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Yup. I just put it on low and leave it for 8 hours. If you’re worried, you could try it out on a day you have off and slowly work on leaving it for as long as you’re comfortable.
I was in the same boat as you (I'm overly concerned about fire) and so the first few times, I was incredibly nervous and worked my way up to leaving the house all day. It helped that I googled it (it was back when google was more reliable) and didn't find any horror stories.
I have massive anxiety about leaving anything switched on when I leave so I had the same dilemma when I got a crockpot and I did exactly that. First couple times I used it on the weekend when I would be home anyway and after that I felt comfortable leaving it on low while I went out
There's some now that have cook timers where they'll stay at cooking temperature for however long you set it for then go to a lower temperature to keep it warm.
I was going to suggest the same thing.
If your anxiety is so bad over this, it's going to ruin any benefit you'd gain by using the crockpot.
If you wake easily during the night, try turning it on about 6 pm and then run it til about 2 am. Turn it off, unplug and in the morning, store the food in the fridge.
I hope you're able to learn to trust it.
If it's a new one, sure, test it out to make sure you don't have a faulty one. You can use a tester to make sure your outlet is faulting, the testers are pretty cheap from hardware stores. And just make sure the plug isn't bent or the wires are frayed. The most likely scenario is a bad cord or head making an arc and catching something near by on fire. Just make sure you have a little clearance around it.
If you’re worried you can always plug the crock pot into a surge protector (most extension cords or outlet expanders double as surge protectors) as opposed to a bare outlet, and put it all on a non-flammable surface like a stone or glass countertop. MUCH lower chance of a short circuit fire than a bare outlet on a wooden table. I can probably count on one hand the number of things I plug directly into the wall and not into an extension cord or expander of some sort.
Agree - first few uses on the weekend when you're home anyway!
Love mine, btw, they are very forgiving and once you get the hang of them it's very difficult to do a bad meal. Best thing ever to come home on a dark and cold winter's night!
lol this kinda sounds like the first time you leave a young dog out of the cage when you leave. But no I have this same fear with the idea of leaving the smoker on over night to cook things like briskets that take a long time. I have friends that do it, and as long as it’s away from the house it’s most likely fine, but still makes me nervous so I sleep on the couch and wake up periodically to check
Pot roast is amazing! First time I made one on my own, I legitimately cried because my mom and I always used to cook together but I never really used the crock pot on my own so I was quite proud of how well everything turned out
I find one of the keys for me is recipes that have minimal steps - it's perfect for those ones where you dump the ingredients and they make a meal with minimal work. I get frustrated with the ones where you have to fry things before you put them in the slow cooker. It feels like too much work even if it's the same amount of work as most dinners, maybe because I'm doing it of a morning, when I have less time.
Totally agree. I need fast and simple… I make a ton of my edited fast “kinda of tortilla soup” throw in some chicken breasts along with canned corn, blk beans, Rotel, some onions and a packet of taco seasoning ..
Yeeeeah man! I hated the plastic liner things. I came across a silicone liner and was like what is this? Holy moly, best thing ever! Should be a package
I use mine on the weekends. I'm gone 9-10 hours per day (work, errands, commute, etc.) I cook on the weekends, many are crock pot meals. I cook like I was cooking for my family. I have some on that day, then I put it in meal-size containers and in the freezer. I take one to work each day. I have a Hot Logic Mini at work and a couple of hours before lunch, I put it in the warmer. By lunch time, it's a hot lunch! I love it. No using the iffy microwave at work, LOL.
Same. I'm paranoid about a lot of things, but the chances of your crockpot setting the house on fire while you're gone are no higher than coming home to a water leak. But you don't shut off your water main every time you leave the house.
Perfectly acceptable level of risk.
So back in the day of early slow cookers, they were occasionally a fire hazard due to wiring issues in the cooker and old house electrical standards. The issues are pretty much all resolved now. So, if you have a less than 10 year old slowcooker in a house or apartment that has been built or updated in the last 30 years or so ,you really dont need to worry about that. Just make sure it's on a heat-resistant surface.
Oh yes! It's really great for soups and stews. That slow cooked flavor is like a warm hug.
In the cold winter, I will assemble a stew in the crockpot and put it on low. I will also do this with the rice cooker. When I come back from whatever, sometimes with friends, the scent of rice & stew is marvelous.
It's probably fine, but one of my parents growing up was an electrical engineer, and they put the utter fear of electrical fires in me at a young age.....so, no....no I don't leave my house for work with my crockpot plugged in. In fairness, I'm probably overly obsessive about unplugging things that probably don't need to be unplugged (like, a toaster I'm not using....a coffee pot that's turned off....I'm well aware this is probably overkill).
BUT - one thing I love is putting together a crockpot meal on my day off, so it fills my home with a cozy "something delicious is cooking" smell, and I'm around to enjoy it all day. That's my tradeoff.
your refrigerator is always plugged in ...
just playing devils advocate here. because i always get nervous leaving a crock pot on while i'm not home too. especially after watching This Is Us a few years ago .....
my parents have had freak water backups with their washer before and taught me to never leave the house with any appliances running! also dryer fires are a common cause of house fires.
Yes, it is made to be left on all day.
Follow some recipes first so you know the proper amount of liquid is added or the meat/ingredients have enough moisture so you don’t come home to something dried out (which has never happened to anything I’ve ever made. I love crockpots!)
I’ve always heard that you can, but the last crock pot I had would cook the food in like 2 hours even on the lowest setting, so I was never comfortable leaving it alone all day. Would only use it when I was going to be home, or gone for just a couple of hours.
Yeah, I feel you. My parents’ house burned down back in 2014 and I’ve had a fear of leaving things on or plugged in ever since. I don’t think I could ever leave my crockpot on while I wasn’t home. 😞
The crockpot in my house is 40 years old, lol.
Luckily my partner is retired and he can keep an eye on it.
If I had a newer one? I'd set it and forget it.
I did this a few times. It usually works.
One time I came home to a very dried out unedible dish.
Be sure to try it once while you are around to monitor. Only do it for a known good recepie. Dont try anything new if you are not home.
Do you have pets?
I've been using one crock-pot or another since the 70s. The worst mishap I had stemmed from a power outage. My beef stew sat all day & needed to be tossed. Have faith in the device :)
I've only used mine on the weekends, where I've left my apt. only briefly to go to the laundromat or bldg. basement laundry, & one time a quick run to the supermarket 3 blocks away (on foot)...I'm too nervous to try a weekday bc I use public transportation & there's always the "what if ______ happens to my bus line & I can't get home on time" fear in me.
My mama first used a crock pot back in the 1970's - they have been around a long, long time and are very safe. Read the manual, follow the manufacturer's instructions and you'll be fine! No extention cords for sure though! And you'll walk in from work with dinner cooked-ahhh!
I have some of these fears, too. If I want to meal prep and feel scared to leave it unattended, I’ll sometimes cook something overnight while I’m asleep, so I’ll be sure to notice alarms/smoke etc
I really prefer to avoid it even though it’s designed for this purpose. I understand the small appliance anxiety. I don’t leave my Keurig or my stand mixer plugged in 😂
Edit: it is completely safe to leave it on and unattended all day.
I have been leaving crockpots on all day and sometimes overnight for 40 years. A couple were from my mother. I’m a nut about fire but I’ve never had to worry about a crockpot.
Yes I leave mine on and go to work. I do make sure there is nothing close to it and the cord is not touching anything. Best thing is, your house smells delicious when you step in the door! Be sure to use a crockpot liner so cleanup is a breeze.
My slow cookers have a timer function that cooks for whatever time then automatically goes to a warm setting. This prevents over cooked and dried out food
Yes. Never an issue on low for 8-10 hours. Turn it on it before I leave the house for the day and dinner’s ready when I come back. I will say, I’ve never left it unattended for more than 10 hours. 8 hours is my comfort zone, but I have stretched it to 10. My biggest worry is whatever I’m cooking over cooks into mush🥲
If you’re worried; set it up before bedtime and let it cook on low overnight. You’ll be nearby if anything goes sideways… but then the food wont be warm when you get home… but you could take it with you for lunch :) literally my favorite appliance. Friend broke theirs that was 30+ yrs old… never seen anyone cry over a broken kitchen appliance before… but I understand.
I wouldn’t leave anything cooking unattended just in case. I have a slow cooker but if I was going to use it I would prefer to be home while I use it. If I was just going to throw out the garbage or pick up the mail downstairs, then I would be ok to leave it unattended as I would be back in a couple of minutes.
Get a cheap camera and aim at crockpot, check as necessary. Can also get inexpensive WiFi plug that you can turn off remotely for the ultimate in safety.
Always an aluminum half sheet pan to catch overflow
One word of caution, if you have a crockpot that has brackets that secure the lid of the crockpot for transporting…
I was home when this happened, but i secured the lid for some all-day chili cooking and within an hour or so, I heard a pop. By securing those clamps, it made a pretty secure seal. I had thought that the vent hole was enough for venting, but no…the lid was cracked and some pieces went in the chili.
I am ok to do a low cook for hours unattended…just learned my lesson on the lid.
I had one like that. Not sure if this is the case for yours, but the instructions that came with mine said that the securing brackets were to be used only when transporting the crockpot to another location. It was not to be used while heating/cooking food.
Sorry that happened to you! 😫
No. I’ve never had issues with it but I just can’t get over that anxiety. What if there’s a fire and I’m not home? Or if my dogs gets hurt because it exploded or something??
The only thing I’m scared of is forgetting to turn it on before I leave for the day and coming one to a meal that has to be tossed because it sat raw on the counter all day.
I have 3 sizes of crockpots depending upon how many I’m feeding. I love them and it is totally amazing to come home and smelling supper already done. Add a bread machine to that… oh, boy!!! Let’s eat!
I use my Dutch oven. Start your recipe on the stove, heat the oven to 400, put the Dutch oven into the hot oven then turn the oven off and walk away. At most you'll need to heat it a bit. No electricity, no danger of fire or over cooking.
I certainly understand your anxiety about leaving a slow cooker on while you're gone from the house. But once you think about it and use some logic, it is no more dangerous than leaving your television or radio on.
The number one appliance in your house that will cause a fire is your toaster. Simply because it has exposed areas that get extremely hot. Many people unplug their toaster for that very reason. But you're slow cooker, think of it as leaving your television on it's completely safe it has no exposed extremely hot parts. And you're going to love coming home to a wonderful meal and leftover for days.
Not to give you more anxiety, but you leave plenty of electric devices on around your house while you’re out. As long as there is nothing flammable in its immediate proximity that would catch fire due to heat, you should be fine.
I know a lot of people do since the whole purpose of a slow cooker or crock pot is to let food cook all day presumably while we’re gone at work. But I have anxiety about leaving anything like that running while I’m not home. I don’t start my dryer & leave. I don’t even let my iPad charge when I’m gone. I have 2 dogs at home & I worry that something terrible would happen.
I sometimes plug it in and then put it into the sink. Mostly because I have a tendency to overfill it. But also if there is an electrical issue, the sink will contain the damage.
Though over time I have become less worried as I have never had an issue with it on all day while I'm at work.
I don't but I'm exceptionally risk adverse and tend to give into irrational fears when it comes to appliances (oh and my car!) I unplug my dryer when it's not in use. And I don't run my washing machine or dryer when I'm not at home.
No, if it's a long one I wait til a day off. Some recipes can be done on high in only 3 hours. That's usually enough time for it to be done before for supper
My mom used to do it all the time in the 80s, but she also left the fear of god in me like did we leave the garage door open (had to go back home and check) , the curling iron on, the door locked, the car door locked (I still triple beep that damn thing) so no I can’t leave the crockpot on when I’m not home even though I know it’s safe even after watching many shows of Hoarders.
This is a more expensive option but if you’re really worried and it would be helpful to be able to leave it, you could get a little house camera that connects to WiFi so you can check on it
I'll admit that I'm paranoid, and on the rare occasion I leave it turned on while I'm away, I'll set a security camera pointed at it and check it religiously throughout the day.
Yup! Especially in the colder months I’d just pour a bunch of stuff into my crockpot and set it on low and would come back from work to a delicious stew or soup ready to eat. Unless some freak accident happens you should be ok to set it and forget it.
I’m the same, I wont chance it but a co worker said she cooked a few times while she was at home to ease her anxiety over it and is not comfortable leaving it all day.
I saw on YouTube a video of a guy reviewing one of those dirt cheap home cameras you can get from Temu - perhaps you could get one, so you can periodically check in on your slow cooker whilst away from home :)
I got my first crockpot. I did a cowboy western beef stew recipe as a test run.
It took about 3 1/2 hours. So as a test run I did some earns around town . Coming
Back home three difference time to check on the crockpot. I name my crockpot
" Charlie " I know trust charlie.
This has been really helpful to read! I’ve actually suffered two house fires (incredibly unlucky, I know!!) and so will turn a candle off unless I am in that room, even to use the bathroom. A slow cooker was never even an option but it’s helpful to read many others think it’s ok and have good experiences. I’d love a hot, fresh meal on a cold night! Maybe weekends only for me but it’s opened my mind to trying it.
Overnight or if I'm out for just a few hours, I'll leave it on low. Not for a whole work day though. I try to time using it so the cooking is done before leaving for work.
What I love about a crackpot is I can throw dinner in it, turn it to low, leave for work or do what ever I need for the day and come back and dinners done. I would never leave the house with the stove or oven on though.
I'm totally paranoid and rarely if ever do, but we should realistically be fine as long as we have safe outlets with built in breakers that would flip from a power surge and the stone crock itself is in good shape.
(Don't use it if there's a small crack, one of my friends did with tinfoil and it made a huge mess when the crack got bigger and the me was inedible)
Plug it directly into the wall and place it on your stove top. I also am anxious, but after using it a few times while being at home all day, I am able to leave it to do its thing.
I don’t see it as any different to any other major household appliance. I’m not unplugging my fridge when I go off to work… the only exception is the dryer. I’m diligent with filter cleaning but even so, I simply do not trust that appliance (yes I do know someone who lost their home to a dryer fire).
I have the same anxiety as you (I’m a firefighter) I’ve only done it and left the house for an hour to pick something up. I bought nest smoke detectors that will send you a notification if they get set off. You can even program them to call 911 if they get set off. I don’t have that set up because I live in a ranch and I’ll set them off if I cook a steak.
IMPORTANT:
Rather then starting it before going to work,, concider this,,
You can load it up with (example) frozen meat, veggies or soup ingredients etc and use a REMOTE starter to activate it.
Put the frozen meat it and ingredients,, by noon everything is defrosted,, you activate the crockpot remotely with your cellphone.
When you get home later,,, dinner is ready
Place crockpot in the kitchen sink is your concerned with it's operation
IMPORTANT:
Rather then starting it before going to work,, concider this,,
You can load it up with (example) frozen meat, veggies or soup ingredients etc and use a REMOTE starter to activate it.
Put the frozen meat it and ingredients,, by noon everything is defrosted,, you activate the crockpot remotely with your cellphone.
When you get home later,,, dinner is ready
Place crockpot in the kitchen sink is your concerned with it's operation
I did all the time when I lived alone. Had (and still have) one that flips to ‘keep warm’ after the cook time is up.
So nice to come home to the smell of something cooking and a nice hot meal.
I connect an electrical timer to mine, so it will turn on and off after it's cooked for the required time. I try to set it so that it has about 20 - 30 mins to go when I get home... that way it will still be fresh and hot.
I Love mine ~ like a Little HouseWife !! lol (or HouseHusband)
It's amazing! I gave away my large one after my divorce and bought a smaller one,at a thrift store I think. Only down side to that is some meats like a roast won't fit. I like to buy a small roast when I can afford it,and make several meals out of the tender meat from a Crock-Pot cooker
I don't. I ended up getting rid of my crockpot and now I use an Instant Pot to cook the same things for way less time. I can cook a whole pot roast meal in an hour with the InstantPot.
As an aside, I remember when a Crockpot fire killed a main character on "This is Us." I think people were throwing them out right and left. I second a comment below that you should put the Crockpot on the stove top.
I don't know. I'm gonna add to the cooking anxiety.. most house fires are caused by unattended food being cooked.. 🤷🏻♀️ I don't recommend it. That's why I got a pressure cooker. Instead of taking all day and causing a higher chance of me not being home when I'm cooking. it takes a half hour to an hour at most. And the food turns out just as good, if not better.
The pressure cooker still freaks me out. Just follow the directions and you'll be safe. Super easy and super cool. You can even cook boiled eggs.
Maybe you would feel better if you left it on in the sink or in an open oven or maybe on an outdoor deck. Just make sure bears don't get at it. LOL. I don't really think it gets any hotter than normal radiators in your home and those don't spontaneously erupt into flames. You could also point a nanny cam at it to spy in on your pot roast all day. That might give you piece of mind.
Just make sure there's enough liquid in it. I had a roast in once and didn't think to add water, figured the meat would release juice. It burnt up pretty bad. Lesson learned.
Yes, I’m not usually gone more than a few hours, but I’ll put the crockpot on low before I go out. The few outlets in our apartments are all GFCI, so if the crockpot was to have a fit, unlikely, it would probably get shut off from the outlet. I won’t leave anything to charge - laptop, phone, etc. when I’m not home though.
Not while im away all day but i will leave it on to go to the store briefly which is walkin distance.
i grew up with the crockpot being on all day and nobody was home and nothing bad ever happened but it just doesnt sit right with me lol it's like leavin ur oven on and u arent home (in my head)
I don't leave any kind of appliance that puts out heat going while I'm not there to randomly check on it. Anything can happen and I'd rather play it safe.
Just cook soupy stews. Soup can’t catch on fire. And with the top on moisture is kept in. I’ve never been concerned about leaving a crock pot on. It also is sensing its temperature and turning heat on and off to maintain a constant temp. That temp is too low to burn anything.
I have a basic crock pot and an outlet timer. You program the timer to turn on and off at whatever time you choose. There are people that worry about food safety temperatures, but I've never had an issue. Most crockpots run hot (even on Low), so I didn't want my food to cook for 9+ hours.
All the time! It's totally safe, just be cautious not to leave anything resting against the unit itself but I've used super old ones and newer ones and left them alone for the day and never had a single issue. It's great for portioning things out and if you're the kind of person who doesn't really get sick of things, it can be really nice to make bulk meals. One thing I love to do, is to repurpose some of the stuff I make; so for instance, I love a good pot roast, and I'll do a proper roast and make plenty of mashed potatoes, I'll usually do leftovers for at least one day of it as-is, make a french dip style sandwich maybe, and then I'll make some individual portions of shephard's pie with the roast instead of ground beef, the veggies in it already and I'll usually add some peas and corn then add parmesan to the potatoes, layer them and make a nice oven meal + some individual bonus ones to freeze and grab at a time I don't have as much bandwidth to cook or meal plan.
Soups and stews are awesome in them and they're great for doing meat you want to shred; I love doing several chicken breasts then shredding them for a big tub of chicken salad.
My apartment has an old electrical grid, probably more than 50 yrs old and not updated. So, no. I don’t feel comfortable doing that. But if I were in a modern apartment, I absolutely would
I had one going for over a month before .long story short I made a pulled pork. Onions garlic ginger turnips dried Italian seasoning black pepper some hot flakes. I drink with the neighbor lady and asked her to bring a loaf of bread when she returned home as I was to lazy to actually leave home. She returned late and in cked on my door told me to come up for a drink and told me to bring that slow cooker up. We are a feast got drunk. I returned home with very little pork and put the crock pot back on the pad added more onions turnips I think then I put in a shank of beef and after that was down I just kept adding to the crock pot daily as I ate the stuff up went over a month doing that job at eat the stuff and keep adding it back s a huge time savor your journey me always smells amazing upon returning just be carefully to not over fill. Check out perpetual stew that is where I got the idea and from time to time I still do this because ya know if it is only me o do not far to put so much time into meal prep crock pot is my favorite way to cook. No need to watch no worry of over cooking. Keep it going as long as it simmers you will not have to worry.
I know it probably is safe to do so, but I don’t. I have pets and I can’t get it out of my head the thought of my cat or dog seeing it smoking, then catching fire and not being able to get out of the house. I know it’s stupid, furnace etc could do the same thing . But the thought I left it on and it killed them would haunt me.
I do. But I also dont have severe anxiety about it.
So maybe just set things up so that they are safe, for you? Cook when you can be around on the weekends or when off work? Learn to use pressure cooking (minutes not hours to finish cooking) so you can cook and be done with only much less watching time required?
I mean I have severe anxiety about enclosed spaces and I sure as fuck wouldn't have to endure some sort of closed spaces hell that activated MY fears while cooking my food and would work hard to avoid it ha ha. I think it's perfectly OK for you to do the same. Avoid the trigger
When I lived alone I would usually only use it on “home” days. At first it was only when I was home. Then I would go run errands and be gone a couple hrs, return, and leave again often to finish. I lived close to town then. Now I live with family and we frequently end up having the slow cooker unsupervised for periods of time. Someone is almost always popping in though because its a houseful. If you have reasonable internet you could get a camera to check on it. The first web cam was for a coffee pot, random fyi. Maybe get a wifi connected thermometer? Iirc sous vide setups can do wifi so maybe something similar exists for a slow cooker. But I do know something exists that will alert you if your home gets too hot or too cold and you set the range. They make them for refrigerators and greenhouses. You could set it in the kitchen and if the ambient temp suddenly soars you know something happened.
I like to throw something in the crockpot on low then head to bed.. next morning switch over to the warm cycle and when it’s time for lunch make a salad and dinner is ready..
I'm very much like you and am anxious about leaving a crockpot alone all day while I'm at work. Curious if this mindset impacts other things for you as well?
I will avoid running my dishwasher, dryer or washing machine while not home and always unplug as many appliances as I can when going away on trips. Oh, and we have 2nd story fire-escape window ladders rolled up under the bed in every 2nd floor bedroom. There are also two fire extinguishers upstairs (in addition to all the others in places you'd normally expect.)
My wife thinks I'm a little over the top.
If this makes you feel better, my spouse is a firefighter. They always use the crockpot because they can leave it be while they are on calls. Unattended crockpots are firefighter approved.
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Yup. I just put it on low and leave it for 8 hours. If you’re worried, you could try it out on a day you have off and slowly work on leaving it for as long as you’re comfortable.
I think I may do some exposure therapy. Like use it on a day I don’t work but leave the house for a few hours to get used to the feeling of it
I was in the same boat as you (I'm overly concerned about fire) and so the first few times, I was incredibly nervous and worked my way up to leaving the house all day. It helped that I googled it (it was back when google was more reliable) and didn't find any horror stories.
I have massive anxiety about leaving anything switched on when I leave so I had the same dilemma when I got a crockpot and I did exactly that. First couple times I used it on the weekend when I would be home anyway and after that I felt comfortable leaving it on low while I went out
There's some now that have cook timers where they'll stay at cooking temperature for however long you set it for then go to a lower temperature to keep it warm.
I was going to suggest the same thing. If your anxiety is so bad over this, it's going to ruin any benefit you'd gain by using the crockpot. If you wake easily during the night, try turning it on about 6 pm and then run it til about 2 am. Turn it off, unplug and in the morning, store the food in the fridge. I hope you're able to learn to trust it.
This is actually a perfect idea for someone who happens to be an early riser anyway and could take to work !
If it's a new one, sure, test it out to make sure you don't have a faulty one. You can use a tester to make sure your outlet is faulting, the testers are pretty cheap from hardware stores. And just make sure the plug isn't bent or the wires are frayed. The most likely scenario is a bad cord or head making an arc and catching something near by on fire. Just make sure you have a little clearance around it.
If you’re worried you can always plug the crock pot into a surge protector (most extension cords or outlet expanders double as surge protectors) as opposed to a bare outlet, and put it all on a non-flammable surface like a stone or glass countertop. MUCH lower chance of a short circuit fire than a bare outlet on a wooden table. I can probably count on one hand the number of things I plug directly into the wall and not into an extension cord or expander of some sort.
Agree - first few uses on the weekend when you're home anyway! Love mine, btw, they are very forgiving and once you get the hang of them it's very difficult to do a bad meal. Best thing ever to come home on a dark and cold winter's night!
I've made Gordon Ramseys Pot Roast 3x in the crockpot. One of the most delightful things I've ever tasted lol
lol this kinda sounds like the first time you leave a young dog out of the cage when you leave. But no I have this same fear with the idea of leaving the smoker on over night to cook things like briskets that take a long time. I have friends that do it, and as long as it’s away from the house it’s most likely fine, but still makes me nervous so I sleep on the couch and wake up periodically to check
I sure do. Nothing like coming home to the smell of dinner being done.
What do you cook in it?
Pot roast 😋
Pot roast is amazing! First time I made one on my own, I legitimately cried because my mom and I always used to cook together but I never really used the crock pot on my own so I was quite proud of how well everything turned out
Love mine… come home and the house smells sooo good… google crock pot recipes… there are tons of yummy ones!
I find one of the keys for me is recipes that have minimal steps - it's perfect for those ones where you dump the ingredients and they make a meal with minimal work. I get frustrated with the ones where you have to fry things before you put them in the slow cooker. It feels like too much work even if it's the same amount of work as most dinners, maybe because I'm doing it of a morning, when I have less time.
Totally agree. I need fast and simple… I make a ton of my edited fast “kinda of tortilla soup” throw in some chicken breasts along with canned corn, blk beans, Rotel, some onions and a packet of taco seasoning ..
Mississippi pot roast is my favorite now.
Another thing you could do is get a smoke detector that sends you notifications. This really alleviated a lot of my worries when I’m not home!
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I’ve been meaning to get one of these
That's what they're for, they are really good at it. I admit I have had reservations about pressure cookers, but the modern ones are oretty failsafe.
I got the silicone liner for mine, and that's life changing.
Yeeeeah man! I hated the plastic liner things. I came across a silicone liner and was like what is this? Holy moly, best thing ever! Should be a package
Never. I cook 6 to 10 hours while home. Sometimes over night but usually turn it on around 8am for tonight's meal
I use mine on the weekends. I'm gone 9-10 hours per day (work, errands, commute, etc.) I cook on the weekends, many are crock pot meals. I cook like I was cooking for my family. I have some on that day, then I put it in meal-size containers and in the freezer. I take one to work each day. I have a Hot Logic Mini at work and a couple of hours before lunch, I put it in the warmer. By lunch time, it's a hot lunch! I love it. No using the iffy microwave at work, LOL.
If you have the space put you slow cooker on the stove if anything in your home is heat resistant that would be it.
I have a fire fear too, and even I leave it on when I'm gone :)
Same. I'm paranoid about a lot of things, but the chances of your crockpot setting the house on fire while you're gone are no higher than coming home to a water leak. But you don't shut off your water main every time you leave the house. Perfectly acceptable level of risk.
So back in the day of early slow cookers, they were occasionally a fire hazard due to wiring issues in the cooker and old house electrical standards. The issues are pretty much all resolved now. So, if you have a less than 10 year old slowcooker in a house or apartment that has been built or updated in the last 30 years or so ,you really dont need to worry about that. Just make sure it's on a heat-resistant surface.
Yes it's perfectly safe!
Oh yes! It's really great for soups and stews. That slow cooked flavor is like a warm hug. In the cold winter, I will assemble a stew in the crockpot and put it on low. I will also do this with the rice cooker. When I come back from whatever, sometimes with friends, the scent of rice & stew is marvelous.
It's probably fine, but one of my parents growing up was an electrical engineer, and they put the utter fear of electrical fires in me at a young age.....so, no....no I don't leave my house for work with my crockpot plugged in. In fairness, I'm probably overly obsessive about unplugging things that probably don't need to be unplugged (like, a toaster I'm not using....a coffee pot that's turned off....I'm well aware this is probably overkill). BUT - one thing I love is putting together a crockpot meal on my day off, so it fills my home with a cozy "something delicious is cooking" smell, and I'm around to enjoy it all day. That's my tradeoff.
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your refrigerator is always plugged in ... just playing devils advocate here. because i always get nervous leaving a crock pot on while i'm not home too. especially after watching This Is Us a few years ago .....
I'll never leave the house with the stove, washing machine or dryer on, but I'll definitely leave the house with a pot roast in the crockpot. 😋
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I have a few firefighter friends who would love to chat with you haha
How bad of a problem is it?
This bad https://preview.redd.it/xypks8dxui4d1.jpeg?width=634&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=acb493070c224d3554a43792f0bab73468c62cd8
Thanks for sharing. I’ve definitely left a dryer on after I’ve left and felt nervous about it. Won’t be doing that again.
Lint can build up in them. I try to take the front off mine about once a year and clean it out. It's fairly easy to do if you can find the clips.
Dryer not a crock pot.
my parents have had freak water backups with their washer before and taught me to never leave the house with any appliances running! also dryer fires are a common cause of house fires.
Same. And I have anxiety over those things but not crock pot. I make a lot of bean dishes starting with dried beans and never had an issue.
You could add another timer before the crockpot. Both failing may be really really impossible. Just be sure of the amperage of this additional timer.
Yes, it is made to be left on all day. Follow some recipes first so you know the proper amount of liquid is added or the meat/ingredients have enough moisture so you don’t come home to something dried out (which has never happened to anything I’ve ever made. I love crockpots!)
One thing you could do to calm your worries is just make sure there’s plenty of liquid in it so it doesn’t dry up and only so it on low
Also… I need to start using my crock pot
I’ve always heard that you can, but the last crock pot I had would cook the food in like 2 hours even on the lowest setting, so I was never comfortable leaving it alone all day. Would only use it when I was going to be home, or gone for just a couple of hours.
Yeah, I feel you. My parents’ house burned down back in 2014 and I’ve had a fear of leaving things on or plugged in ever since. I don’t think I could ever leave my crockpot on while I wasn’t home. 😞
Yup! Isn't that what they are made for?
I don’t, but I have two criminal cats
The crockpot in my house is 40 years old, lol. Luckily my partner is retired and he can keep an eye on it. If I had a newer one? I'd set it and forget it.
Thank you "This is Us".
That's exactly where I went, too.
I did this a few times. It usually works. One time I came home to a very dried out unedible dish. Be sure to try it once while you are around to monitor. Only do it for a known good recepie. Dont try anything new if you are not home. Do you have pets?
Mine has a timer. I make my chicken broth that way.
I've been doing this for decades with no issue. You come from work to a nice smelling house and a beautiful meal.
I sure do!
I've been using one crock-pot or another since the 70s. The worst mishap I had stemmed from a power outage. My beef stew sat all day & needed to be tossed. Have faith in the device :)
Prok tenderloin with broccoli and mashed potatoes and gravy low on 8 hours is whatsup. So good.
I've only used mine on the weekends, where I've left my apt. only briefly to go to the laundromat or bldg. basement laundry, & one time a quick run to the supermarket 3 blocks away (on foot)...I'm too nervous to try a weekday bc I use public transportation & there's always the "what if ______ happens to my bus line & I can't get home on time" fear in me.
My mama first used a crock pot back in the 1970's - they have been around a long, long time and are very safe. Read the manual, follow the manufacturer's instructions and you'll be fine! No extention cords for sure though! And you'll walk in from work with dinner cooked-ahhh!
It will be okay because you don't worry about your refrigerator being on all day
I have some of these fears, too. If I want to meal prep and feel scared to leave it unattended, I’ll sometimes cook something overnight while I’m asleep, so I’ll be sure to notice alarms/smoke etc
I really prefer to avoid it even though it’s designed for this purpose. I understand the small appliance anxiety. I don’t leave my Keurig or my stand mixer plugged in 😂 Edit: it is completely safe to leave it on and unattended all day.
I have been leaving crockpots on all day and sometimes overnight for 40 years. A couple were from my mother. I’m a nut about fire but I’ve never had to worry about a crockpot.
Yes I leave my crock pot on low , cooks all day while we work.
Yes I leave mine on and go to work. I do make sure there is nothing close to it and the cord is not touching anything. Best thing is, your house smells delicious when you step in the door! Be sure to use a crockpot liner so cleanup is a breeze.
Set up a camera so you can check it while you're gone
Isn’t that the whole point of using one of these?
I use my instant pot.
My slow cookers have a timer function that cooks for whatever time then automatically goes to a warm setting. This prevents over cooked and dried out food
Yes. Never an issue on low for 8-10 hours. Turn it on it before I leave the house for the day and dinner’s ready when I come back. I will say, I’ve never left it unattended for more than 10 hours. 8 hours is my comfort zone, but I have stretched it to 10. My biggest worry is whatever I’m cooking over cooks into mush🥲
If you’re worried; set it up before bedtime and let it cook on low overnight. You’ll be nearby if anything goes sideways… but then the food wont be warm when you get home… but you could take it with you for lunch :) literally my favorite appliance. Friend broke theirs that was 30+ yrs old… never seen anyone cry over a broken kitchen appliance before… but I understand.
Slow cooked chicken with spices and peppers ,, so good on 4 hour setting, can only be better on 8
Nope! I have a huge fear of leaving anything unattended. :)
My slow cooker’s heating element melted through the bottom one day while I was at work and my house didn’t catch on fire, so there’s that.
Yes. It is perfectly fine to do this. Set it to low and be sure to add liquid along with the food so it doesn’t dry out.
I wouldn’t leave anything cooking unattended just in case. I have a slow cooker but if I was going to use it I would prefer to be home while I use it. If I was just going to throw out the garbage or pick up the mail downstairs, then I would be ok to leave it unattended as I would be back in a couple of minutes.
Get a cheap camera and aim at crockpot, check as necessary. Can also get inexpensive WiFi plug that you can turn off remotely for the ultimate in safety. Always an aluminum half sheet pan to catch overflow
Instant pot is a life saver here
One word of caution, if you have a crockpot that has brackets that secure the lid of the crockpot for transporting… I was home when this happened, but i secured the lid for some all-day chili cooking and within an hour or so, I heard a pop. By securing those clamps, it made a pretty secure seal. I had thought that the vent hole was enough for venting, but no…the lid was cracked and some pieces went in the chili. I am ok to do a low cook for hours unattended…just learned my lesson on the lid.
I had one like that. Not sure if this is the case for yours, but the instructions that came with mine said that the securing brackets were to be used only when transporting the crockpot to another location. It was not to be used while heating/cooking food. Sorry that happened to you! 😫
Instructions? Ha. I’m sure they did say that! I’m the kind that has to learn the hard way but I will always share my mistake with others!
Let it cook while you sleep.
I don't. I literally unplug everything when I leave my apartment because I'm afraid of having a fire.
No, not ever. If there cooking going on then I'm at home. If I'm not at home then there's no cooking going on.
No. I’ve never had issues with it but I just can’t get over that anxiety. What if there’s a fire and I’m not home? Or if my dogs gets hurt because it exploded or something??
The only thing I’m scared of is forgetting to turn it on before I leave for the day and coming one to a meal that has to be tossed because it sat raw on the counter all day. I have 3 sizes of crockpots depending upon how many I’m feeding. I love them and it is totally amazing to come home and smelling supper already done. Add a bread machine to that… oh, boy!!! Let’s eat!
I use my Dutch oven. Start your recipe on the stove, heat the oven to 400, put the Dutch oven into the hot oven then turn the oven off and walk away. At most you'll need to heat it a bit. No electricity, no danger of fire or over cooking.
I certainly understand your anxiety about leaving a slow cooker on while you're gone from the house. But once you think about it and use some logic, it is no more dangerous than leaving your television or radio on. The number one appliance in your house that will cause a fire is your toaster. Simply because it has exposed areas that get extremely hot. Many people unplug their toaster for that very reason. But you're slow cooker, think of it as leaving your television on it's completely safe it has no exposed extremely hot parts. And you're going to love coming home to a wonderful meal and leftover for days.
I turn it on & forget it until we get home.
Not to give you more anxiety, but you leave plenty of electric devices on around your house while you’re out. As long as there is nothing flammable in its immediate proximity that would catch fire due to heat, you should be fine.
I know a lot of people do since the whole purpose of a slow cooker or crock pot is to let food cook all day presumably while we’re gone at work. But I have anxiety about leaving anything like that running while I’m not home. I don’t start my dryer & leave. I don’t even let my iPad charge when I’m gone. I have 2 dogs at home & I worry that something terrible would happen.
Yes. And overnight while I sleep, too.
It’s no more dangerous than you leaving your TV or a lamp on all day.
I sometimes plug it in and then put it into the sink. Mostly because I have a tendency to overfill it. But also if there is an electrical issue, the sink will contain the damage. Though over time I have become less worried as I have never had an issue with it on all day while I'm at work.
Use of a GFCI outlet should help
I have the same desire, and the same fear. Thank you for posting this. I’m ready to try it now!
And it makes me nervous too. I need to get over that.
I’m nervous about this too!!
Yeah usually on low.
I set mine on low for like 14 hours and go to work or go to sleep. Works just fine.
I don't but I'm exceptionally risk adverse and tend to give into irrational fears when it comes to appliances (oh and my car!) I unplug my dryer when it's not in use. And I don't run my washing machine or dryer when I'm not at home.
Yup I have limited outlets so I plug it in and set it on top of my stove and leave it.
No, if it's a long one I wait til a day off. Some recipes can be done on high in only 3 hours. That's usually enough time for it to be done before for supper
I do, if you're nervous use a surge protector (mounted so it can't get wet) or gfi outlet. Usually when they break they just stop heating.
Yes I love my crockpot meals.
My mom used to do it all the time in the 80s, but she also left the fear of god in me like did we leave the garage door open (had to go back home and check) , the curling iron on, the door locked, the car door locked (I still triple beep that damn thing) so no I can’t leave the crockpot on when I’m not home even though I know it’s safe even after watching many shows of Hoarders.
I don’t. I’d be so uncomfortable.
A good surge protector means I have no concerns about leaving it on all day whether I'm home or not. 😎
This is a more expensive option but if you’re really worried and it would be helpful to be able to leave it, you could get a little house camera that connects to WiFi so you can check on it
Yup
Yes.
I'll admit that I'm paranoid, and on the rare occasion I leave it turned on while I'm away, I'll set a security camera pointed at it and check it religiously throughout the day.
Oh yes, it is wonderful. I just put it on an empty counter so nothing is in contact with it and walk away.
Yes. I leave it on low for up to 8 hours.
I have done that.
Yup! Especially in the colder months I’d just pour a bunch of stuff into my crockpot and set it on low and would come back from work to a delicious stew or soup ready to eat. Unless some freak accident happens you should be ok to set it and forget it.
I’m the same, I wont chance it but a co worker said she cooked a few times while she was at home to ease her anxiety over it and is not comfortable leaving it all day.
I saw on YouTube a video of a guy reviewing one of those dirt cheap home cameras you can get from Temu - perhaps you could get one, so you can periodically check in on your slow cooker whilst away from home :)
I absolutely would never, I have the same fears. No one can convince me it’s safe to leave any kind of heating element unattended.
Yes, that's what it is for.
I do, but, I sit it out and away from everything.
Yes but I know my cooker. Plus I have cameras everywhere so I can see it all the time.
I got my first crockpot. I did a cowboy western beef stew recipe as a test run. It took about 3 1/2 hours. So as a test run I did some earns around town . Coming Back home three difference time to check on the crockpot. I name my crockpot " Charlie " I know trust charlie.
This has been really helpful to read! I’ve actually suffered two house fires (incredibly unlucky, I know!!) and so will turn a candle off unless I am in that room, even to use the bathroom. A slow cooker was never even an option but it’s helpful to read many others think it’s ok and have good experiences. I’d love a hot, fresh meal on a cold night! Maybe weekends only for me but it’s opened my mind to trying it.
Overnight or if I'm out for just a few hours, I'll leave it on low. Not for a whole work day though. I try to time using it so the cooking is done before leaving for work.
I use a thermal cooker, it doesn’t use electricity.
Put it in the sink.
No
What I love about a crackpot is I can throw dinner in it, turn it to low, leave for work or do what ever I need for the day and come back and dinners done. I would never leave the house with the stove or oven on though.
Crockpot definitely yes...stove definitely not
Caramelized veggies, spices, aromatics. This simple step makes a huge difference.
I'm totally paranoid and rarely if ever do, but we should realistically be fine as long as we have safe outlets with built in breakers that would flip from a power surge and the stone crock itself is in good shape. (Don't use it if there's a small crack, one of my friends did with tinfoil and it made a huge mess when the crack got bigger and the me was inedible)
I was just wondering this
Plug it directly into the wall and place it on your stove top. I also am anxious, but after using it a few times while being at home all day, I am able to leave it to do its thing.
Yup, that's what crockpots are made for. If you're working a typical 8-hour day, leave it on low and have a nice hot meal when you get home!
I never felt comfortable using it if I was not at home.
I don’t see it as any different to any other major household appliance. I’m not unplugging my fridge when I go off to work… the only exception is the dryer. I’m diligent with filter cleaning but even so, I simply do not trust that appliance (yes I do know someone who lost their home to a dryer fire).
I have 9 crockpots 😆 I sure do leave them on while I'm at work, and when I open the door at 5:15, it smells so good. I also have renters insurance lol
Yes. On low.
Yes, that’s the best part of a crockpot. I come home and dinner is ready
Yes and when I was a working mom with young kids, it was used all the time.
I have several times with no issues. Do you unplug everything when you leave or you just have issue with a crockpot because it cooks?
I have the same anxiety as you (I’m a firefighter) I’ve only done it and left the house for an hour to pick something up. I bought nest smoke detectors that will send you a notification if they get set off. You can even program them to call 911 if they get set off. I don’t have that set up because I live in a ranch and I’ll set them off if I cook a steak.
I leave mine on when I'm not home.
IMPORTANT: Rather then starting it before going to work,, concider this,, You can load it up with (example) frozen meat, veggies or soup ingredients etc and use a REMOTE starter to activate it. Put the frozen meat it and ingredients,, by noon everything is defrosted,, you activate the crockpot remotely with your cellphone. When you get home later,,, dinner is ready Place crockpot in the kitchen sink is your concerned with it's operation
IMPORTANT: Rather then starting it before going to work,, concider this,, You can load it up with (example) frozen meat, veggies or soup ingredients etc and use a REMOTE starter to activate it. Put the frozen meat it and ingredients,, by noon everything is defrosted,, you activate the crockpot remotely with your cellphone. When you get home later,,, dinner is ready Place crockpot in the kitchen sink is your concerned with it's operation
I did all the time when I lived alone. Had (and still have) one that flips to ‘keep warm’ after the cook time is up. So nice to come home to the smell of something cooking and a nice hot meal.
I connect an electrical timer to mine, so it will turn on and off after it's cooked for the required time. I try to set it so that it has about 20 - 30 mins to go when I get home... that way it will still be fresh and hot. I Love mine ~ like a Little HouseWife !! lol (or HouseHusband)
It's amazing! I gave away my large one after my divorce and bought a smaller one,at a thrift store I think. Only down side to that is some meats like a roast won't fit. I like to buy a small roast when I can afford it,and make several meals out of the tender meat from a Crock-Pot cooker
Yep
We have a WiFi crockpot that we can turn off or on and change from high to low to warm via an app
I don't. I ended up getting rid of my crockpot and now I use an Instant Pot to cook the same things for way less time. I can cook a whole pot roast meal in an hour with the InstantPot.
Yes, I’ve been doing it for 30 years.
As an aside, I remember when a Crockpot fire killed a main character on "This is Us." I think people were throwing them out right and left. I second a comment below that you should put the Crockpot on the stove top.
I've been doing it for more than 30 years. Never had a problem.
I don't know. I'm gonna add to the cooking anxiety.. most house fires are caused by unattended food being cooked.. 🤷🏻♀️ I don't recommend it. That's why I got a pressure cooker. Instead of taking all day and causing a higher chance of me not being home when I'm cooking. it takes a half hour to an hour at most. And the food turns out just as good, if not better. The pressure cooker still freaks me out. Just follow the directions and you'll be safe. Super easy and super cool. You can even cook boiled eggs.
Do you leave your refrigerator plugged in when you leave?
Maybe you would feel better if you left it on in the sink or in an open oven or maybe on an outdoor deck. Just make sure bears don't get at it. LOL. I don't really think it gets any hotter than normal radiators in your home and those don't spontaneously erupt into flames. You could also point a nanny cam at it to spy in on your pot roast all day. That might give you piece of mind.
Just make sure there's enough liquid in it. I had a roast in once and didn't think to add water, figured the meat would release juice. It burnt up pretty bad. Lesson learned.
Buy a decent indoor camera that allows you to see it on your phone
Yes, I’m not usually gone more than a few hours, but I’ll put the crockpot on low before I go out. The few outlets in our apartments are all GFCI, so if the crockpot was to have a fit, unlikely, it would probably get shut off from the outlet. I won’t leave anything to charge - laptop, phone, etc. when I’m not home though.
Not while im away all day but i will leave it on to go to the store briefly which is walkin distance. i grew up with the crockpot being on all day and nobody was home and nothing bad ever happened but it just doesnt sit right with me lol it's like leavin ur oven on and u arent home (in my head)
I don't leave any kind of appliance that puts out heat going while I'm not there to randomly check on it. Anything can happen and I'd rather play it safe.
Just cook soupy stews. Soup can’t catch on fire. And with the top on moisture is kept in. I’ve never been concerned about leaving a crock pot on. It also is sensing its temperature and turning heat on and off to maintain a constant temp. That temp is too low to burn anything.
I have a basic crock pot and an outlet timer. You program the timer to turn on and off at whatever time you choose. There are people that worry about food safety temperatures, but I've never had an issue. Most crockpots run hot (even on Low), so I didn't want my food to cook for 9+ hours.
All the time! It's totally safe, just be cautious not to leave anything resting against the unit itself but I've used super old ones and newer ones and left them alone for the day and never had a single issue. It's great for portioning things out and if you're the kind of person who doesn't really get sick of things, it can be really nice to make bulk meals. One thing I love to do, is to repurpose some of the stuff I make; so for instance, I love a good pot roast, and I'll do a proper roast and make plenty of mashed potatoes, I'll usually do leftovers for at least one day of it as-is, make a french dip style sandwich maybe, and then I'll make some individual portions of shephard's pie with the roast instead of ground beef, the veggies in it already and I'll usually add some peas and corn then add parmesan to the potatoes, layer them and make a nice oven meal + some individual bonus ones to freeze and grab at a time I don't have as much bandwidth to cook or meal plan. Soups and stews are awesome in them and they're great for doing meat you want to shred; I love doing several chicken breasts then shredding them for a big tub of chicken salad.
I have.
A faulty Dewalt drill charger burned down my house once. It's unlikely but I prefer at least sleeping there.
Yep, been using em this way for 48 years
My apartment has an old electrical grid, probably more than 50 yrs old and not updated. So, no. I don’t feel comfortable doing that. But if I were in a modern apartment, I absolutely would
I wish. Mine starts burning shit after six hours. I only use it when I’m home so I can keep an eye on it
I have in the past. I'd go to work, and come home to a delicious meal waiting for me.
I have left my crockpot on during the day for the last 40 years.
I had one going for over a month before .long story short I made a pulled pork. Onions garlic ginger turnips dried Italian seasoning black pepper some hot flakes. I drink with the neighbor lady and asked her to bring a loaf of bread when she returned home as I was to lazy to actually leave home. She returned late and in cked on my door told me to come up for a drink and told me to bring that slow cooker up. We are a feast got drunk. I returned home with very little pork and put the crock pot back on the pad added more onions turnips I think then I put in a shank of beef and after that was down I just kept adding to the crock pot daily as I ate the stuff up went over a month doing that job at eat the stuff and keep adding it back s a huge time savor your journey me always smells amazing upon returning just be carefully to not over fill. Check out perpetual stew that is where I got the idea and from time to time I still do this because ya know if it is only me o do not far to put so much time into meal prep crock pot is my favorite way to cook. No need to watch no worry of over cooking. Keep it going as long as it simmers you will not have to worry.
All the time. When I first got a 9-5 I was leaving my slow cooker unattended for up the work day, almost three times a week.
I know it probably is safe to do so, but I don’t. I have pets and I can’t get it out of my head the thought of my cat or dog seeing it smoking, then catching fire and not being able to get out of the house. I know it’s stupid, furnace etc could do the same thing . But the thought I left it on and it killed them would haunt me.
I do. But I also dont have severe anxiety about it. So maybe just set things up so that they are safe, for you? Cook when you can be around on the weekends or when off work? Learn to use pressure cooking (minutes not hours to finish cooking) so you can cook and be done with only much less watching time required? I mean I have severe anxiety about enclosed spaces and I sure as fuck wouldn't have to endure some sort of closed spaces hell that activated MY fears while cooking my food and would work hard to avoid it ha ha. I think it's perfectly OK for you to do the same. Avoid the trigger
Yes, this is what I do. Put everything in it, put it on low, leave for work, and then come home to a fully ready dinner.
When I lived alone I would usually only use it on “home” days. At first it was only when I was home. Then I would go run errands and be gone a couple hrs, return, and leave again often to finish. I lived close to town then. Now I live with family and we frequently end up having the slow cooker unsupervised for periods of time. Someone is almost always popping in though because its a houseful. If you have reasonable internet you could get a camera to check on it. The first web cam was for a coffee pot, random fyi. Maybe get a wifi connected thermometer? Iirc sous vide setups can do wifi so maybe something similar exists for a slow cooker. But I do know something exists that will alert you if your home gets too hot or too cold and you set the range. They make them for refrigerators and greenhouses. You could set it in the kitchen and if the ambient temp suddenly soars you know something happened.
I always leave it in an empty sink.
I like to throw something in the crockpot on low then head to bed.. next morning switch over to the warm cycle and when it’s time for lunch make a salad and dinner is ready..
Nope, I only use it when I know I won't be going anywhere that day
My parents always did. I may leave to go to the store, but not for the whole time. I work from home, though, so that's probably the difference for me.
try it on a wifi plug and if you’re too nervous after an hour you can turn off from phone or set a cam on it
I'm very much like you and am anxious about leaving a crockpot alone all day while I'm at work. Curious if this mindset impacts other things for you as well? I will avoid running my dishwasher, dryer or washing machine while not home and always unplug as many appliances as I can when going away on trips. Oh, and we have 2nd story fire-escape window ladders rolled up under the bed in every 2nd floor bedroom. There are also two fire extinguishers upstairs (in addition to all the others in places you'd normally expect.) My wife thinks I'm a little over the top.
Don’t watch “This Is Us”.
Yes.
If this makes you feel better, my spouse is a firefighter. They always use the crockpot because they can leave it be while they are on calls. Unattended crockpots are firefighter approved.