Long-time cook but new to slow cookers

Hello,

I just purchased my first 'crock pot', a Frigidaire Professional 7-quart Slow Cooker , from Costco when it was on sale for $55. I usually buy from Amazon but I was really nervous about it malfunctioning and Costco has a great return policy. Anyway, I bought it in October so I could make our Thanksgiving turkey (a breast only) and our Christmas roast chicken. I followed the instructions on the recipes to the T, but both dishes came out dry and overcooked. I'm an experienced cook so I feel like I shouldn't be having problems and yet I am. Hopefully this forum will help me figure out if the problem is with me, the recipes or the appliance and direct me to some good recipes. Thanks for having me!

 

Good welcome! I don't know much about crockpot cooking myself- I only found out about slowcooking a month ago. I mean, I knew about it, but I only started wanting a crock pot recently. However, I was reading some articles on it, and I heard that some slowcookers get hotter and into higher temperatures than you would want, after a few hours. There was a specific brand that was mentioned that does this, but I can't remember which. Maybe that was the problem?

 

Hey, hey! Yes, that was meant to sound like Krusty the Clown.

As the post above me suggests, it's likely the brand you're dealing with. I've had mine a little over a year now and things are going swimmingly. Also, I'm not the type of person who sticks to the same recipes or does not work that slow cooker to the max. I am. So, the only suggestion I can give is that of the one I am using:
http://www.crockpotable.com/threads/show-us-your-crock-pot.214/

Pictured in that section. Another tidbit: The Pioneer Woman has great recipes for slow cooking. She takes some interesting twists and a lot of her recipes can be tinkered with without losing much.