crockpot liners. Does anybody use them?

[CTyankee]

I am reluctant to cook food in plastic for long periods of time. However, I hear that they save lots of scrubbing time on the crock pot. I use a lot of Pam spray but I still end up scrubbing with Soft Scrub to get my crock pot clean. It's one of the reasons I don't use the crock pot very often.

So I wonder if health concerns are overblown or not...

[hlthe2b]

1. I have a white crock liner that is an issue for me, but I've found....

that after soaking and a light scrub with dawn and a safe scrubber, that once the pot is technically clean, a film remains. BUT, soaking the crock for an hour or two in a fairly strong vinegar solution leaves it looking new again.

I've seen the liners, but have the same concerns. I don't need more BPA or other contaminant worries, so I avoid them.

[FSogol]

2. While not afraid of plastics, filling my crock pot with hot water for 20-30 minutes

makes it simple to clean. A liner would just be a hassle to me.

[CTyankee]

3. Evidently, you just lift out the liner and throw it in the garbage. It's no big deal.

I also soak my crock pot in hot water and detergent, but it still requires scrubbing. I admit I am pretty picky. I like the pot to be spotless since it has to sit on the counter and the lid is clear glass.

[Warpy]

4. Not just no but HELL no

My non removable crock pot liner is ceramic. If something sticks to it, I just fill it with water and leave it on low for a little while and the stuck stuff comes right off.

Like you, I am reluctant to cook food in plastic. I don't even like plastic microwave containers and usually use Corelle instead.

[CTyankee]

5. good idea! fill with water and let it "cook" on low...

except that I would probably forget I did that and find some sort of problem in the morning...but that's me...

[HopeHoops]

6. Every time. Our crock isn't removable so washing it is a pain in the ass. The liners are great.

Aside from avoiding a massive cleanup problem, they also serve as quick "put it away" bags. You just twist off the top (with as little air as possible) and put it in a storage container and pop it in the fridge. Pretty quick solution when you're fat dumb and happy from a good meal.

I've never even had a hint of flavor change from using them. Give them a try.

[Lucinda]

7. Don't use them, and never would.

I'm clearing as many plastics as I can out of my kitchen. I can soak the little crock if it gets too bad.

[CTyankee]

8. the problem arises when you are the primary caregiver and have to do everything.

Then you start to whittle down everything and I mean EVERYTHING. The fact is that you CAN'T do it all. It is not possible. You have to make some compromises. Otherwise,you are so exhausted and spent that you can't see straight.

Not a good place to be. Best to find short cuts, if they are OK....

[Lucinda]

9. I understand time and energy constraints pretty well

My health is so bad right now that it has taken me three days to clean the inside of my fridge.
I'd much rather set a crock pot to the side and let it soak with warm water, than heat a plastic liner and add that to the landfill. We all find what is acceptable to us.

[GoCubsGo]

16. You mention the main reason I would never use them.

It's the landfill issue. I also consider it a waste of money, since I can just soak my crock. I might think otherwise if my crock pot didn't have a removable liner.

[Lucinda]

17. Our smaller crock pot doesn't have a removable liner

but it isn't too difficult to clean.

When I replace my larger crockpot, I'll definitely be getting another one with the removable insert. It's just way too handy.

[Arkansas Granny]

10. I'll have to admit that they sound like a good idea, but I've never tried them.

I looked them up and the ones I found can apparently be used for steaming and roasting, also. I wonder if they are made of the same material as the roasting bags.

Something I have used, however, is a parchment dutch oven liner. We made peach cobbler over the coals in my cast iron dutch oven and it worked great. I wonder if they could be used in the crockpot.

[freshwest]

15. I never heard of those, but I'm sure they could be composted and wouldn't leach into the food.

They have them on Amazon:

http://www.amazon.com/Coleman-Parchment-Paper-Dutch-8-Pack/dp/B0058VTGN8/ref=sr_1_1?s=home-garden&ie=UTF8&qid=1330717060&sr=1-1

At $5.99 for eight of them, plus possible shipping and handling, as I didn't figure that part of it out, it might be a bit pricey. Perhaps a comparison could be made between those and the plastic bags. I've never used them either, gives me the creeps.

IMHO, if one is a more elderly caretaker, and the one being cared for is also elderly, the toxins from the plastic aren't going to have that long a life inside the body. Of course one knows what one's particular illnesses are and what is one's ability to detox is and it's a personal choice.

Anyway, hope this helps CTyankee and anyone with a similiar constrain of time and energy. I find scrubbing quite painful.

[TreasonousBastard]

11. Plastic liners or lead in the ceramic crockpot-- who knows..

what to worry about more.

[HeiressofBickworth]

12. I rarely use the crock pot

I don't do the cooking in the family any more and the others don't like crock pot meals. However, when I DID do the cooking, for many years I did it without a removable crock and before liners. Once I found the liners, I used them a few times and it saved a huge amount of time and effort in clean-up (this was before I retired). I understand the issue of cooking in plastic and we avoid it when we can, however, for those few times, a liner sure is a nice thing.

[kestrel91316]

13. Absolutely not. If my crockpot has stuck-on stuff I leave it to soak overnight with

some dish detergent in water in it, in the sink. Then in the AM I scrub it out with a green scrubber. Voila!

[CTyankee]

14. Exactly what I do. In fact, after soaking all night and the pot still not clean, I put in

more detergent and hot water and let it soak again. It takes up a great deal of room and I have a small kitchen. So that has led to frustrations as well. If it were just a matter of an overnight soak and a quick scrub (I use green scrubbers too) it wouldn't be much of an issue. But it usually isn't. For some reason my crockpot needs another soak...

[Phentex]

18. Are you sure your finish isn't shot?

Here's a thread where people described what you are talking about. Maybe the finish on yours is just shot. I use a spray of pam (when I remember) or do the soak method and my white crock pot comes out very clean without scrubbing.


http://www.democraticunderground.com/11573295

[CTyankee]

19. I guess it could be, but it doesn't look at all bad once I bleach the hell out of it...

I do use a LOT of Pam. But then I do a lot with tomatoes and perhaps they are more difficult clean up than other foods. I also tend to cook on High because I really don't start the casserole that early in the day...

[Lars39]

20. I use oil spray...keeps the cooked on gunk easy

to scrub off. Only occasionally have I had to soak the crock. I don't worry too much about ghosting on the crock.