I love my crockpot too. I had one that I bought in the 90's and I wore it out. When my kids were growing up, I used that and my pressure cookers every week. The crock insert was heavy and thick like an older stoneware bean pot. Two years ago it quit working and I was excited to buy a new one until I went shopping. They are not making these the way they used to. The inserts are thin and it causes the food to cook faster and even scorch in some cases. I bought one to use until I find one that I can be happy with. I think I'll have to look on eBay or Craig's List for a used one. I had an Oster breadmaker that I had for years, and last year it stopped working. I found the same type of thing when I went shopping for a replacement. I bought one, and it was so cheaply made that I returned it and purchased a like-new Oster model that was almost identical to my original breadmaker. The quality difference was like night and day, and for a fraction of the price.