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I have never owned or even used a crock pot before. I think maybe my mother had one gathering dust in the 1970s, but I'm not sure. So when Jasmin asked me to do a post on cooking with crock pots because they are energy efficient, I thought sure. With no practical experience I knew I'd have to do some research.
After wading through lots of Web sites with recipes for crock pots and information on purchasing same I just kept coming across the same phrase "energy efficient," but with no explanation or proof. Should I take this on faith? I wanted to know why they were energy efficient. Many sites mentioned that they used only as much wattage as a light bulb, but incandescent light bulbs use a lot of energy. The nature of the appliance means that you are keeping it on for 8 or 10 hours. Is that really using less energy than using my oven for one hour?I wanted a bit of science, a bit of calculation to decide on energy efficiency. It turns out that crock pots have heat conductive linings so you can cook at a steady 200 F. Because you put all the ingredients in and then turn your back on it, you never lose any steam or heat from repeatedly lifting the lid. Opening your conventional oven, even just a couple of times loses a lot of heat. OK, but what about the actual power draw?
I finally came across a website from a power corporation in New Zealand that gave a chart of appliances and the power they use. According to their chart a crock pot has a wattage of approximately 220 while both an electric oven and stove have a wattage of 3,000. I guess that answers my question. I cook with gas, so I'm not really sure where that leaves me.
During my searching I read with interest one consumer who noticed how much her electrical bill went up when she used her George Forman Grill regularly. Do you chart the electrical usage of your appliances? Do you use your crock pot frequently and feel you are saving electricity? I'd love to hear what experience any of our readers have.
Difficulty Level: Easy
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