AIBU to buy a new slow cooker?

[CherryBlossomFestival]

I think I might be. The actual heating bit works fine, but the inner aluminium bit is badly scratched and nowhere has replacements in stock (which is weird, as they still sell the 6 litre sear and stew, which looks identical).

It’s annoyingly no longer non stick and I worrry it might be poisoning us, but a whole new one seems so wasteful and expensive AIBU?

If it’s all scratched, there are no replacement parts and it’s affecting the food or your enjoyment then I don’t think it’s unreasonable to buy a new one!

Unless it would be unaffordable for you

I have the same problem, thought about using the liners but it defeats the purpose of having the sear and stew. Maybe we could scrape all the non stick off. Does non stick coating consumption have any particular health effects?

David, that’s exactly what I’ve been wondering, if I knew it was safe I’d not be thinking about spending £50 on a new one…

I paid £15 for a replacement aluminium inner bit a few years ago, but they don’t seem to be sold anywhere anymore.

It’s not wasteful if the one you have isn’t safe. Especially when they’re relatively inexpensive for an appliance. I have this absolute beast of a slow cooker and it’s beautiful. It could be yours for less than £50 - www.argos.co.uk/product/9107090

YANBU. It's probably a long shot, but you could offer your old one on freecycle for 'spares and repairs' on the off chance someone has a functioning inner part but the electrical part has stopped working. Or someone may be interested in it as starter slow cooker, if they're not sure whether they'll use it and want to try before they buy.

It’s not wasteful, these things don’t last forever. I accidentally smashed the lid of my previous slow cooker and couldn’t get a replacement so bought a new one (only a £20 one from B&M). I have kept the old one so will reuse it with the new ones lid when the new one stops working!

Everything has a useful lifespan. It reached the end of its service some time ago by the sound of it. Slow cookers are inexpensive. It's not wasteful and you don't have to feel bad for throwing away things that no longer serve their purpose. You definitely don't need approval to get rid of something that could be making you unwell!

I just feel bad chucking out a perfectly good slow cooker and spending £70 on the identical replacement when all I need is a replacement inner pot.

But I really can’t find any on eBay or other ‘spares and repairs’ sections, and all the spares sites that used to sell them have stopped.

Non stick coating itself is getting more and more bad press for containing PFAS which are "forever chemicals" : get a new vintage one with a ceramic pot.
https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/article/2024/may/25/can-i-eradicate-toxic-forever-chemicals-from-my-home

https://www.ebay.co.uk/b/bn_95792932

YANBU if you use it a lot, but you might get lucky and find a new insert on eBay?

I have been looking on eBay, but so far no luck.

The problem with the ceramic one is that it’s really heavy to lift and pour from, and it can’t be used on the stove (so I have to fry stuff in another pan, so more washing up) and it doesn’t go in the dishwasher. I’ve used both, and the aluminium one is much better for me.

I think I’m basically annoyed that Morphy Richard’s has stopped selling the replacement inners to force me to spend more money and to put perfectly good stuff in landfill.