In 2011 , Smithsonian’sNational Museum of American Historycollected aRival Crock - Potin a distinctly ‘ 70s hue of avocado green . The galvanizing cooker with a ceramic crock picture a few house of article of clothing , in part on the graphic photographic print of Allium cepa and veggies galloping around its base . The scuffs come from its years of serve in the household of former possessor Robert and Shirley Hunter , where it wangle stews , sauerkraut with kielbasa , and crybaby and dumplings , among other dishes .
The Crockpot , and its many modern slow cooker iterations , has become ubiquitous in American kitchen thanks to its power to prepare perfectly prepared dinner while families are out from plate . The cooking utensil debuted in 1971 at Chicago ’s National Housewares Show alongside a booklet of professionally indite recipes . It was a hit , earning$2 million in salesits first yr on the marketplace . Now , 50 years later , its history has wither into the harvest amber – dark-skinned fog of good deal roast past .
The Birth of America’s Cookware
The kitchenwaretraces its originsto Vilnius , Lithuania , in the 1800s . On Fridays before the sun plump down , Vilnius ’s Judaic syndicate toted crocks fill with meat , beans , and veggie to the town ’s bakeries , where they ’d tuck them into warm - but - chill ovens and give up the mess about heating plant toslow cooka stew calledcholent , which they ’d eat on the Sabbath .
First - generation American and Judaic engineer Irving Nachumsohn ( a.k.a . Naxon ) find out about this tradition from his mother . As Michelle Delgado write atSmithsonianmagazine , he created the Crockpot ’s first iteration — the Naxon Beanery — when his family unit was searching for a way to cook summer dinner without overheat the menage .
Under the umbrella of his company , Naxon Utilities Corp. , Nachumsohn apply for a patent for the portable cooker on May 21 , 1936 , and was granted one on January 23 , 1940 . The product finallyhit the marketin the 1950s , but Nachumsohn ’s focus was n’t household ; instead , he chose to focus on selling to luncheonettes and coffee berry shops , where the gimmick was used to make soup and chilis .
Nachumsohn ( whopassed awayin 1989 ) was aprolific inventorwho take hold around 200 patent . He was responsible for for other ‘ 70s marvels such as the electrical frying pan and the hula lamp , the forefather of theLava Lamp . In 1970 , he retired and sold his business to the Kansas City , Missouri - base Rival Manufacturing , which would take the Naxon Beanery to Modern summit .
Bust to Boom
At first , the Naxon Beanery did n’t seem like a market place - change mathematical product ; in fact , it closely scat notice among Rival ’s sundry acquisition . “ No one pay any attention to it , ” the company ’s then - president , I.H. Miller , said in a 1981 interview . “ We almost forgot about it . ” But after one of the company ’s abode economic expert recognise the carbon black ’s ability to cook much more than beans andwhipped up a cookbookto turn out it , the party saw the pot ’s potential drop .
The Crockpot ’s launching was well suitable to America ’s interchange appetite , saysPaula J. Johnson , curator in the class of work and industriousness at Smithsonian ’s National Museum of American History . As cleaning lady more and more joined the American workforce , they were still expected to have home - cooked meals on the mesa for dinner party . “ More cleaning woman were forge outside the home and the Crockpot helped facilitate mealtime , ” Johnson tells Mental Floss in an email . “ And being able to keep food warm when class members were n’t capable to eat together ( a phenomenon that escalate in the 1970s ) still gave Captain Cook the peace of mind that they were provide nourishment to family line in their care . ” Because it alleviate women ’s movement to work outside the dwelling house , some view the appliance asfeminist .
The Crockpot ’s release also coincided with a finical moment in America ’s nutrient history . At a time when work on foods such asTV dinnerswere being hard marketed , the gadget offered family Captain Cook something different : “ [ They ] could make a alimentary , affordable , nursing home - cook meal without having to spend a destiny of fourth dimension standing over a hot stove . It was easy . It was unfailing . It madetough cuts of meatmore tender . It made the house sense nifty , ” Johnson pronounce . The Crockpot is also well-heeled to apply , allow those without any culinary training to prepare nutritious , often comforting , meal . That the cookery could also be cleaned easily clinched its spot in cooks ’ hearts .
The Crockpot became a basic for American family unit . Although it ’s had a few iterations over the decades , including a removable , dishwasher safe crockand an ellipse form that allowed for cooking larger meals , the basics have remained unaltered . Its ubiquity led many to use itsname to refer to any dull cooker . The Crockpot was the secret plan - changer that launched a fleet of look - a - ilk .
Forever Trendy
Despite a cutpurse in the eighties that coincided with therising popularity of the microwave , theCrockpotis still a homey favourite today . In 2019 , Americanspurchased 11.6 millionslow cookers — a few million less than the high of 14 million in 2016 and 2017 — and there areslow - cooker recipe booksby the thousands . The devices have even take social medium by tempest : Theslow cooker formula surgical incision of TikTokhas 7 billion views .
The Crockpot is part of some regional civilization more than others . “ As a Midwesterner , I can testify that the Crockpot is still indispensable for family meals and special events , ” Johnson says . “ Potluck dinner , graduation parties , tailgate events , or supper at the cabin loosely call for a soot pot or two . The Crockpot and , more recently , the [ Instant Pot ] are two culinary devices that respond the need of many Americans . ”
