Beth Terry of  Fake Plastic Fish got herself a Crock-pot. On Craig’s List.  For ten bucks.

She also got herself a load of criticism.

When she called for comments and recipes, I’m pretty sure she was prepared for a bunch of chili recipes.  Anger and superior tones, maybe not so much.

People seem to feel really strongly, shall we say, that using a slow cooker wastes more energy than making the same meal in the oven or on top of the stove.  However, according to The California Energy Commission, using a slow cooker for 7 hours uses about $.06 in electricity, based on a cost of $.08/kwh.

Using an electric oven for 1 hour at 350 degrees uses about $.16 in electricity.

OK so that dime isn’t going to save the world, but still, why do crock pots make people so angry?

Yes, they can be ugly, and, yes, they take up a lot of room on the counter, and, yes, I too have been given the heebie-jeebies at potluck parties by Crock-Pot meatballs drowning in grease.

But, if you can look past the bow-tied geese and be careful about what you choose to cook, marvelous things await. There is simply nothing better than cracking open the door at the end of a long day and being greeted by the delicious aroma of the dinner that has been simmering away unattended. For a moment, I am lost in a fantasy – I am Carol Brady and Alice has been slaving away in the kitchen while I’ve been helping Marcia get ready for cheer leading tryouts at Fillmore Junior High.

Here’s another consideration that far outweighs that slim dime of energy savings:  At the end of a busy day, when everyone (especially me) is tired and cranky I know that if I hadn’t taken 10 minutes in the morning to load the slow cooker, I’d be phoning in an order for take-out.

And take-out means excess calories, excess packaging and excess miles driven.

Not to mention that the $40 we’d spend at Taste of India could fill my slow cooker with a delicious, nutritious family meal at least 6 times.

So to all you haters out there, embrace your inner Alice, make some  Slow Cooked Chicken or some Tortellini Soup and be happy.