| Happy 50th Anniversary Crockpot The Crockpot traces its origins to Vilnius, Lithuania, in the 1800s. On Fridays before the sun went down, Vilnius's Jewish families toted crocks filled with meat, beans, and vegetables to the town's bakeries, where they'd tuck them into warm-but-cooling ovens and allow the lingering heat to slow cook a stew called cholent, which they'd eat on the Sabbath. First-generation American and Jewish engineer Irving Nachumsohn (a.k.a. Naxon) learned about this tradition from his mother. He created the Crockpot's first iteration-the Naxon Beanery-when his family was searching for a way to cook summer dinners without overheating the house. Under the umbrella of his company, Naxon Utilities Corp., Nachumsohn applied for a patent for the portable cooker on May 21, 1936, and was granted one on January 23, 1940. In 1970, he retired and sold his business to the Kansas City, Missouri-based Rival Manufacturing. Rival rebranded and refreshed the family-friendly kitchenware for a debut at the National Housewares Show, where the Crockpot was launched. After its debut, the Crockpot-which sold for around $25-was a runaway success with sales doubling each year. Grab your Crockpot and check out these titles |
