If It Weren’t For Bad Luck
April 30, 2009
I use my crockpot a lot. As in multiple times per week. It is the only thing that enables me to give my children real food to eat during baseball and football seasons. And yes, those two sports pretty much encompass the entire year.
Yesterday afternoon I put meatballs and spaghetti sauce into the crockpot. The kids were excited since having meatball subs is something that they all like. I wasn’t going to be home until after 8:00pm and scrambling to make dinner at that time is a nightmare filled with tantrums and crying, sometimes even from the kids.
I was feeling pretty happy with myself. The same way I feel when all the laundry is washed and put away. Or all the kids have clean sheets on their beds. In other words, not something I feel all that often.
I heard a huge pop sound and discovered this:
I stood there and stared at it for awhile. I was completely in shock. Not only was my crockpot broken, my dinner was ruined. We were leaving for baseball soon and I had no back-up dinner plans.
I unplugged the crockpot and just left it there. Because what else is there really to do with a hot crokpot filled with inedible food.
Dinner last night was a hodge podge of foods: leftover pasta for one, peanut butter and jelly sandwiches for three, Raman Noodles for the other three. Because despite having spent a ton of money at the grocery store the previous day, there was nothing in the house that could be cooked up quickly.
So now I need to go out and buy a new crockpot. Either that or get my family to embrace cold cereal, salad, and toast as a real dinner.
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Oh my! Maybe the crockpot maker will at least give you your money back. What went wrong to cause it to break like that???
April 30th, 2009 at 11:25 amoh wow! thats scary….
I agree with Lilly, try contacting the manufacturer of the crockpot. They should be smart enough to realize the power of good publicity on a ‘mommy blog’ these days, especially after the surge in popularity with the crockpot 365 gal.
I could not imaginf being without my crockpot, I use them at LEAST once per week, and its only my husband and I. I also have 3 crockpots though, small (dips and appetizers) medium (roasts and the like) and huge (large batch soups, etc)… so I guess I’d survive if ONE of them broke, but I’d still be pretty sad.
April 30th, 2009 at 11:43 amArgh!
Yesterday I had a crock pot dinner all planned for my busy night of baseball as well. And I was actually quite proud of myself for planning ahead. And BBQ chicken sandwiches sounded pretty good - I even spent the time to make my own bbq sauce.
After coming home from the big night of baseball watching and running around (in the rain), I was saddened to note that indeed I had forgot to turn the darned thing on.
We had frozen pizzas.
April 30th, 2009 at 11:51 amWould you talk about your camera & lens that you use. I love your photos and I am trying to learn about photography. Thanks.
April 30th, 2009 at 11:52 amFirst off — I’m new to your blog and love it!!!!
That’s a total bummer about the crock pot. We’re super busy too between kickball and t-ball and I so need to become a crockpot mom. Maybe I’ll ask for one for Mother’s Day.
April 30th, 2009 at 11:56 amOh that sucks. I hate it when stuff like that happens. That’s usually when we call for take out.
April 30th, 2009 at 11:56 amHow does that even happen?! And cereal isn’t a real dinner?!
April 30th, 2009 at 11:57 amWow…I feel your pain! I love my crock pot, and would probably shed a few tears if mine broke - especially with dinner already in it!
April 30th, 2009 at 11:57 amI’d definitely send this picture to Crockpot manufacturer and hopefully they will replace your crockpot for free if not your money for groceries…wow I’m shocked.
April 30th, 2009 at 12:00 pmWow - that’s crazy. I would definitely call the manufacturer; i bet they will at the very least sell you a replacement lid - or at best, if you tell them your sad tale, give you one for free! its worth a shot. sorry your evening meal was ruined; that is such a bummer after you went to the effort to get it prepared ahead of time and all that; i know I would have been devastated.
April 30th, 2009 at 12:08 pmI’m very sorry for your crockpot, and I’m even more impressed you didn’t just hit the drive through.
April 30th, 2009 at 12:14 pmSadly, I’m not a mom who likes to cook. So, when my husband travels, me and the kids have “eat what you want” night, which means cereal, oatmeal, ramen, etc. The kids love it - I feel a little guilty . . .
April 30th, 2009 at 12:14 pmOh perhaps they could send you a new lid? Hope dinner goes better tonight!
April 30th, 2009 at 12:16 pmPot-o-suck, right there.
April 30th, 2009 at 12:18 pmWow. That was a spicy dish! Habanero Soup? Perhaps the (ahem) manufacturer would be (nudge) inclined to replace yours (nudge). If only I could read the nameplate in your photo, so I could be sure this wasn’t the same brand we know and love.
April 30th, 2009 at 12:19 pmOuch. I hope you call and at least try for a replacement lid. In the mean time, but another. We have 4, all different sizes (and I am someone who frequently culls out the kitchen of useless crap!).
April 30th, 2009 at 12:22 pmHow the heck does that happen? I know, you store your crockpot in the freezer and when you pulled it out in the hot Texas weather it was too much of a temperature change
You could buy a new one, or do what I do and just cover the top with tin foil. Nothing says cheap like a tin foil lid.
April 30th, 2009 at 12:22 pmRIP, crock pot. May your next one give you as many meals as this one did.
April 30th, 2009 at 12:24 pmMy crockpot died this week too! I had it for 12 years. It stopped heating. I was glad I was home to notice because food sitting out all day uncooked is not a good thing.
I wonder what happened with yours…I have never see one do that.
Show us the new one you get. I am trying to decide what to get this time around.
April 30th, 2009 at 12:28 pmOMG OMG OMG
I also wanted to praise you for not making it a $1 menu night. That’s what i would have done.
April 30th, 2009 at 12:31 pmOh that sucks! I REALLY need to get hip to the Crock Pot dinners. I even got a brand new one for Christmas. You can have it if you fly to DC to get it. :o)
April 30th, 2009 at 12:31 pmWow, yes I would call or email the crockpot maker!!
April 30th, 2009 at 12:34 pmOh no, what a disaster! I would totally email the maker of your “slow cooker” and surely they will replace it. I’ve never heard of such a thing! Around here, cold cereal is a real dinner
April 30th, 2009 at 12:47 pmSend them this post. I bet you get a new crock pot by next week!
What could have caused that? Weird.
April 30th, 2009 at 12:59 pmMy mom’s favorite backup dinner was popcorn and ice cream. Not nutritious in the least but it was very tasty.
April 30th, 2009 at 1:00 pmDefinitely, the crockpot maker should at least replace it with their top-of-the-line model! I’ve never seen or heard of such a thing happening, and I’ve used crockpots for at least twenty years.
Chris says: Me either!
April 30th, 2009 at 1:00 pmIt looks like one of those meatballs got away!
April 30th, 2009 at 1:02 pmare you sure there wasn’t a baseball involved?? LOL
April 30th, 2009 at 1:06 pmOMG!!! Thats crazy. Maybe they can send you a new lid??? If you want to take a chance on that. Eeek! I dont know if I could. Maybe a new one is in order.
Good luck. I always hate getting a new and learning how it works. I like my old one thankyouverymuch!
April 30th, 2009 at 1:07 pmI would be forever indebted if you could share some good crockpot recipes! Baseball season has begun here and although I’ve only got 4 kids, but I find it crazy trying to get everyone fed either before or after the games. I’ve actually got a crockpot recipe going now that I found on one mom’s blog in the comment section. Can’t wait to see how it turns out!
How many games do your boys have in a week? How many do you get to see? Do any of them play on the same team? Do any of your boys not play baseball?
April 30th, 2009 at 1:20 pmI agree that you should notify the manufacturer. And I didn’t notice if anyone else mentioned it, but you should also report it to CPSC. The link:
https://www.cpsc.gov/cgibin/incident.aspx
April 30th, 2009 at 1:24 pmChris so sorry this happened. I would definitly contact the company about a replacement.
April 30th, 2009 at 1:56 pmHow strange! Do you store it in the refrigerator first? I want to know so I won’t do it. I never heard of the lid breaking like that or storing a crock pot in the refrigerator ready to go either.
Chris says: No, I don’t store it in the fridge. It came out of the cabinets in the kitchen and it isn’t exactly cold here.
April 30th, 2009 at 1:58 pmAlong the lines of Lisa, above — Are you sure there wasn’t a GOLF ball involved? Like the front door?
I’d go after the manufacturer. Good luck. My week is desperately in need of some crock potting.
April 30th, 2009 at 2:05 pmoh that is cruddy and scary.
April 30th, 2009 at 2:09 pmI I had an dentical crockpot - mine did that about a week ago. Glass shards were everywhere.
Chris says: Wow, really? I have never heard of this happening before.
April 30th, 2009 at 2:12 pmThat really stinks big time - the broken machine, loss of dinner & spoiled groceries! I agree with the others, I’d absolutely write a letter to the manufacturer and inclose a picture, no matter when you purchased it, for a machine to self implode shattering glass into your food under normal use? That’s a major safety defect. At the very least they should be offering you a major discount on a new machine!
April 30th, 2009 at 2:18 pmOoooh….you should get one like Mir gave away on Want Not awhile back…the kind that you can use as a traditional crockpot or one that has these nifty dividers in there to make sepearate foods. Imagine coming home to a choice of three different stews!
April 30th, 2009 at 2:25 pmWow that is very odd.
I just replaced my old one with this Hamilton Beach 3-in-1 Slow Cooker with 2,4,and 6-Quart Crocks and I love it. They also sell it at Walmart
Can you share some of your crockpot recipes that are your favorites since you use it so often?
http://www.amazon.com/Hamilton-Beach-33135-6-Quart-Stainless/dp/B000R8A1OK/ref=pd_sbs_k_1
April 30th, 2009 at 2:43 pmBummer!! I know how you feel..my oven (with the cook top) broke before Christmas last year & because I have two wall ovens my husband said we would just reconnect the cook top & not worry about replacing the whole thing because of the wall ovens. Yesterday my wall ovens went - as in died. I didn’t even consult him…I went out & got pizza (between picking three children up from three different schools & taking two of those children to baseball) & the bill was a whopping $41!! It’s hard trying to fix healthy meals THAT EVERYONE WILL EAT in the midst of busy lives.
April 30th, 2009 at 2:48 pmThat sucks. I had a lid of a pasta pot that broke like that. Then when I got a new pasta pot, the second lid was made differently. It had a little hole in it… dunno.
April 30th, 2009 at 2:53 pmYeah, that happened to me when making my first ever pot roast. Only I used a glass lid…Dumb. Shattered in my meat and I freaked. My husband calmly cleaned it up. We ended up eating it!
April 30th, 2009 at 2:56 pmCraziness! I made dinner last night in one of those pretty colored casserole dishes from Williams-Sonoma, and it exploded in the oven! I heard a HUGE crack and looked inside and it had popped open, broken apart, and chicken and sauce were dripping all over the oven! Nightmare!
Williams-Sonoma was super apologetic, though, and gave me full-price (without a receipt) to buy something else. I bet the manufacturer will give you a new one!
I need more crockpot recipes! Any good books to recommend? I actually made meatballs in the microwave the other night, and they were actually really good! I just made the meatballs, put them in a glass dish in a single layer, and then microwaved them for about 7-8 minutes until they were no longer pink (or reached 160 degrees). Then I poured in the sauce, covered them and let them cook for another 2-3 minutes. Next time you’re in a pinch, that would work too! I’m sure it isn’t as good as your sauce, but it wasn’t bad!
April 30th, 2009 at 3:26 pmThose “Eat Whatever You Want” nights at our house? Our favorite nights!
April 30th, 2009 at 3:40 pmI am not one to return things..and complain..and want credits and discounts..
April 30th, 2009 at 3:41 pmBut if ever there is and was a reason… this is..If I could make out the name I would write in for you:(
Just the meal alone..the love in it! For the kids.. the time.. and this is not supposed to happen..
They will give you a new one I hope~
It’s the very least they can do.
Is it West Bend?:)
Chris says: Yes, it is!
April 30th, 2009 at 3:41 pmNo way! I don’t think I’ve ever heard of such a thing! I bet you’d be like me and trying to figure if glass would really kill the family if you just tried to eat around it.
OK. Maybe that would be just me actually…
April 30th, 2009 at 3:47 pmYikes. Maybe you can buy just the lid? I guess stores don’t usually sell just the lid, and ordering it would take too long. What a pity.
April 30th, 2009 at 3:49 pm… which you could definitely do. there are entire countries who live on that cold-dinner-standard. ask Germans or Austrians.
April 30th, 2009 at 3:59 pmthe only thing being that then you have to buy LOADS of bread.
Your dinner sounded so good– now I want a meatball sub.
So weird about the crockpot. I thought they were supposed to be the appliance that wouldn’t die, handed down through the generations!
I too would love to hear more about your favorite recipes. I have only cooked chili in mine and could really use more ideas (obviously).
We made your fajitas (again) last night and they were awesome! Chris, that is the best marinade!!
April 30th, 2009 at 4:00 pmWow. I also have been cooking with a crockpot for about 20 years and have never seen this. I love mine. We just put ribs (or shoulder) and BBQ sauce in there and the meat falls off the bone. Then we have pulled meat sandwiches on buns. I can’t remember if I saw the tip here but it’s great if you have an outdoor plug on your porch. Then you can use the crockpot in the summertime too without heating the house.
April 30th, 2009 at 4:04 pmYou can order a new lid. I have that same crockpot and once dropped a frozen roast in and cracked the crock part in two. I just did a search online and ordered a new one.
April 30th, 2009 at 4:06 pm‘ATSA SPICY A-MEAT-ABALL!
April 30th, 2009 at 4:55 pmThere’s really nothing you can do but stand there and stare at it. Like staring at it will make the mess just go away. i haven’t ever heard of that happening either!
April 30th, 2009 at 6:04 pmfrozen chicken patties and french fries are my out,
burritoes even yuuucckkk!!
kids will eat anything;
Whatever!!
Chris says: I should plan better and have those on hand too along with “real” food for times like this when I ruin dinner
April 30th, 2009 at 6:41 pmPlease tell me it was a wayward baseball or something. I have that exact crockpot and I don’t like the idea of it spontaneously combusting.
April 30th, 2009 at 7:14 pmI’m not sure how you feel about this,you could look at a 2nd hand store for a lid I promise they will have one. Just a thought…Good luck I Love my crock-pot!
April 30th, 2009 at 7:38 pmI, like you, live life on the go. I have even gotten two crockpots! because we just cook that much in them. never have i ever heard of it cracking..WTH? i hope they replace it..and i would to trade crock pot recipes..i might even have a chance to print them out on my new printer! i can’t wait!
April 30th, 2009 at 7:52 pmI always remember to use the crockpot at 4 p.m. So, for me the crockpot is only used every couple of weeks. Pasta is my get-it-together meal.
April 30th, 2009 at 8:57 pmHoly Toledo! My son recently got his replaced when the handle of the cover broke. The company replaced it after he sent in the cut off cord. That was what they needed to secure a replacement. They even told him how many inches from the plug that the cord should be cut. I purchased that crockpot for him 4-5 years ago. Definitely call the company, explain the situation and send a pic. Like someone else said, your blog could sell many a crockpot for them if they “make da mama happy!)
M
April 30th, 2009 at 9:25 pmSorry, not the handle. He had a different kind of crockpot. It had a hinge for the cover .That is what broke.
M
April 30th, 2009 at 9:26 pmdooood that is seriously sucky! Make sure to call the company and report it!
April 30th, 2009 at 10:14 pmO my. That looks awful.
I thought for sure you were going to say a baseball went thru the top. And then it would be followed by a 3 or 4 beautifully taken pictures of a sauce covered baseball.
I’m slightly disappointed.
April 30th, 2009 at 10:56 pmin response to summertime: if my backup dinner was popcorn and ice cream, my kids would break the crockpot and stove… on purpose!
May 1st, 2009 at 12:28 amIf you just want to get a new lid and not a new crock pot:
May 1st, 2009 at 12:44 amhttp://www.focuselectrics.com/catalog.cfm?dest=dir&linkid=156&linkon=category
Gah! I’m in shock just looking at the picture. Now I’m gonna have that picture in the back of my mind every time I use my crock pot…which isn’t very often, but still.
May 1st, 2009 at 1:44 amthe same damn thing happened to me two nights ago.
May 1st, 2009 at 4:40 amI dropped the lid to my slow cooker once, and it shattered. I just found a glass pot lid that fit it and used that instead.
Small comfort for your lost dinner, however!
May 1st, 2009 at 7:26 amI’ve had the handle on the lid break off, and when I went to replace the lid in order not to dump a huge chunk of metal into a landfill, it was actually cheaper to buy a brand new one than to order the lid through the company and pay for shipping. Grrrrrr.
May 1st, 2009 at 7:38 amWhen my daughter was 4 or so, her favorite food was mac and cheese. I had a certain glass bowl that I used, and she would always get excited by just seeing the bowl out. I pour the hot macaroni into the bowl and was about make it cheesy, and the bowl just fell apart on the counter, kinda looked like it was melting, right in front of our eyes. A very sad moment in time.
May 1st, 2009 at 8:09 amI had a crockpot lid explosion of my own. Lost a nice pot of stew in the aftermath. I did call the manufacturer and they sent out a new lid.
May 1st, 2009 at 8:11 amI would totally send that company a letter, accompanied by the above photo and they should send you a new one! No way it should shatter into a perfectly good pot of meatballs like that. Bummer!
May 1st, 2009 at 9:25 amI had the same thing happen. I called the manufacturer and they sent me a new lid.
May 1st, 2009 at 9:28 amWow … that’s a bummer. Yikes.
May 1st, 2009 at 10:19 amI haven’t read all the other 70 odd posts but have you considered eBay for a new lid?
May 1st, 2009 at 10:50 amCrap, that is the same one I have.
May 1st, 2009 at 11:10 amMaybe it’s the crockpot’s way of saying it can no longer keep up with that many growing boys…the thought of feeding all of them as they enter the teen years was too much stress for it and it blew it’s top…heh.
This could be an opportunity to get a bigger one anyway.
May 1st, 2009 at 11:19 amWhat a waste of once yummy meatballs. So sad.
May 1st, 2009 at 12:03 pmAll I could think as I read your post was………. meatball subs from the crockpot?!! YUM!! Please share the receipe and accept my sympathy over the crockpot.
May 1st, 2009 at 2:37 pmGAH! I would have cried.
Reminds me of the time a BRAND NEW first-time-use of my crockpot starting smoking. The store didn’t want to believe me until I told the manager to ’smell it’.
Bizarre.
May 1st, 2009 at 3:29 pmeeee! terrifying! i once had a Pyrex pan explode i nmy hands so I called the company and asked if this was normal, nevermind that the pan was almost thirty years old, they sent me a brand spanking new one. good luck! if only i had the counter space for a crockpot, think i could whip up some stew on top of the t.v.?
May 1st, 2009 at 6:04 pmWait . . . you’re not supposed to feed your kids broken glass?
Crap. I didn’t get that memo.
Seriously, though. That must’ve been scary! I don’t know what I’d do without my slow cooker. I’ve got two — one big one and one for smaller gigs like nacho cheese.
Good luck on your search!
May 1st, 2009 at 11:59 pmNot sure how I’d feel about a new lid on the same crockpot, especially if it was an identical lid. Yikes! That is SO entirely when we would do a dollar menu bonanza. I think what the world needs is a cookbook of things that cook in 15 minutes and are made entirely from tasty, healthful products with long shelf lives. That’s all I ask.
May 2nd, 2009 at 12:52 amOh, man - really a bad time for the crockpot lid to pop! Why would it even do that? I’m moving in 3 months, you can have my crockpot then
May 3rd, 2009 at 9:40 amI want one of those new fangled crock posts that you can put on top of the stove FIRST - BROWN your meat and then pot it back into the heating element thingy and away you go… browned bits of yumo already added and only ONE pan to clean… but I think they are $200+…I can dream can’t I? Williams Sonoma (porn for woman)….sigh…
May 3rd, 2009 at 11:39 amThis is when I break down and cry and then scream at the crockpot saying “I DONT HAVE TIME FOR THIS!” Like its going to fix itself and apologize
May 4th, 2009 at 12:57 amToo weird about your crock pot lid. I hope you get a new one from the manufacturer.
I would love it if you posted some crock pot recipes for those of us in the same boat as you, baseball, baseball, and more baseball!
May 4th, 2009 at 3:16 pm