Vintage Appliances: Slow Cookers & Crock Pots 

I received a west bend slow cooker when I opened a savings account at a small bank when I graduated college in 1978. It still works!

Absolutely love my crock pots. I got one from a coworker when I got married. It was an orangey brown with flowers. It was metal, glass lid, sat on a base and was a tall rectangle. It was a workhorse that I used for over 20 years. My husband got me a different one once but it wasn't as good. Eventually (around 2011) he got me a ninja for Christmas and I finally switched. It was much larger and it had the ability to sear meat. I still use it regularly. My main story happened about 30 years ago. I didn't realize how much the flavor of pepper would intensify the longer something cooked 😂. We ended up with an entire pot of almost inedible beef stew but we had to eat it or nothing 😂. We still joke about it

I was famous for the Harvey Walbanger Cake in the mid-1970's onward. You could order a cake insert for the rival models. Most people didn't do that. I ordered two cake pans, one for me and one for Mom. The cake pan inserts worked for later models as well. I still have mine and the girl next door to Mom has hers. They are gold anodized aluminum cylinders with a vented lid. I am glad I got them. Best pound cakes ever!

I would love to find an old vintage Crock-Pot from the '70s like my mom had in her kitchen. Rival Corp. was based in Kansas City, where I live, until about 2000. (It's in Chicago now.) A couple of years my local NPR station produced a podcast on the history of the Crock-Pot, focusing on the early Kansas City history. All of the Crock-Pots produced from 1971 until the mid-1990s were completely American made in Missouri. Rival contracted with smaller companies throughout the Kansas City area to make all of the parts for the Crock-Pot. The podcast noted that the actual stoneware crock inserts were made by a small ceramics company in Warrensburg, MO, about 50 miles southeast of KC. After Rival was bought out by another company they moved the headquarters to Chicago, closed the KC plant, and outsourced the manufacturing to China in the mid-1990s. I would love to have an old American-made Crock-Pot. 😊

Great Memories! We were married in 1975 and although we "registered" for gifts from a local dept store, it did not work like registries today. I ended up w 6 crockpots/slow cookers! I kept 2 for myself (one was a West Bend slow cooker w non-stick surface that had 3 parts: glass lid, pot and a separate burner). Still use occasionally today. I regifted 3 to friends who got married after we did. One of the 6 was a large crockpot that I gave to my MIL, since I did not think I would ever use that size, lol. Years later my dear husband got me a large slow cooker that I love. But still have the 2 original cookers, one a rival that still work. Oh, and I still have my paperback Crockery Cookery. My family still loves the recipe for Beef Burgundy. Thank you for this episode. Wishing you happines and good health!

I still have my Rival crock pot. The pet rock died but that Rival crock pot just keeps on a-goin'.

Thanks for this fun video!! I to was married in 1975. I had never seen a crock pot before, and had one for a wedding present. I still have it and use it ! Ha ha! I still have the book too. The only thing about it is that the crock does not come out for cleaning. It was an original. You just have to be careful. I still love it! And yes, my late husband had "earth shoes"! When we got married we were still going to collage, and rented a little old house from the 1920's with fruit trees and a garden. I also sewed all of my clothes back then. Lots of fun memories, and great food from our "crock pot".

I love your collections. All of them. Thursdays with COF is always a treat.

When I was a girl my mom, and aunt, and both of my grandmothers jumped on the crockpot bandwagon. Myself, and my daughters as well followed along in their footsteps. For me, I would have to say that the pot roast is my most favorite. Thank you for the walk down memory lane, it was a better time, I don’t recognize this world anymore.

Even as a full time homemaker and now an empty nester, I have always loved my crockpots. It frees me up to do other things around the house and still give my husband a good hot meal. My favorite dish is barbecued chicken, my husbands favorite is beef stew with lots of veggies.

Hi Kevin, this was a fantastic episode! I have a lot of good memories of many holidays past around a crock pot. My grandma never cooked less than 3 meat dishes for Christmas. One of those was Salisbury steak. She had a burnt orange crock pot and it would be full of deliciousness. She had both the normal size and the larger model with removable crock. It now resides with me a reminder of those holidays of yesterday. Looking forward to an episode featuring your food processors! Hope all is well with you!

I still have my mothers Hamilton Beach crock watcher. It works like a dream, and I love it!

I have a Magic Hostess Slow Cooker that was probably a wedding gift from 1975. I just used it day before yesterday. I haul it out to slow cook chicken to de-bone for soups etc. Love how it can cook all day without any attention. It has a stationary crock which is indeed a pain to wash, but it still works perfectly after all these years. I always love your videos, Kevin. Enjoyed learning about the different slow cookers!

Hi Kevin & Maryanne (behind the camera), Mississippi roast or bar-b-que chicken, pork or beef are my favorite things to make in my slow cooker. I won't live without the liners either. My, how it has evolved. Peace, love & kindness to you both!

Since I bought my first one a couple years ago I just recently acquired another. I love using mine.

Thank you Kevin and Mary Ann--Happy memories of coming in the door after volunteer time at our son's school to the aroma of beef stew. Our first was an avacado green crock pot by Rival. It was difficult to clean--not a removeable crock. We then bought a Hamilton Beach with removeable crock--a 6 qt. We made sausage/lentil soup in that one. My sister-in-law found a spinach casserole recipe in the Rival cookbook that everyone liked. She was good at picking out recipes. We so enjoy your collections.

I like your organization and knowledge

I LOVE my crockpot, and love the ones from the 70's, great memories! ❤

I too grew up with that West Bend "Lazy Day" cooker! For a long time, it was the only "crock pot" that I ever knew. Loved it so much that I still have it, and a twin purchased more recently on Ebay! I've also got a traditional Sunbeam with the permanent liner but don't use it nearly as much. The heat only coming from the bottom has never seemed to be an issue in my experience. I do like that you can pre-sear meats on the stove, and one of the more popular uses growing up was when mom would use it to keep mulled cider hot and ready on the holiday buffet table.

I loved this! My first time here. I'll be back. I remember getting a slow cooker as a wedding gift and didn't use it until much later as to keep food warm for a pasty. I have 2 newer versions now and love them. Someone broke the lid on my favorite. I've been trying to find a replacement. Thanks for sharing.

That was very interesting. I had never heard of the roasterett. I have a vintage Westinghouse roaster and use it two or three times a year. Just ordered a copy of Hoffman's Crockery Cookery off eBay.

I have my slow cooker from a wedding present. It’s almost 41 years old! It’s a Rival Big fry daddy. No longer use it yo deep fry since teflon has broken down. But still cooks well with the removable inner ceramic insert. Still love it. Has many different temperature options. Love it.

In the mid-70s, at a church youth gathering I attended, a sloppy joe lunch was served from a crock pot and everyone got sick. It took me until 2018 before I had the courage to buy one myself. I now am a convert and love the Hamilton Beach slow cooker. It is a tremendous kitchen appliance but I cook everything on high just to be safe. Old memories linger long! Thanks for this fun and educational video - great information.

I use the 4qt and the 6qt Crock Watcher from yester-year. Love them, they don't overcook like the new ones do.

I got a Crockpot when I married my first husband back in 1983. That thing would never die. It would probably be still working today but I got rid of it because it was too hard to clean.

Good memories 😊

My condo was built in 1983 and came with an almond stove, almond hood, almond fridge, almond dishwasher, almond shower, almond sink, and almond toilet. I replaced the stove with an avacado one, and the toilet with a 1956 Venitian Pink American Standard, and the sink is pink now as well.

Hi Kevin and Maryanne, I loved this episode! I had several of the books, but not the first one. I just ordered it on eBay. I loved all the temperature charts! I looked up Ms Hoffman and found that she was quite a fascinating person. Another slow cooker that I love are the ones from Rival that had the removable Corning ware. I have the 3 quart size. You could brown on the stovetop and then put it in the crockpot to cook, refrigerate and freeze and then reheat or brown the top pot the dish on the oven or put it in the microwave. I love all 10 slow cookers that I have. I may need a building too if my collection keeps growing! My daughter in law will only use the original crockpot with the non removable liner. She makes the best beans ever. I am under standing orders to buy any I see for sale! I just found one at the local dump that worked great and was in perfect condition! I found Mable Hoffmans obituary from 2010. They mention her around Steak with Gravy and Mission Chicken specifically in the article- I will be trying both once I get the book from eBay.

One Christmas in the late 1970’s, my dad gave my mom an avocado green Rival Crock Pot. A kitchen appliance was not my mom’s idea of a great Christmas present. My dad was the only one that ever used it. He used it to make ham hocks and sauerkraut for himself. No one else in the family cared for that dish. In hindsight, I think he really bought it for himself. It was a black Christmas that year. When they divorced, my mom made sure he took that Crock Pot.

As usual… Absolutely lovely. Thank you.

I love my golden sunflower slow cooker from Montgomery Wards that I use often. Thank you for sharing your collection!

I had (and likely have...somewhere) Mabel's book. When I was in school/post graduate training I often used a crock pot. I had one that I think was 2 or 3 quarts. It was a very simple design and the crock didn't even come out of the base. I would toss stuff in the morning and be rewarded with a warm dinner when I got home. No worries if I was late. I also had the Rival cookbook as well as The Unwatched Pot. In those days I read cook books like others read novels, for entertainment. I would get some ideas, but it was a quick escape from all of the hard work I was doing in "the real world." I also had a collection of microwave oven cookbooks and I would make real meals in the microwave. One of my favorites was BBQ turkey legs. Turkey was very cheap in those days. In the Chicago area we had (and have) a grocery store name "Jewel." They had a generic section, which was where I shopped (I had no money). Once I bought a can of green beans that had the entire plant in it... leaves, stem, roots! Thanks for the memories.

My West Bend dates back to the late 70s and it still works. It is Harvest Gpld and was a gift. Slow cookers with stoneware liners are available new and they are cheap! 😅

I have the 70's orange Crockpot that my mom gave me and it is still in excellent condition...works like a charm...Love it...better than the current digital stuff...

I love my older slow cookers made before the late 90's when they changed the thermostat. Now all the new ones cook too hot and I end up with overcooked or dried out food. I have three of Mabel's books and the Rival book, plus the original recipe instructions that came with my old one. A kitchen isn't complete without a slow cooker, I always say! Loved this show, thank you!

I had a whole string of slow cookers and cookbooks over the years. Mable Hoffman was so popular and for good reason. I loved, and may still have, a copy of her "Mini Deep Fry Cookery" that was out when the Fry Baby first came out with all those appliances. I still own, use and love two different sizes of slow cooker.

I have an actual Crock Pot but it isn't vintage. It's maybe 10 to 15 years old and it's black. It's a smaller one but I use it for making soups and pot roasts. I have many times set it up in the morning before I had to go to work to make a batch of soup and let it run all day so that when I got home the house was smelling wonderful and my dinner was ready for me. My mom had one in the 70s that was orange and had the Auto Shift feature. I don't remember her using it all that often but she would make chili in it. Much later on she had a larger one that she made pulled pork in. The whole time you were talking about Crock Pots I was thinking this crack pot sure has a lot of crock pots. 😉

I have the Creative Crockery Cookbook and use it still this day! Love the soup recipes! Also LOVE the Rival crockpot recipe booklet that came with my first crockpot. I still make many of the recipes still! I got my first crockpot for my bridal shower. Best gift ever!

I finally got my orange Rival crockpot with vegetables on it, and the cookbook. Haven't used it yet.

Enjoyable and informative episode. Loved it. I'm thinking both my mother and I had the paperback books. Definitely well used. Lol My favorite use for my crock pot was for hot chocolate when my kids were little. They'd got outside to play in the snow and come in to warm cups of cocoa. Great memories. Thank you both.

I picked up my crock pot at a thrift store several years ago. It is a beautiful orange and reminded me of the one that my mom used to use way "Back in the day". 😆😁😄 I absolutely love cooking in my crock pot; it makes the house smell so good!!!! 😋

I just bought a new Crock Pot! This the first time I’ve watched your video - and I loved it! Glad to have found your channel.

*I wonder how many crockpot owners here got theirs from a thrift store or second-hand. We did, runs great and was about $12.*

Good morning! I used my vintage cooker to make ribs. And grew up cooking with them.

Some of my favorite recipes using my crock pot are, the original crock pot beef stew from the book that came with it. also pulled pork, southwest chicken, and sweet and sour meatballs. Every one loves these recipes for everyday and parties!

Very cool Kevin, Im not much of a crockpot user but my Mom is, I been trying to switch her to the instant pot with slow cooker capabilities. she loves her crckpot. and had several like in your collection. One was probably a wedding gift 45 years ago. I still Prefer my old school stove top Pressure cookers. My Grandmother RIP 2 years ago at 91. made a 7 course meal every day for my grandpa for 45 years. I always knew as a Kiddo that if I walked in the house. (I was a block away from grandmas) and the Jiggly weight of the Mirro aluminum pressure cooker was going we would find a reason to stay for dinner. she had a Crock pot but never used it. was Like new from the 60's when we threw it away after she passed. she preferred the pressure cooker as do I. honestly I cannot cook without one. I started with a presto but now I have 3 fagor stovetops and 2 Instant pots. the fagors are my favorite. Like that I can sear stuff in the instant pot tho. I still dont use them as much as the others and trying to get my mom to ditch her crock pot for the IP. but she still uses it. I never fell in love with it tho. as always. Your collection and way of sharing with all of us Brings back Lots of memories of childhood. Happy day to you and Mary. Keep up the good work. Oh and Order a beater blade for your Kitchenaid. Online, its actually beater blade is the brand, Not the one from KA/Hobart. Hugs from Colorado!!

I have many in different sizes, they are great for buffets. My favorite is the Rival with the heat base for the exact reason you gave. Brown meat on the stovetop and slow cook it. Also could go in the oven because of the glass top. I had the one with the plastic lid with vent. Unfortunately over the years the plastic has cracked. I did try to contact the company and it could not be replaced, lol. I hear now people are buying the old slow cookers because the companies have changed the temp settings and slow and low scorches the bottom and I do see this with my newer models. My pet peeve is people cooking things in the pot for 4 hours when they could of just put the recipe in the oven for an hour. These new recipes don't grasp the concept of why they were popular in the first place, the 8 to 12 hour slow cook time.

Mine is brown I make many stews, chili, beans, and soups love my slow cooker and your videos 😊

I use my crockpot regularly to make a A1 steak sauce pot roast. I just learned I can wrap potatoes in tin foil and bake them in the crockpot. I can’t wait to try it! I have the Mabel Hoffman cookbook. Many people now make freezer meals bags of prepared food to empty into the crockpot in the morning. Great video!🙂🌺

I got Mabel’s crock pot cookbook as a wedding shower gift a long with a green crockpot in 1976. Still have the cookbook.

What a fun and interesting video Kevin. I love Maude btw. I watched a couple episodes recently, I was cracking up 😂

I remember my mom use her brown orange crockpot all the time.. At her Tupperware parties and game night.. She always made nachos and she use that for her cheese queso

Down South Barbecue is my favorite recipe because it makes the best pulled pork. Wish you would have talked about the Bread ‘n Cake Bake pan. I found one recently in a vintage store and I’m excited to try it out

I got married in 1981 for my shower I received 3 crock pots😂 !! So I picked my favorite color and shared the other 2 with friends and a copy of the book still make baked beans in one to this day 😅

Great video! I had no idea that slow cookers started out as bean pots. That's what I use my slow cooker for, mostly. I have this big, fancy slow cooker with lots of settings, a removable temperature probe, lockable lid etc. But it makes this horrible ear piercing loud beep whenever you turn it on and it has that oval shape that sort of reminds me of toilet bowl. So I only used it twice to terrible results and gave up on slow cooking... Until I found a little 2 quart batman (!) slow cooker for 15$ at the thrift store and thought that it would perfect for making dried beans in. And that's pretty much all I use it for and love it. Sometimes I poach pears in it! I'd like to try more slow cooker recipes in the future and maybe figure out how to turn off that loud beeping on my larger crock pot, haha. Seriously, who decided to make ear protection a necessity when using a slow cooker...

I have a Rival Little Dipper. Good for warming/reheating beans and chilli from a can or leftovers. Not sure if it can actually cook from scratch since it is only 35 watts.

Recipe? I use mine with Rotel dip frequently. 1 large block Mexican style Velveeta, 1 can HOT rotel, 3/4 lb cooked hamburger ( cook with onion, salt, pepper). Throw in the crock on low for as long as the fip lasts. Serve with tortilla chips.

I accidentally donated my vintage crock pot cookbooks. I had the Rival one and the first one you showed. Family favorite is the "Mississippi Roast" 3-4lb Chuck roast (sear on all sides) 1 packet of powder ranch mix 1 packet of powder au jus mix 1 stick of unsalted butter Pepperoncinis to your liking (I add a lot!) 1/4 of liquid of your choice Low and slow for 8 hours

I have my parents’ West Bend slow cooker they received as a wedding present in 1972. It works fantastic!

Hi, Kevin and Mary Ann! I can't imagine a kitchen without a Crock Pot! My favorite two things to cook in the Crock Pot is Pot Roast and Chili. Thanks for sharing your collection with us. It was great to learn a little of the history of the Crock Pot/Slow Cooker.

Funny we grewup in croswell n bought a crockpot in that verysame store in the 70's small world it was a ben franklin then great place to grow up

I remember as a girl in the early 70s when my mom got a Crockpot and it was a game changer! She loved being able to throw something in it in the morning and have dinner ready that evening. We loved it because it was delicious! Currently I use mine at least once a week. I still make the beef stew recipe from the Rival cookbook I got in 1990. Thanks for the video! So interesting and informative!😊

I have several slow cookers. My favorite recipe for my 2 qt. model (purchased at Aldi) is what I call Sloppy Josephines. It is quick, delicious (I think), and very economical. Put 1 cup of rinsed lentils in the pot; add 1 can of sloppy joe sauce (yes, I am that lazy) and 1 can's worth of water into the crock. Stir it up and cook on low or high as suits your schedule. Serve over rice, a baked potato, on a roll or bread. It keeps well in the fridge. I call it my slow fast-food recipe. I also love making split pea soup (with a combo of veggies like celery, carrots, potato, yam, turnip, etc.) in a large cooker. Using the slow cooker means never having to worry about stirring at regular intervals to prevent big, honking clumps of pea clods and/or a scorched pan. And since the soup keeps thickening in the fridge, you have to keep adding water as you reheat. So this recipe keeps increasing itself. Very handy for these days of high grocery prices. Thank you for today's clip. Slow cookers are a true workhorse in the kitchen and really help keep grocery bills down. Take care, Kevin and Marianne. - Dassie

Pretty sure in 1974 a person could purchase everything in avocado green (car, appliances, bathroom fixtures, clothes, rugs, wall covering, etc).

Just discovered your channel. Great content.

now kevin you are going to have to do a crockpot receiepe book series lololol

Love your videos! Wanted to say, you have beautiful handwditing! 😀

My wife uses her vintage crock pot once a year on St Patrick Day.

I would love to find the fryer cooker combo!🤩

I am 74YO and remember Holidays or family get togethers with my mother cooking the turkey all night in the oven on very low heat and carving it and putting the meat in a crock pot on warm/low setting with broth and we never had dry turkey and it did not matter if we ate the meal at 12N or 4 in the afternon. In those days the real; issue was dry meat witch was the cause for so many not liking turkey. She used her pot for everything.

Nice 😊

Great video. Brought back tasty memories of my dad making beef stew with his bright orange crock. Would come home from school, & the entire house smelled wonderfully delicious. Used it for BBQ meatballs & little smokies (sausages) at fellowship gatherings. Was wondering about the difference between a crockpot & a roaster? The roaster is bigger, usually an oblong design to accommodate a big chunk of meat, I believe. However, doesn't it cook at higher temps?

It’s called a 5 quart pot pourri. It’s not really something I currently need, but it was 11 dollars and I could not pass it up because maybe I would regret it if I left it. Or maybe need it. The slow cooker tub is easier to wash.

To that great enumeration in the begining i would add the Moon landing, I dream of Jeannie and Bewitched :D

I have the Crockpot Cookery book. 😊

What an amazing collection you have! Do you use any of these? Or are these just for display?

Great Video Kevin, Thank you! Yes I was born 1960 and Mom had the "Crockery Cooking" Cookbook. My Mom was an Excellent cook, but there were a few times she used her Crock Pot....the Fanny Farmer Cookbook was her Kitchen Bible and she went through several issues over the years. By the way do you have the Betty Crocker Cookie Cookbook? I have hers, and gave our Daughter-in-law an reprinted copy. Love your Videos!!!

My mother never had a crock pot, but for one of the households I set up after leaving home, I briefly had one that I got second-hand. It ended up convincing me it was dangerous and I got rid of it before it burned the place down! Those things were workhorses though, and came at the right time in American history. I loved your lesson on women's rights! I bet you remember the perfume ad jingle that said, "♫ I can bring home the bacon, fry it up in a pan...and never let him forget he's a man!" My, how things have changed. Nowadays, _neither_ the hes nor the shes know their way around the kitchen because they've had no exposure. The little 20-30 year olds who check my groceries require regular prompting on whether what they've just weighed is a zucchini or a cucumber, and oh my--a bunch of leeks? A bulb of fennel? Collard greens? Fageddaboutit! It's like these plants come from the other side of the galaxy. If they've ever eaten any of these things at all it was in a frozen dinner or something.

Wow, what a collection! Do you use any of them?

Avocado Green and Almond tone - but Tang and Lipton Sun tea survived! 😀

In the 70's my old man had Pea Green and White Aluminum Siding put on our house.

Anything meat with canned soup on it! Before i became a vegetarian/vegan i used mine a lot for these types of recipes! Sadly mine sits in a box because i haven't found any recipes that i can use it for now!

I just picked up a Faberware stainless steel electric “pot” . It has a domed lid and deep bottom pot. It looks like a cross between an electric skillet and a pot. It has temps on the plug in electric chord unit that have slow cook at 200. You think an all stainless steel appliance could actually slow cook? I have an instant pot that is a great pressure cooker, but it sucks at slow cooking. I wish I could send you a picture, really trying to figure this thing out!

“Crockery Cookery”. My mom had that book. With seven kid plus Dad, she often used her (Rival) Crockpot for beef, chicken dumpling soup, Leek soup, Goulash, and many other dishes. Potato soup too. After all seven of us were in school, she had a part time job at a ladies ready to wear store. She would get things started and leave a note on the fridge for my sisters. When we got home from school, one of my sisters would see the note, check the Crockpot, and call Mom at the store to give report and get instructions from Mom how to proceed. While we all took turns washing dishes, neither Mom nor any of my three sisters would trust us boys to was the Crockpot! ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-yGxDx8ftX1I.htmlsi=dTESvLpPjXjojNs3 Those days were SO fun - and tasty too! 😀😋 Thanks! 😀

I mostly use mine for making my pinto beans (with green chili & New Mexican spicing.

Seems like there's a lot people using slow cookers these days to make their homemade Bone Broth.

You sure got pretty hand writing.

My mom had the dark orange one on the second shelf. She only used it for homemade baked beans. My sister had the same model in avocado. Both are still going strong.I have 3 pots, my oldest is a proctor silex. I like it for corned beef, chicken and ribs the best. 😊

Mine is brown I make many stews, chili, beans, and soups love my slow cooker and your videos 😊