan-TGWWW
> wrote:

> On Wednesday, January 21, 2015 at 4:30:00 PM UTC-6, isw wrote:
> >
> >
> > Has anybody tried sticking a slow cooker crock in the microwave?
> >
> I have done it many times with the little (1.5qt?) one. I fill it about
> halfway with water, even if I'm going to empty most/all of the water out
> after I get it hot.
> >

There is a certain cognitive dissonance associated with the OP using a
slow cooker, speeding up the process and then complaining about how
fast they cook.

--
A kitchen without a cook is just a room

gregz wrote:
>isw wrote:
>> I have an older slow cooker by All Clad. It takes a very long time to
>> reach a stable temperature (hours), especially when it contains a large
>> amount of liquid. Since some cooking processes don't begin until the
>> temperature is above 160 or 170 F, there are times you might want to get
>> there as quickly as possible.
>>
>> Looking for ways to speed up the heating process, I sent an email to All
>> Clad asking if I could stick the crock (with liquid) in the microwave,
>> to heat things up faster.
>>
>> Here is their response, in full:
>>
>> "Please respond with the entire REF number (typically 10-15 characters
>> in length) from the underside of your All Clad appliance, your complete
>> physical address (no PO box please) and telephone number. Once we have
>> that information we will be able to better assist you with your request."
>>
>> So the question:
>>
>> Has anybody tried sticking a slow cooker crock in the microwave?
>>
>> Isaac

You do that each time you stick your empty head up your ass.

>Transfer from cooktop pot to crock pot after heating. Crock watts, 250
>microwave 900 cooktop, over 2000 .

Wouldn't it make more sense and be a lot easier after reaching
temperature to simply lower the temperature of the cooktop?

Um, stovetops don't need to run at full power, therefore use less
energy than a crockpot, but it's nice to be able to bring a pot up to
heat in a hurry and be able to bring it back to heat quickly when an
ingredient is added... I see no use for a crockpot, run your stovetop
on its lowest setting... with a larger pot (6+ quarts) you'll even
need to crank it up to maintain heat. Crockpots are really for people
who can't (don't know how to) cook... crockpots are cooking as paint
by numbers is art. I've put up an 8 qt pot of stew on a stovetop in
the morning and it was perfectly cooked for dinner... I do many slow
cooked dishes on the stovetop... in fact last year I gave away my
crackpot... I think they're a PIA and don't cook well. Before I'd
ever buy another slowcooker I'd buy a microwave oven with a probe, had
one years ago, it worked wonderfully well, probably even more features
now... if you add something they automatically switch to a higher
power to come back to temperature quickly and then switch back to
maintain the set temperature. The probe costs less than a crockpot
and then you can use any covered microwave safe caserole, it's nice to
be able to stir, taste, reseason, and not need to wait hours longer to
finish the dish. Plus with a microwave oven with a probe you don't
need a place to store the fercocktah crockpot.
http://articles.chicagotribune.com/1...-cooking-probe

Bwrrryan wrote:
>isw wrote:
>>
>> Has anybody tried sticking a slow cooker crock in the microwave?
>>
>I have done it many times with the little (1.5qt?) one. I fill it about
>halfway with water, even if I'm going to empty most/all of the water out
>after I get it hot.

Perhaps the ceramic insert but not the entire slow cooker.

Why does anyone need so small a slow cooker, I can pee more. My
normal soup bowl is a 1 1/2 qt Pyrex bowl, goes into the microwave
oven directly. Wouldn't it make more sense to heat so small a
quantity of water in a teakettle... my electric teakettle heats 7 cups
of water in under 3 1/2 minutes. The smallest pot I own is 2 quarts,
just right for doctored ramen or one cup of rice. I see no good use
for a large slow cooker, but 1 1/2 qts, who in their right mind wants
to wait several hours to cook so small amount... before I'd spend
hours slow cooking so small a quantity of stew I'd nuke a can of Dinty
Moore in five minutes.

If you ever cook red kidney beans in a crock pot be sure it boils at least 10 min, if it doesn't whoever eats it could end up in the hosp.

On Thursday, January 22, 2015 at 12:21:57 AM UTC-6, isw wrote:
>
> In article >,
> " > wrote:
>
> > On Wednesday, January 21, 2015 at 4:30:00 PM UTC-6, isw wrote:
> > >
> > > I have an older slow cooker by All Clad. It takes a very long time to
> > > reach a stable temperature (hours), especially when it contains a large
> > > amount of liquid.
> > >
> > > Looking for ways to speed up the heating process, I sent an email to All
> > > Clad asking if I could stick the crock (with liquid) in the microwave,
> > > to heat things up faster.
> > >
> > > So the question:
> > >
> > > Has anybody tried sticking a slow cooker crock in the microwave?
> > >
> > > Isaac
> > >
> > >
> > Not sure why you would need to have a large amount of liquid in your crockpot
> > when starting it as they are notorious for producing copious amount of
> > liquid.
>
> I was making soup.
>
>
Full disclosure is very helpful when posting your question.
>
>
> > But if you still want a large amount of liquid and want your
> > crockpot to start cooking sooner why not heat the liquid in a separate
> > container in your microwave?
>
> The gas cooktop would do that job a whole lot faster.
>
>
Then it's a no-brainer to slowly, I repeat slowly, heat your cooking liquid.
>
>
> > Then add the hot liquid to your crockpot that
> > is on and it should start cooking much sooner.
>
> Which would cause a thermal shock to the crock. Whether that would
> matter or not, I'm not interested in finding out.
>
> Isaac
>
>
Read my reply above about slowly heating your liquid, not to the boiling point, but hot. Rinsing your crock with hot water before adding the hot liquid will temper your crock. This is too easy to remedy so not sure why you even asked in the first place.

> wrote in message
...
> If you ever cook red kidney beans in a crock pot be sure it boils at least
> 10 min, if it doesn't whoever eats it could end up in the hosp.

I rarely use the Crock Pot at all any more and I know to fully cook any
beans that might go into it.

On 2015-01-22 10:32 AM, sf wrote:

>> I have done it many times with the little (1.5qt?) one. I fill it about
>> halfway with water, even if I'm going to empty most/all of the water out
>> after I get it hot.
>>>
>
> There is a certain cognitive dissonance associated with the OP using a
> slow cooker, speeding up the process and then complaining about how
> fast they cook.

That is more like irony than cognitive dissonance.

On 1/22/2015 10:32 AM, sf wrote:
> On Thu, 22 Jan 2015 03:46:26 -0800 (PST), Bryan-TGWWW
> > wrote:
>
>> On Wednesday, January 21, 2015 at 4:30:00 PM UTC-6, isw wrote:
>>>
>>>
>>> Has anybody tried sticking a slow cooker crock in the microwave?
>>>
>> I have done it many times with the little (1.5qt?) one. I fill it about
>> halfway with water, even if I'm going to empty most/all of the water out
>> after I get it hot.
>>>
>
> There is a certain cognitive dissonance associated with the OP using a
> slow cooker, speeding up the process and then complaining about how
> fast they cook.
>
The OP said it took too long to get up to temp when making soups, not
that the slow cooker cooked too fast.

Jill

In article >,
sf > wrote:

> On Wed, 21 Jan 2015 22:21:53 -0800, isw > wrote:
>
> > In article >,
> > " > wrote:
> >
> >
> > > Then add the hot liquid to your crockpot that
> > > is on and it should start cooking much sooner.
> >
> > Which would cause a thermal shock to the crock.
>
> Why? Is your crock coming directly from the freezer?
>
> > Whether that would matter or not, I'm not interested in finding out.
> >
> Why don't you set it on high for one hour and then turn it down?

Because even keeping it on high (which is how I had it set), it still
took nearly three hours to get up to about 195 F (its stable "high"
temperature).

Isaac

In article >,
Bryan-TGWWW > wrote:

> On Wednesday, January 21, 2015 at 4:30:00 PM UTC-6, isw wrote:
> >
> >
> > Has anybody tried sticking a slow cooker crock in the microwave?
> >
> I have done it many times with the little (1.5qt?) one. I fill it about
> halfway with water, even if I'm going to empty most/all of the water out
> after I get it hot.

Finally -- a useful reply.

Thanks.

Isaac

In article >,
wrote:

> On Wednesday, January 21, 2015 at 2:30:00 PM UTC-8, isw wrote:
> > I have an older slow cooker by All Clad. It takes a very long time to
> > reach a stable temperature (hours), especially when it contains a large
> > amount of liquid. Since some cooking processes don't begin until the
> > temperature is above 160 or 170 F, there are times you might want to get
> > there as quickly as possible.
> >
> > Looking for ways to speed up the heating process, I sent an email to All
> > Clad asking if I could stick the crock (with liquid) in the microwave,
> > to heat things up faster.
> >
> > Here is their response, in full:
> >
> > "Please respond with the entire REF number (typically 10-15 characters
> > in length) from the underside of your All Clad appliance, your complete
> > physical address (no PO box please) and telephone number. *Once we have
> > that information we will be able to better assist you with your request."
> >
> > Which is as content-free as the Republican's response to last night's
> > SOTU.
>
> They are trying to understand the problem.

Please explain how knowing my phone number will help them to understand
whether I can stick their crock in a microwave.

> You say this is an older model. Has its behavior changed since you first
> received it?

Dunno; I got it as a "gift", used.

> Perhaps something is broken.They would like to know which one
> you have in order to properly advise you.

Please explain how knowing whether it is broken or not would affect
whether I can stick the crock in a nuker.

> But what I would want to do first, is compare your experience to the
> time-temperature plots for that model.

I'd love to have that; where do I get it? The All Clad web site doesn't
even have a downloadable version of the user manual (for any of their
products, as far as I can tell).

Isaac

In article >,
sf > wrote:

> On Wed, 21 Jan 2015 22:27:19 -0800 (PST),
> wrote:
>
> > On Wednesday, January 21, 2015 at 4:18:29 PM UTC-8, Julie Bove wrote:
> > > "isw" > wrote in message
> > > ...
> > > >
> > > > So the question:
> > > >
> > > > Has anybody tried sticking a slow cooker crock in the microwave?
> > > >
> > > > Isaac
> > >
> > > Slow cookers are cheap these days. If it is old, then just get a new
> > > one.
> > > It obviously is no longer working properly.
> >
> > The food safety police have meddled with slow cookers, and they now
> > must run hotter. I would cherish the old ones.
>
> I'm new to this slow cooker thing, but I think mine works just fine.
> Can't imagine them being any slower. Wouldn't want that anyway.

Cooking is chemistry. Chemical reactions proceed at a speed determined
by temperature. The conversion of tough catch-in-your-teeth cartilage
and gristle into unctious gelatin doesn't really get started until the
temperature reaches about 165-170 F, and the meat needs to spend
considerable time above that temperature for the process to do its magic
(to a point, higher = faster). Waiting two or three hours for a slow
cooker to get to a temperature where things can even get started is just
wasteful.

Isaac

On Thu, 22 Jan 2015 20:56:08 -0800, isw > wrote:

> In article >,
> sf > wrote:
>
> > On Wed, 21 Jan 2015 22:21:53 -0800, isw > wrote:
> >
> > > In article >,
> > > " > wrote:
> > >
> > >
> > > > Then add the hot liquid to your crockpot that
> > > > is on and it should start cooking much sooner.
> > >
> > > Which would cause a thermal shock to the crock.
> >
> > Why? Is your crock coming directly from the freezer?
> >
> > > Whether that would matter or not, I'm not interested in finding out.
> > >
> > Why don't you set it on high for one hour and then turn it down?
>
> Because even keeping it on high (which is how I had it set), it still
> took nearly three hours to get up to about 195 F (its stable "high"
> temperature).
>
Bringing it up to 195° makes absolutely no sense when you'll be
cooking it for hours on low. What temperature do you expect the
liquid to be at when you finishing cooking?

--
A kitchen without a cook is just a room

On Thu, 22 Jan 2015 18:08:52 -0500, Dave Smith
> wrote:

> On 2015-01-22 10:32 AM, sf wrote:
>
> >> I have done it many times with the little (1.5qt?) one. I fill it about
> >> halfway with water, even if I'm going to empty most/all of the water out
> >> after I get it hot.
> >>>
> >
> > There is a certain cognitive dissonance associated with the OP using a
> > slow cooker, speeding up the process and then complaining about how
> > fast they cook.
>
> That is more like irony than cognitive dissonance.
>
I don't think you're in love with the word irony and have no idea what
cognitive dissonance is.

--
A kitchen without a cook is just a room

On Thu, 22 Jan 2015 18:49:47 -0500, jmcquown >
wrote:

> On 1/22/2015 10:32 AM, sf wrote:
> > On Thu, 22 Jan 2015 03:46:26 -0800 (PST), Bryan-TGWWW
> > > wrote:
> >
> >> On Wednesday, January 21, 2015 at 4:30:00 PM UTC-6, isw wrote:
> >>>
> >>>
> >>> Has anybody tried sticking a slow cooker crock in the microwave?
> >>>
> >> I have done it many times with the little (1.5qt?) one. I fill it about
> >> halfway with water, even if I'm going to empty most/all of the water out
> >> after I get it hot.
> >>>
> >
> > There is a certain cognitive dissonance associated with the OP using a
> > slow cooker, speeding up the process and then complaining about how
> > fast they cook.
> >
> The OP said it took too long to get up to temp when making soups, not
> that the slow cooker cooked too fast.
>
He started off complaining about how slow cookers are too hot.


--
A kitchen without a cook is just a room

On Thu, 22 Jan 2015 21:16:53 -0800, isw > wrote:

> In article >,
> sf > wrote:
>
> > On Wed, 21 Jan 2015 22:27:19 -0800 (PST),
> > wrote:
> >
> > > On Wednesday, January 21, 2015 at 4:18:29 PM UTC-8, Julie Bove wrote:
> > > > "isw" > wrote in message
> > > > ...
> > > > >
> > > > > So the question:
> > > > >
> > > > > Has anybody tried sticking a slow cooker crock in the microwave?
> > > > >
> > > > > Isaac
> > > >
> > > > Slow cookers are cheap these days. If it is old, then just get a new
> > > > one.
> > > > It obviously is no longer working properly.
> > >
> > > The food safety police have meddled with slow cookers, and they now
> > > must run hotter. I would cherish the old ones.
> >
> > I'm new to this slow cooker thing, but I think mine works just fine.
> > Can't imagine them being any slower. Wouldn't want that anyway.
>
> Cooking is chemistry. Chemical reactions proceed at a speed determined
> by temperature. The conversion of tough catch-in-your-teeth cartilage
> and gristle into unctious gelatin doesn't really get started until the
> temperature reaches about 165-170 F, and the meat needs to spend
> considerable time above that temperature for the process to do its magic
> (to a point, higher = faster). Waiting two or three hours for a slow
> cooker to get to a temperature where things can even get started is just
> wasteful.
>
If the cook can't work with a slow cooker then said cook needs stop
complaining and use something else.

--
A kitchen without a cook is just a room

On Thursday, January 22, 2015 at 9:05:48 PM UTC-8, isw wrote:
> In article >,
> wrote:
>
> > On Wednesday, January 21, 2015 at 2:30:00 PM UTC-8, isw wrote:
> > > I have an older slow cooker by All Clad. It takes a very long time to
> > > reach a stable temperature (hours), especially when it contains a large
> > > amount of liquid. Since some cooking processes don't begin until the
> > > temperature is above 160 or 170 F, there are times you might want to get
> > > there as quickly as possible.
> > >
> > > Looking for ways to speed up the heating process, I sent an email to All
> > > Clad asking if I could stick the crock (with liquid) in the microwave,
> > > to heat things up faster.
> > >
> > > Here is their response, in full:
> > >
> > > "Please respond with the entire REF number (typically 10-15 characters
> > > in length) from the underside of your All Clad appliance, your complete
> > > physical address (no PO box please) and telephone number. *Once we have
> > > that information we will be able to better assist you with your request."
> > >
> > > Which is as content-free as the Republican's response to last night's
> > > SOTU.
> >
> > They are trying to understand the problem.
>
> Please explain how knowing my phone number will help them to understand
> whether I can stick their crock in a microwave.

They have found with experience that when some nutball submits a question
from out in left field, that communicating him in real time can help
resolve the issue.

>
> > You say this is an older model. Has its behavior changed since you first
> > received it?
>
> Dunno; I got it as a "gift", used.
>
> > Perhaps something is broken.They would like to know which one
> > you have in order to properly advise you.
>
> Please explain how knowing whether it is broken or not would affect
> whether I can stick the crock in a nuker.

Dude, nobody normal sticks their crock in a microwave. AC are not
about to blithely tell you to do this if the likely result is a cracked
crock

Further, nukeability might depend on the glaze, the thickness, the
baked-in stresses, which depend on the manufacturer's processes,
which depend on the manufacturer.

Substitute "glass jar" for "crock." Now try to answer the question.

But your real question is not "how can I stick my crock in the microwave,"
but "how can I speed up cooking in my slow cooker"?

This real question suggests that your slow cooker is TOOOO SLOWWW.
So maybe it's broken.


>
> > But what I would want to do first, is compare your experience to the
> > time-temperature plots for that model.
>
> I'd love to have that; where do I get it? The All Clad web site doesn't
> even have a downloadable version of the user manual (for any of their
> products, as far as I can tell).
>

They might have to create such plots. But maybe Consumer Distorts or
some such did one.

"isw" > wrote in message
...
> In article >,
> sf > wrote:
>
>> On Wed, 21 Jan 2015 22:21:53 -0800, isw > wrote:
>>
>> > In article >,
>> > " > wrote:
>> >
>> >
>> > > Then add the hot liquid to your crockpot that
>> > > is on and it should start cooking much sooner.
>> >
>> > Which would cause a thermal shock to the crock.
>>
>> Why? Is your crock coming directly from the freezer?
>>
>> > Whether that would matter or not, I'm not interested in finding out.
>> >
>> Why don't you set it on high for one hour and then turn it down?
>
> Because even keeping it on high (which is how I had it set), it still
> took nearly three hours to get up to about 195 F (its stable "high"
> temperature).
>
> Isaac

Then I would say that it's time to get a new one!

"isw" > wrote in message
...
> In article >,
> wrote:
>
>> On Wednesday, January 21, 2015 at 2:30:00 PM UTC-8, isw wrote:
>> > I have an older slow cooker by All Clad. It takes a very long time to
>> > reach a stable temperature (hours), especially when it contains a large
>> > amount of liquid. Since some cooking processes don't begin until the
>> > temperature is above 160 or 170 F, there are times you might want to
>> > get
>> > there as quickly as possible.
>> >
>> > Looking for ways to speed up the heating process, I sent an email to
>> > All
>> > Clad asking if I could stick the crock (with liquid) in the microwave,
>> > to heat things up faster.
>> >
>> > Here is their response, in full:
>> >
>> > "Please respond with the entire REF number (typically 10-15 characters
>> > in length) from the underside of your All Clad appliance, your complete
>> > physical address (no PO box please) and telephone number. Once we have
>> > that information we will be able to better assist you with your
>> > request."
>> >
>> > Which is as content-free as the Republican's response to last night's
>> > SOTU.
>>
>> They are trying to understand the problem.
>
> Please explain how knowing my phone number will help them to understand
> whether I can stick their crock in a microwave.
>
>> You say this is an older model. Has its behavior changed since you first
>> received it?
>
> Dunno; I got it as a "gift", used.
>
>> Perhaps something is broken.They would like to know which one
>> you have in order to properly advise you.
>
> Please explain how knowing whether it is broken or not would affect
> whether I can stick the crock in a nuker.
>
>> But what I would want to do first, is compare your experience to the
>> time-temperature plots for that model.
>
> I'd love to have that; where do I get it? The All Clad web site doesn't
> even have a downloadable version of the user manual (for any of their
> products, as far as I can tell).
>
> Isaac

My former roommate got one as a gift, used. It didn't work right. Just
toss it and get a new one.

On Thu, 22 Jan 2015 23:46:49 -0800, "Julie Bove"
> wrote:

>
> "isw" > wrote in message
> ...
> > In article >,
> > sf > wrote:
> >
> >> On Wed, 21 Jan 2015 22:21:53 -0800, isw > wrote:
> >>
> >> > In article >,
> >> > " > wrote:
> >> >
> >> >
> >> > > Then add the hot liquid to your crockpot that
> >> > > is on and it should start cooking much sooner.
> >> >
> >> > Which would cause a thermal shock to the crock.
> >>
> >> Why? Is your crock coming directly from the freezer?
> >>
> >> > Whether that would matter or not, I'm not interested in finding out.
> >> >
> >> Why don't you set it on high for one hour and then turn it down?
> >
> > Because even keeping it on high (which is how I had it set), it still
> > took nearly three hours to get up to about 195 F (its stable "high"
> > temperature).
> >
> > Isaac
>
> Then I would say that it's time to get a new one!

That answers my "when do you know it's time for a new one" question I
had about mine. I take the temperature of liquid when it's has been
on low with the lid on for hours and it's just a couple of degrees
below boiling. I like that. I see little champagne bubbles sometime,
but it's definitely not boiling and I think it's a great temperature
for making a nice clear stock.

Frankly, I'd be willing to bet money that a big part of isw's time
problem is that he takes the lid off too much to test the temperature.
It takes 20 minutes for the contents to get back up to temp, so you
can only imagine the havoc he causes the slow cooker environment by
his constant lid lifting to measure the temperature. If he's too
impatient to let it go undisturbed, then he should let it work
overnight while he's asleep. If he expects the speed of an oven or
burner/hob, then that's what he should use.

Looking at recipes, I see cholent is one that does well in a crockpot.
I tried making it a couple of times before I bought mine, but brisket
and I don't seem to get along well so I thought I'd try it with chuck
sometime... now I see a recipe for vegetable cholent that sounds
interesting.
http://kosherfood.about.com/od/sabba...holent_veg.htm

--
A kitchen without a cook is just a room

On Thu, 22 Jan 2015 22:15:38 -0800 (PST),
wrote:

> But your real question is not "how can I stick my crock in the microwave,"
> but "how can I speed up cooking in my slow cooker"?

Bring the contents to a boil in a saucepan on the stove and transfer
it to the crockpot, but that would be too easy and he'd have and
excuse why he can't do it (which he did when that solution was
proposed). Hm... does that pattern sound familiar to you?

--
A kitchen without a cook is just a room

On 1/23/2015 12:29 AM, sf wrote:
> On Thu, 22 Jan 2015 18:49:47 -0500, jmcquown >
> wrote:
>
>> On 1/22/2015 10:32 AM, sf wrote:
>>> On Thu, 22 Jan 2015 03:46:26 -0800 (PST), Bryan-TGWWW
>>> > wrote:
>>>
>>>> On Wednesday, January 21, 2015 at 4:30:00 PM UTC-6, isw wrote:
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>> Has anybody tried sticking a slow cooker crock in the microwave?
>>>>>
>>>> I have done it many times with the little (1.5qt?) one. I fill it about
>>>> halfway with water, even if I'm going to empty most/all of the water out
>>>> after I get it hot.
>>>>>
>>>
>>> There is a certain cognitive dissonance associated with the OP using a
>>> slow cooker, speeding up the process and then complaining about how
>>> fast they cook.
>>>
>> The OP said it took too long to get up to temp when making soups, not
>> that the slow cooker cooked too fast.
>>
> He started off complaining about how slow cookers are too hot.
>
>
Huh. I thought he said it took too long for the liquid to get up to the
temp he wanted, hence asking about heating the crock in the microwave
first. I do agree with your assessment about stop taking the lid off!
The thing I like about slow cookers is the "set it and forget it" aspect.

Jill

On 2015-01-23 12:29 AM, sf wrote:

>>>> I have done it many times with the little (1.5qt?) one. I fill it about
>>>> halfway with water, even if I'm going to empty most/all of the water out
>>>> after I get it hot.
>>>>>
>>>
>>> There is a certain cognitive dissonance associated with the OP using a
>>> slow cooker, speeding up the process and then complaining about how
>>> fast they cook.
>>
>> That is more like irony than cognitive dissonance.
>>
> I don't think you're in love with the word irony and have no idea what
> cognitive dissonance is.
>

That's curious, because when I read you comment I thought you were the
one who had no idea what cognitive dissonance. Maybe it should be
defined as a word that some people thing they thrown around and sound
impressive and no one else will know that you are using it incorrectly.
But.... nice try.

On Friday, January 23, 2015 at 6:12:30 AM UTC-6, sf wrote:
>
> On Thu, 22 Jan 2015 22:15:38 -0800 (PST),
> wrote:
>
> > But your real question is not "how can I stick my crock in the microwave,"
> > but "how can I speed up cooking in my slow cooker"?
>
> Bring the contents to a boil in a saucepan on the stove and transfer
> it to the crockpot, but that would be too easy and he'd have and
> excuse why he can't do it (which he did when that solution was
> proposed). Hm... does that pattern sound familiar to you?
>
>
I told the dummy the same thing on Wednesday and all he wanted to do was whine about 'thermal shock' to the crock portion of his pot. This is really an easy problem to remedy but he just wants to be pigheaded.

On Fri, 23 Jan 2015 10:18:00 -0500, Dave Smith
> wrote:

> On 2015-01-23 12:29 AM, sf wrote:
>
> >>>> I have done it many times with the little (1.5qt?) one. I fill it about
> >>>> halfway with water, even if I'm going to empty most/all of the water out
> >>>> after I get it hot.
> >>>>>
> >>>
> >>> There is a certain cognitive dissonance associated with the OP using a
> >>> slow cooker, speeding up the process and then complaining about how
> >>> fast they cook.
> >>
> >> That is more like irony than cognitive dissonance.
> >>
> > I don't think you're in love with the word irony and have no idea what
> > cognitive dissonance is.
> >
>
> That's curious, because when I read you comment I thought you were the
> one who had no idea what cognitive dissonance. Maybe it should be
> defined as a word that some people thing they thrown around and sound
> impressive and no one else will know that you are using it incorrectly.
> But.... nice try.
>
Digging deeper?

--
A kitchen without a cook is just a room

On Fri, 23 Jan 2015 07:32:07 -0500, jmcquown >
wrote:

> On 1/23/2015 12:29 AM, sf wrote:
> > On Thu, 22 Jan 2015 18:49:47 -0500, jmcquown >
> > wrote:
> >
> >> On 1/22/2015 10:32 AM, sf wrote:
> >>> On Thu, 22 Jan 2015 03:46:26 -0800 (PST), Bryan-TGWWW
> >>> > wrote:
> >>>
> >>>> On Wednesday, January 21, 2015 at 4:30:00 PM UTC-6, isw wrote:
> >>>>>
> >>>>>
> >>>>> Has anybody tried sticking a slow cooker crock in the microwave?
> >>>>>
> >>>> I have done it many times with the little (1.5qt?) one. I fill it about
> >>>> halfway with water, even if I'm going to empty most/all of the water out
> >>>> after I get it hot.
> >>>>>
> >>>
> >>> There is a certain cognitive dissonance associated with the OP using a
> >>> slow cooker, speeding up the process and then complaining about how
> >>> fast they cook.
> >>>
> >> The OP said it took too long to get up to temp when making soups, not
> >> that the slow cooker cooked too fast.
> >>
> > He started off complaining about how slow cookers are too hot.
> >
> >
> Huh. I thought he said it took too long for the liquid to get up to the
> temp he wanted, hence asking about heating the crock in the microwave
> first. I do agree with your assessment about stop taking the lid off!
> The thing I like about slow cookers is the "set it and forget it" aspect.
>

Yes.... then he went into the part about how long it takes. Whine
whine whine. It's called a SLOW cooker for a reason.


--
A kitchen without a cook is just a room