r/crockpot

Weird question I know. Has anyone used their crockpot in the garage during a heat wave? Where I live, is having historic heat waves. I don't have AC, mever needed it till this year. Anyway,I don't want to damage the crockpot by using it in a hot garage.

UPDATE: i left it to air out in the kitchen for the last 7 hours while this post has been up, and IT SMELLS OK NOW

Hi. I've never posted here before, so please delete if this is not allowed.

The crock pot in question has not been used in months, and it also belongs to my boyfriend. We live together. I also have a child under 5.

We've got a craving for chili since it's getting chilly out, so I pulled out the crock pot this morning (maybe an hour before posting this) to clean it, and the entire thing reeks of MILDEW. Covered in white spots like water stains, too. My child used to play with the dormant crock pot towards the beginning of summer until I stored it away under the sink; perhaps there's a leak in the pipes that caused this mildew issue. I'm really not certain how this happened.

I cleaned the ceramic part well enough that it is now spotless and stink-free, but the heating element is another issue. I've tried wiping it out with white vinegar and hot water (NOT SUBMERGING AT ALL!!), scrubbing with a damp (not soaked) sponge, and using a Swedish dishcloth since it is mildly abrasive. I even went in with a disinfecting wipe, hoping it would help...

Nope, still stinks of mildew badly.

Do I just throw the crockpot away and beg for forgiveness from my bf? (he'll forgive me dw) Or can this be cleaned, somehow? It's not sentimental or valuable, but I also can't really afford a new one right now 😓 HELP!!!!

For some reason my instant pot slow cooker only brought my chicken to 115°ish after 4 hours of cooking. I set it to pressure cook after I realized so it cooked through. But is it still safe to eat after not getting above 120° for 4 hours? Google is telling me no but it’s a lot of chicken I don’t wanna toss