>people cooking a large pot of
>food and keeping it going for several days, eating from it when they
>want, and even adding new ingredients.

Crock pots, which do NOT keep their contents above boiling uniformly, should
not be used for indefinite storage at a simmer; and any crock pot process
should start by bringing the entire contents to a boil before reducing the
temperature to the simmer. Simmer for eight hours, if you wish; then consume
or refrigerate.

Throwing raw ingredients into a simmering crock pot is to create a great
bacterial breeding ground.

Neil