The best bet is to look and see if the manufacturer even makes crock pot parts to replace parts that have broken. You may have to call the company and talk to a customer service representative. The problem with replacement crock pot parts is they are hard to find, and when you find them they can be even more expensive than just buying a new crock pot.

The most often sought after crock pot parts are crock pot lids and crock pot handles. There have been quite a few crock pots that the handles have been defective, and when they get hot they break. I recommend you don’t bother looking for replacement parts, but just grab a new crock pot. Defective crock pot handles are a safety hazzard. You certainly don’t want them to break while you are carrying a hot crock of food.

The crock pot part most looked for is a replacement lid. Lids often times get dropped and they break. I know my the handle of my crock pot lid decayed and finally broke off. In this situation you can do one of two things. You can complain long enough that your husband finds a way to put a new handle on your lid or you can just buy a new crock pot lid. Either way will work, one costs you husband irritation, the other costs you a few dollars. All depends what you’re willing to pay.

Finding crock pot parts may not always be easy, and sometimes with the way the price of crock pots has come down you may find it easier to just get a new crock pot instead of hunting down crock pot parts to replace the ones that have broken on your machine.

I’ve had my fair share of rival crock pots, but this Rival smart pot is my absolute favorite. This programmable crock pot allows you to set the cooking time and when the time is over it will automatically move to the warm setting ~ keeping your food warm, but not cooking it anymore until you are ready to eat.

I had put dinner on one morning and then we had to run some errands in the afternoon. Errands always take longer than anticipated, and I was really worried we’d come home to a crock full of mush. However, the crock pot had switched to warm mode. Our dinner was ready and delicious when we got back. All we had to do was plate it up and eat.

My programmable crock pot is pretty basic. There are other programmable crock pots that have a lot more features. The Hamilton Beach 33967 Set ‘n Forget 6-Quart Programmable Slow Cooker has three different ways to program it. You can do the same as mine, and have it go to warm after a certain amount of time. You can also use the thermometer probe to have it change to warm when the food gets to a specific temperature. The third programmable feature actually takes the program out of it. You can do this crock pot on a manual setting. This just heats the crock and you turn it off when you’re ready, no timer involved. This is great for heating up leftovers, or when you are going to be around watching it.

The other super cool feature of this programmable crock pot is the snap on lid. I have never seen another crock pot with this feature. The lid actually snaps on securely. You can easily grab your crock pot and go and know you will not experience spills along the way.

If you have used a crock pot in the past, and found your food was overdone by the end of the day when you returned to eat, a programmable crock pot may be the perfect answer for you. I know it sure has been for us! I use it at least once a week all year round. It means I don’t have to heat up the house with the oven in Summer, and amazing soups and stews come out in the Winter. If you love slow cooking you will love a programmable crock pot.

Hot Pot Solar Cooker ~ it’s a solar cooker.  Good Morning America did a piece on it, and it looks really cool. It heats up to cooking temperatures in an hour, and stays at cooking temperatures for up to 6 hours.

I bet you could do just about anything you do in the crock pot in this solar cooker.  Here’s a video I found of people using this Hot Pot Solar Cooker to cook Frijoles ~

What a great way to keep the house cool in the summer, and teach the kids a great lesson in solar power.

I’ve read some great reviews of the Hot Pot Solar Cooker, but I’d love to hear if you’ve used it and how it went! Please leave comments in the comment section below.

Slow cooker is another way to say “crock pot.” Most of us are used to hearing the latter, but the terms are interchangeable meaning the same thing. Now, if you are considering using a slow cooker (and I suggest that you do), there are a few things you should know before you start to enhance your chances of creating a successful meal. Yes, even a slow cooker meal can be horrible if some basic tips are not adhered to. No one wants to come home with a hearty appetite and find a pot full of mush. Yuck!

So let’s start with the purchasing of a slow cooker. You can crock pots in various sizes.  From as small as one quart to as large as a 7 quart crock pot, you’re sure to find one that fits your needs. If you come across a larger one, that’s even better. Depending on your family size or the amount of people you’ll be preparing meals for with it, you may find the larger the slow cooker the better it will work.

Slow cookers also come with removable inner pots that allow for easier serving at the dinner table. A removable inner core allows everyone to sit and relax as they spoon their food onto the plate instead of standing at the stove. Some even come equipped with a non-stick inner pot, making clean up less messy.

Temperature settings vary among slow cookers. Many offer a range of temperature settings to meet the needs of the cook. Some have as little at two setting (high and low) and others include five settings that vary from high (two hours) to really slow cooking (ten hours). There may also be a warm setting in case the food has finished cooking but any accompanying side dishes still need to be prepared. This setting is also great for times when everyone isn’t ready to eat their meal just yet.

Be careful with your heat settings, however. As with ovens, temperatures and settings on the dial are a rough estimate. Don’t be like me who, at the expense of my meal, overcooked a roast the first time.  Even though I had it set to the eight hour setting to cook throughout the day, my slow cooker has a high temperature and cooks boneless meats quickly. I could have put it in the cooker when I got home and still had a delicious meal in less than two hours.

Just goes to show, you live and you learn. To avoid such a food crisis, test your slow cooker on the weekend when you are at home. Start a meal in the late morning hours, using the lowest setting and see how long it actually takes for the meal to cook. You may need to make adjustments to cooking times when you are away based on what you discover.

A slow cooker can be an extremely useful tool for busy families and even single people alike. With the suggestions above you’ll get used to preparing meals with your slow cooker while you’re not around in no time.

The heating element. This is the part you that heats up your crock. Depending on the model you choose the size and heat will vary.

The crock. This is the part of your crock pot you put the food in. The crock sits inside the heating element.

The Lid The lid is a crucial element for a crockpot. It’s what keeps the heat and the steam inside the crock allowing the food to cook. Make sure the lid fits tightly.

The heat setting Again depending on the model you choose you will have different number of heat settings. From the basic high and low to 5 or 10 different heat settings. The type of heat setting varies between models as well. It may be a knob you turn or may be electronic.

Those are the basic parts to a crock pot. If you are looking for a great deal on a crock pot you can find a wide variety of crock pots at great prices at Amazon.com