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monique
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I went shopping today after throwing away my rival crockpot. I looked high and low for a crock pot not made in China. No luck, of course! Then I thought I got lucky because I found a cast iron dutch oven at Macy's on sale for only $80. I bought it. Then while we were walking out to the car and my husband was putting it in the trunk, I asked if that was made in China. 
He said it was, so I turned around and returned it. When the sales clerk asked if there was anything wrong with it, I said, "It's made in China". I was so sad.
I did find another one at Bed Bath &Beyond that is from Chef Emeril. It says it's lead and cadmium free. It also says it meets FDA and CA standards. I didn't buy it because I wanted to check it out first. Jennifer, did you see anything about it in your research? It was only $99.
I may just have to save my money for that "jewel" Jennifer mentioned earlier!
What am I going to do in the mean time? I make crockpot meals every Tuesday. 
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Monique
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stefoodie
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What other pots do you have? I have a Revereware stainless steel dutch oven from our newlywed days (19 years ago) that I still use to this day -- at the time that was all we could afford $60+ for a whole set of cookware. But it's served all these years. It's not pretty and the metal is thin, but after 19 years I'm thinking it's not so bad after all. IIRC it was made here in the US too. I also have a large Farberware ss stockpot that I think was made in USA back when I got it. I don't know now whether these still are made here -- but they are long-lasting (and cheaper) investments. (And accdg to my cursory Googling you can't get lead into stainless steel -- so even if it's MIC, so it may be worth looking into.)
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guitarnan
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I have my lead testing kit, but I am not home to use it! Stay tuned for results in a couple of days...
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Mackfam
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monique wrote:
I did find another one at Bed Bath &Beyond that is from Chef Emeril. It says it's lead and cadmium free. It also says it meets FDA and CA standards. I didn't buy it because I wanted to check it out first. Jennifer, did you see anything about it in your research? It was only $99. |
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It's made in China, Monique...but it does say pretty much everywhere that it is lead free, and with the good price it might be a really good (and much more affordable) option.
Before you go back to the store to buy it (if you do) you might check more online - I found it several places - cooking.com, and emerils.com both had it for $55! That's the 6 qt one though, you might have been looking at the 8 qt. Also, I can't tell from any of the sites - is the Emeril cast iron pot enamel coated? Some sites say it is pre-seasoned, which means it's just a cast iron dutch oven and not enamel coated. That could make a difference to you, Monique. If you're willing to do plain cast iron - Lodge makes the best and they're super affordable...and made in the US.
I have a Tramontina enamel coated MIC dutch oven. I've had it for a year now, and it performs well in the kitchen. Actually, I've been using it just as I would my slow cooker for several weeks now - I'm not sure why I thought I needed both??? Just habit, I guess. Anyway, I bought it after Cooks Illustrated reviewed it in their magazine and highly recommended it as a good buy. The preference is Le Creuset, but a well performing option is the Tramontina. I'll have to be content as we save up for the Le Creuset which I'd really like and much prefer.
Good luck choosing! 
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Jen Mackintosh
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monique
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| Posted: Nov 29 2008 at 9:16am | IP Logged
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The only other crockpots I could find were Hamilton Beach. Most were Rival or just had "Crock Pot" on them which are Rivals. There really wasn't much choice. I would think that the older crockpots could be safer especially if the were made in the US.
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Monique
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monique
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Mackfam wrote:
Before you go back to the store to buy it (if you do) you might check more online - I found it several places - cooking.com, and emerils.com both had it for $55! That's the 6 qt one though, you might have been looking at the 8 qt. Also, I can't tell from any of the sites - is the Emeril cast iron pot enamel coated? Some sites say it is pre-seasoned, which means it's just a cast iron dutch oven and not enamel coated. That could make a difference to you, Monique. If you're willing to do plain cast iron - Lodge makes the best and they're super affordable...and made in the US.
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Yes, this is the one! Wow, I can't believe how much cheaper they are. The one I was looking at was the 6 qt. but it was enamel coated. It was a pretty blue. I'm thinking the one from Lodge just might be the best deal though. Not made in China and only $20 more. I'm worried about shipping now--they are so heavy! Guess I'll go check it out. Thanks for the info, Jennifer.
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Jen L.
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If you are concerned about shipping price, Amazon has them for FREE SHIPPING. 
I believe all are Lodge Logic, pre seasoned. the 3rd one is "pro logic" which I think just has fancier handles, but i haven't really checked into it.
5 quart for $27
9 quart for $63
7 quart for $70
7 qt for $50!
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guitarnan
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I did my lead test this morning and my Rival Crock Pot is LEAD FREE!
This is the ancient version...tan on the outside and brown on the inside, with a nonremovable liner. I have owned it for 23 years.
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monique
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oohh, yeah! Thanks so much for the information!
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Monique
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monique
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guitarnan wrote:
I did my lead test this morning and my Rival Crock Pot is LEAD FREE!
This is the ancient version...tan on the outside and brown on the inside, with a nonremovable liner. I have owned it for 23 years. |
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Well, all be! I tell ya, the older the better! Now, if I only still had things from when we got married. I can't ever get anything to last. I guess I can't say I don't have any gifts from our wedding. I have some kitchen towels that have lasted. Please don't ask what they look like. 
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I'm resurrecting this thread because a couple of weeks ago my slow cooker cracked so I had to throw it away. So I'm in the market now. I remember reading this thread before.
But I still have some questions...so it seems that the only non-China made slow cooking pots out there are Le Creuset...is that right?
I checked the Europros and although didn't see anywhere about where it was made, I saw lots of negative reviews because they get too hot and burn things. Is that what others have experienced with those too?
I'd love to hear if anyone has bought a new slow cooker recently!
Oh and back to the LeCreuset...Jennifer I know you explained how you cook with it, stove top and or oven all day...but can you leave the house with it like that? I don't know, I guess I can't get my mind wrapped around it.
Thanks for any advice!
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Mackfam
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KackyK wrote:
| Oh and back to the LeCreuset...Jennifer I know you explained how you cook with it, stove top and or oven all day...but can you leave the house with it like that? I don't know, I guess I can't get my mind wrapped around it. |
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Kacky - My sweet husband and children bought me a beautiful 7 1/4 qt. LeCreuset dutch oven for my birthday a couple of months ago to replace my Tramontina that was starting to chip on the bottom.
This way of cooking does seem to lend itself more to a home-centered lifestyle. Truthfully, I cook with it several times a week (this is my go-to pot), but my slow-cooked meals are much more frequent in the winter months when we're home more often anyway. I don't think I'd be comfortable leaving it in the oven when we're not here, but I did leave it on the stove twice when we left the house to go to Mass. It was on low with a heavy cover on the pot, the pot completely covers the eye of the stove, I made sure there were no towels or paper objects anywhere near, we don't have animals in the house that might knock something over...all these things played into my comfort level in leaving my dutch oven simmering on low on my stovetop. I did ask my dh about doing this first, because I was reticent like you. His comment was that he couldn't see how carefully doing this was any different than leaving a crock pot simmering over a hot plate when I'm not home. I haven't left it all day though.
When I originally came to the realization that I could cook in a dutch oven in the same way I cooked in my crock pot, it was as I began thinking of my Granny and trying to simplify all the "stuff" I had in my kitchen. I'm a HUGE fan of "kitchen helpers", don't get me wrong! But, in thinking about it, I realized that Granny's generation *was* a lot more home-based, and when they weren't home they were just around the corner - very community based. We're so spread all over the map now - I know not everyone is, but I think that does play into how we cook today.
I'm finding that I don't miss my slow cooker at all...and I never, ever thought I'd say that!  I prefer cooking - start to finish - in this pot. I can brown my roasts and meats nicely, make a roux/gravy, and simmer all day. Likewise, I make spaghetti, stroganoff, etc in the pot. It's nice having one, very good, basic pot that can handle it all.
I'd be really interested in hearing what you eventually decide, Kacky...and particularly if you find a crock pot that you like! I know others here probably would too!
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Betsy
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Jennifer,
What size do you have? I have consider getting one, but I keep stumbling on the size!
Betsy
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What are the temperatures that you set your oven at to use the Le Creuset dutch oven for slow cooking? I have tried this with mine (which I got when I was married back in the Ice Age), but it always seems to cook too fast. I'd love to use it for slow cooking!
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Caroline
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I have a 7 1/4 quart ROUND Le Creuset, Betsy.
I frittered over the size as well - I wondered if I'd prefer the 6 3/4 qt., but it only came in oval and that wouldn't work on my ridiculous cook-top (though it would have been fine for the oven).
If your family size is now, or ever could be, 5 or more people, I wouldn't consider anything smaller than the 7 1/4 quart. It's a good size, can accommodate some of my larger roasts for browning, is big enough for a large pot of gumbo, and in spite of its good size, fits just fine on my standard size cooktop.
If you have any questions about size, please ask...this was the one thing I had the biggest difficulty deciding on!
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stellamaris wrote:
| What are the temperatures that you set your oven at to use the Le Creuset dutch oven for slow cooking? I have tried this with mine (which I got when I was married back in the Ice Age), but it always seems to cook too fast. I'd love to use it for slow cooking! |
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I wish Stef could chime in ....STEF...CAN YOU HEAR ME OVER THERE IN ITALY...KEYWORD LECREUSET...COME IN, STEF....
I've done it two ways --
**starting with a preheated oven around 400, and then putting the dutch oven in the oven and immediately dropping the temp to 200 for the remainder of the cooking time.
**a consistent 350 degrees
Cooks Illustrated had a very informative review of them about a year or so ago...I couldn't find it online, but I'll see if I can find it in my old magazines and post some good points from the article later today if you're interested. It was very helpful in forming some of my opinions of them.
I'll pm Stef too to see if she's available to chime in - I know her internet is iffy, and she's probably in the process of packing up and heading back to the states from lovely Italy, but her input would be valuable here. She's been using LeCreuset much longer than I.
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Thank you so much, Jennifer! We are moving into a tiny rental house and are only able to take the bare minimum of kitchen supplies, so I'd like my dutch oven to do double-duty plus it's a positive to avoid the lead. It's forced simplification (God helps us when we can't help ourselves!!) Whenever you get this info, I'd love to see it!
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Caroline
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Hey,
Jen and everyone, Internet is no longer iffy (finally, after 2 months!), but now it's expensive -- at 1 euro an hour -- so I'll be quick!
I've used it different ways -- at 350 degrees, all the way like Jen said, or preheat then drop.
That said, I wish I knew that my LC would have stains that will be very difficult to remove. I don't care that much because I'm more a function over form person and my LC looks very well-loved  ... but if I had the money to spare for another one I'd use it only for cooking at low heats, say 170-250 or so.
Okay, bye! I'll hopefully pop in a few more times before we get back stateside, but if not, I'll "see you all" in 2 weeks!!
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Betsy
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Mackfam wrote:
| I have a 7 1/4 quart ROUND Le Creuset, |
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Thanks Jennifer,
This is the size I was thinking of. Before I actually looked at them in person I wanted the 13 quart round. Wow! I would need to do a lot more T-Tapping to cook with that  !
Now...how did you decide on a color???????
Betsy
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stellamaris wrote:
| We are moving into a tiny rental house and are only able to take the bare minimum of kitchen supplies, so I'd like my dutch oven to do double-duty plus it's a positive to avoid the lead. It's forced simplification (God helps us when we can't help ourselves!!) Whenever you get this info, I'd love to see it! |
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I know just what you mean, Caroline! I'm learning (slowly) how delightful it is to work in the kitchen with the basics, but very good basics. How it makes the task pleasant and more streamlined. My kitchen is a large, voluminous space with very, very little in the way of work surface. I was so discontent for so long (and whiny), but I'm learning to live and work within the confinements of it, and like you I'm grateful that God sends these physical limitations that foster simplicity within our vocations. It would be so easy to go hog-wild with cooking appliances...cause' I LOVE gadgets! But, having a few very good pieces that are workhorses is a real consolation in the kitchen!
I located my back issues and was coming here to give you the information in them, but then I found the info I was looking for yesterday on the Cook's Illustrated site...I'm not sure why I couldn't find it then to link for you?
Anyway, this was all very helpful for me, so...
Cook's Illustrated reviews Dutch Ovens - this page will give you some general information.
There are a lot of related links at the beginning of that article and on the right sidebar of the page I linked to above, but all the links on this page are going to take you to "membership only pages". If you are considering a purchase of a dutch oven or any big money kitchen purchase, I cannot recommend the investment in Cooks Illustrated Membership more!!!! It is an investment that has paid us back a number of times. And...there is a 14 day free trial, so if you just want to see the info about dutch ovens, sign up and then cancel with no money out of pocket.
Betsy wrote:
| Now...how did you decide on a color??????? |
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well...by the time I finally got off the fence and decided to order one with the gift certificate my dh gave me - a decision I had been frittering over for more than a year - I just looked at what was available and asked the benefactor of the generosity - my husband. He liked the red one. I sort of liked the blue one and the white one, but I bought the red one because it was what he liked. It is a lovely deep red.
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Jen Mackintosh
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4Real Forums : Our Lady's Loom, Larder, and Laundry
Topic: Lead in Rival Crockpots
