I'm a real blonde and this post proves it.

I thought I had a steal of a deal at Bed,Bath,and Beyond when I snagged a 5qt. crockpot on display clearance (got an extra 30%off AND used my 20%off coupon) for $22! I was all jazzed and my brisket was ready to roll. That was until after about two minutes of being on the crockpot started to smoke (from the vent above the timer). Hmmmmmm, mild silent panic. Is this a 1st time use thing? Was I supposed to put water between the stoneware and main cooking pot? I have no manual so I started calling all my friends, NO ONE WAS HOME to answer my questions and assure me that I wasn't going to burn my house down. After five calls, I caught E.D. in her car.

me:"Hey, did your crockpot smoke the 1st time you used it"
her: "um, No!"
me:"Ok, so it isn't burning off some random coating?"
her: through her laughter "um, NO -- unplug it and come get mine if you have to"
me:"it smells pretty bad; I guess I'll bring it back "

I think I should be glad that she didn't wreck her car laughing at me. The folks at BB&B looked at me like I was INSANE when I said it was smoking. @@ Whatever. The manager actually smelled the vent and said 'oh, yeah - I can smell it'. I got a new one but didn't get the added bonus of clearance&30%off, grrrrrrr.

Counting my blessings that I didn't leave right after I turned it on. AND for the record, the brisket was delicious!