Cookaholics Bulletin Board

I bought a slow cooker last year. I've been using it a lot, mostly for soups and stews. Recently, I dropped and broke the stoneware insert. I was annoyed, but figured it must be common enough that the replacement would be reasonably cheap and easy. Imagine my surprise to find that the Crock Pot site said replacement parts for my model are not available, and that a quick google search found exactly no places to buy the part. I would have thought there would be a thriving market in replacement/extra inserts for these. Has anybody found a place to buy such things? I am nearly at the point of just buying a new one, which seems absurd, but they aren't THAT expensive. It is more about the principle.

Before you say it, I could probably find one at a thrift store. I am in an area with very few thrift stores, however, and the ones we have seem to specialize in kitsch, so it isn't as easy as it might be in other places.

I have never seen a replacement crock either. My husband (finally) broke the crock in our 1970s gold crockpot and I didn't even try to look for a new one. It was the excuse I had been waiting for.

My guess is that a new insert would cost as much as the crockpot unless you had a fancy stainless/programmable model. If that is the case, maybe you could buy a cheaper, no frills model in the same size and use the crock from it. But it does kind of suck that there is no replacement. Sometimes I keep leftovers in the crock and then of course can't make anything unless I empty and wash it, so having a second one could be handy.

Tlc
Ck here:
http://www.thegourmetdepotco.com/items/?item=4881

LOL! Thanks Crystal. I actually think I spent less than that on the original cooker. Sigh...

I thought it was $$ too. What brand is yours?

Crock Pot. It is pretty standard. Not the bottom of the line, but only a small step above. I think I spent $30-40 on it.

I foresee a new one in my near future.

I am considering replacing mine with this one.
http://www.amazon.com/Hamilton-Beach-33135-6-Quart-Stainless/dp/B000R8A1OK/ref=wl_it_dp_o?ie=UTF8&coliid=I2NDKR7BE33L8R&colid=2V2OHYXQCVOBS

At least if one crock breaks, I'd have others.

I really like that. I had thought about getting a small one to do things didn't didn't require all that space (steel cut oats, for instance), but couldn't justify the space and cost. This looks like a really reasonable alternative. It is sitting in my amazon shopping cart while I consider my options...

I have this one, which I love. I got a 5 qt. for my son.

http://www.google.com/products/catalog? ... DUQ8wIwAA#

Or:http://www.amazon.com/Cuisinart-PSC-350-2-Quart-Programmable-Cooker/dp/B001E5CWVU

I don't have the Cuisinart, but it's small and programmable. I'm thinking about getting one for our (fingers crossed) empty nest. I like the HamBeach because I can cook to temperature. It's great for chicken especially, because it doesn't get dry.

ATK had an equipment rating for these a few years ago, which I can't find, but first was the All Clad, and the Ham Beach was second. Don't know about the CA.

KSS, I may have to be angry at you. That looks like a really good product. Now I have to choose between programmable and multiple insert sizes.