My recent browsing of the internet has made me quite aware of how much useful information there is out there for Rival Crock Pot enthusiasts and just how lost some of those crock pot owners are when it comes to using the net to find much needed crock pot parts. Just by looking at the visitor statistics for this little website, it is quite interesting to see all of the many different queries that have brought visitors here from the searchengines.
I have to admit that it was only recently - and mainly on the prodding insistence of my wife - that I started playing around with and experimenting with our own family Rival crock pot. After this, my curiosity got the better of me and I started poking my nose around a number of cooking and kitchen appliance websites and forums to get a better handle on what other crock-pot users were doing with their Rival slow cooker appliances and what they thought about their slow cookers in general: how happy were they with their choice of the Rival Crock Pot brand of slow cookers over the numerous other brands out there, and, just as importantly in my mind, how satisfied were they with the model of rival crock pot that they had chosen? You know how it goes: often-times some models of a product end up being far far better a buy than others, so I wanted to know.
Well this information was pretty easy to find; in fact I was surprised how easy it was to find a large number of well thought out reviews on the Rival crockpot for many of the different models. Not only was I able tio get an idea of how different models of crock pots compared, I was also able to get a pretty good idea of whether it would be worth my while to invest in a programmable crock pot (also widely known as the Rival Smart Pot); whether I should consider a divided liner for my crock pot; whether I wanted my crock pot to be portable and travel friendly; whether I wanted a round rival crock pot which would require a round replacement stoneware liner or an oval rival crock pot that would eventually (okay, think positive - possibly?) need an oval replacement stoneware liner; whether I would want acrock pot that comes with the complimentary "little dipper" crock pot; whether I would be happy with a smaller crock pot with a 2qt, a 3qt or a 4qt liner, or better off with a larger crock pot with a 5qt, a 6qt or a 7qt stoneware liner?
Okay, so maybe there were rather a lot of "whethers" to consider, lol...
Of course all of these variables meant that I found myself reading reviews for a number of different rival crock pot models, including the model 3351, model 3355, model 3656, model 3760, model 3850, model 3950, model 4745, and model 5445, to name more than just a few. Whew!
Notice that I haven't even mentioned the more recent offerings from Rival, such as the new eLume touchscreen technology crock pot slow cooker which is pretty much self-explanatory, or the brand new crock pot Trio cook and serve slow cooker which is pretty much the way it sounds: with the Trio cook & serve, you get a three crock pot set up that allows you to cook upto three different dishes at once and then keep them warm afterwards while also serving as a decent serving station for your crock pot creations. Sorry if I am sounding like a salesperson, but I am just trying to make sure that I am clear about all of these different appliances - it can get a bit overwhelming keeping them all straight, eh?
Don't worry, if you have stuck with me this far there is a point to all of this rambling; I have been relaying to you how easy it was to find information on what to buy based on an individual's preferences, but what didn't seem so easy and organized was information on what to do when something goes wrong with your trusty crock pot appliance. Eventually the wear and tear of regular use of your crockpot in the kitchen could lead to you needing to replace a cracked or broken crock pot lid that may have been dropped (whoops - dammit!), that loose, wiggling crock pot handle or knob that finally came off, that crock pot stoneware liner that has started to show signs of showing its age or that maybe just got dropped and cracked or shattered. there is even the possibility that you need to replace a crock pot power cord.
For those who are regular internet users It should be obvious that a primary source for any needed Rival crock pot replacement parts would be the actual Rival company via their official Crock Pot website - I mean everybody has one nowadays, don't they, so wouldn't most people just assume that and head on over to see what is available?
Apparently not as many people as I thought.
From browsing forums and help boards, it was surprising to me to see how many people were at a loss as to where to go for their crock pot replacement part needs. Maybe some are still not very internet friendly, but if you know enough to post your problems to a forum, then you really should be capable of putting two and two together (with a little help from either the Google or Yahoo search engines) and come to realize that many many crock pot parts are available from either the Rival Crock Pot website or from any number of online crock pot parts resellers. ( Here's a hint: look back to the top of this page and you should see a couple examples of what I am talking about)
Even if you don't need any replacement parts for your slow cooker, the official Crock Pot website is actually an interesting place to visit, considering how many funky accessories are actually available to those who want them. I have mentioned these in depth before on this site so I will spare you a recap here. As well, Rival appears to be offering free shipping on all of its orders right now with no minimum purchase required so if anything on the site has caught your eye now might be a good time to take advantage of the offer and order something that has caught your fancy.
Happy crock pot part surfing...
