# Is it safe to leave my chicken soup on the stove on the lowest heat while I go out?



## fireflies~for~me (Jun 24, 2003)

Is it like a crock pot? With enough water, for a few hours is it safe to simmer?

Thanks....leaving in about an hour


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## magster (May 4, 2004)

If you have an electric stove, why not? Just make sure you put pleeeenty of water and that you keep track of the amount of time you're gone.

We have a gas stove and I would never dare to leave it on while out, a gush of wind might put out the flame and gas would leak and.. and... Yeah, I´m a worry-wart! :LOL


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## nonnymoose (Mar 12, 2004)

If you want to do that, buy a crock pot. I would never leave anything on a stove unattended. Burnt-up chicken soup makes about the nastiest-smelling smoke there is - ask any firefighter.


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## mamaMAMAma (Nov 20, 2001)

I've done it before because I forgot, but I probably won't do it knowing. I have a gas stove though. I cook chicken stock for 20 hours, so I usually start it in the afternoon and let it cook overnight.


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## Meiri (Aug 31, 2002)

I wouldn't.

Part of the thing with crockpots is you end up with more water inside at the end than you started with, from the food as it cooks. That is not the case on the stove, whether gas or electric.


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## EFmom (Mar 16, 2002)

I wouldn't either. It's not worth the risk.

You plan to be gone for an hour, but stuff happens. Your car could break down, your bus could have a flat tire, or if you are anything like me, you could forget all about it and decide to do additional errands and burn the house down.


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## nonnymoose (Mar 12, 2004)

We went on one Sunday-morning call when the lady [thought she] was making chicken stock on the gas stove when she left for church, with plenty of water on "low." When we got into the house (fortunately one of the neighbors had a key to the back door and I was skinny enough to slide through the 10" gap between the houses) the smoke was banked halfway to the floor and there was a very nasty-smelling dried out chicken carcass in a burnt-up enameled pot on the stove. The knob was turned to 8 (of 10). She blamed it on her toddler, but I dunno...


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