Slow Cooker Reviews

I'm enjoying my new Rival SD165-6 qt. oval deep
dutch oven - But for the area that I need to use
it in, I really do need a cord about 12 inches
longer. It would really help if I could get a
longer cord for this appliance. Please do what
you can to ship me a longer cord. I will be glad
to pay for it. I can't use it as often as I need
to because of the cord being to short for the space
I have for it. Thanks again for helping me get a longer
cord.

I have used this crock pot for three meals so far without problems. It show great promise of the being the (almost) perfect slow cooker.

I purchased this model because it is as close to the perfect crock pot as you can get. Our other crock pot is a 6 quart round model and too large for normal cooking and "burns" or over-cooks normal meals. This four quart crock pot is the perfect size for our family of four. We can fill it half-way with fixings for a half-gallon of stew (gives leftovers) or make a full pot of spaghetti sauce that will provide for a couple of meals. The three settings (High / Low / Keep Warm) work as you would think. I did note that the 'Keep Warm' setting may be a bit too hot for delicate sauces but was just right for the stew and spaghetti. Four quarts (1 gallon) is a lot of food!

Any crock you get should have a dishwasher safe removable crock and lid like this one. An oval crock pot allows you to fit larger cuts of meat in the crock than a round pot. I can not fit my 6-quart crock in the dishwasher but can and do put this one in the dishwasher.

This crock pot does not 'loose steam' as some of the others are described but the lid is not sealed like a pressure cooker. As the food is cooked, steam is emitted. It gathers and cools at the (inside) top of the glass lid and drips down to the side of the lid, collecting on the lip of the crock where the lid sits. The lid sits on the lip of the crock easily with a few small dimples to prevent it from sealing (this is good - keep reading). As the steam condenses on the side of the crock the water collecting on the side seals the cooker. It works. Steam is kept in the crock pot but the pot will not become a pressure cooker. The glass lid will not 'bubble' or rock on the stone crock as it cooks so it is safer than some older models. It works and works well.

The oval shape of the crock allows for a larger cuts of meat than a round crock pot the same size. The stone crock and glass lid is dishwasher safe and actually fits in the dishwasher. Clean-up is easy. The pot does not take up too much space in the cupboard.

This crock pot has a great price for what you get. A higher price may not get you a better crock pot. Until I see a crock pot with intelligent sensors (senses the temperature of what you are cooking) and digital controls for temperature and time with pre-sets for different types of sauces and meals, this is the one.

I found this retro-fit part at Target on clearance. Thought it'd be ideal for those times when I would be gone longer than the recipe cooking time. Retrofitting an older style crock pot sounded like a great idea. I was disappointed! I used it 3-4 times and each time the food was done earlier than it should have been, even scorched. Reading the reviews on the newer crock pots that come with this programming as part of the pot this seems to be a common problem. Wouldn't buy this again or recommend to anyone.

Retrofit your low-tech slow-cooker (any/most brands) with the Rival SP100-PDQ. You'll have a poor man's version of a "fuzzy-logic" cooker/warmer, and the fringe benefit is that you can use the one investment on each of your appliances that are compatible with the 'Smart Part' from Rival. You'll notice that this reviewer deemed the device worthy of four stars rather than five: I still prefer the (more expensive, yet cost-effective) product line from the following oriental company: Zojirushi. To view their equipment, follow this no-brainer sequence: Home & Garden > Kitchen & Housewares > Brands > Zojirushi > Steamers & Rice Cookers. As to WHY this writer steers you-all to THAT brand, they specialize in smart rice cookers which can sense when food (not only rice) is ready. Home in on the Fuzzy Logic models. Although Zojirushi includes slow-cookers that have aluminum as the food-contact-surface, I'd say STAY CLEAR of said metal; it's probably not as hardened as the Calphalon aluminum. Whether you select a Rival brand Crock-Pot or that of an imitator, try to make sure that the interior glaze is FDA-approved, specifically that it is LEAD-FREE. I would not trust China to see to it that the glazing has zero lead. As a parting comment, consider a switch to whole-grain casseroles, rather than contemporary ones that settle for grains that either have been stripped of the bran/germ or have been partially boiled ("parboiled") in the factory/plant. A grain that can sprout when raw will impart more life-force to you when cooked (at low temperature) than a denuded or denatured grain. The whole grains will take twice as long to soak, cook, chew, and digest. The husband and the little darlings might be less likely to get cranky with the long-term effects of natural whole grains. Slow-cookers, especially those programmed by the Rival SP100-PDQ Smart-Part, are eminently suited to properly heat-process natural foods for healthy digestion/assimilation.

I can't believe everyone doesn't have one of these! Before I got it, my crockpot meals would overcook and even burn while I was at work all day. I have two sizes of crockpots that are almost new and really didn't want the programmable crockpot as most of the time I use a relatively small crockpot for just my husband and myself and the Smart Pot is rather large.

The Smart Part is easy to operate and has settings for four cook cycles and 3 different sizes of pots (sizes A-B-C on the control). It can be used with any slow cooker. The food is cooked as you program the control and then held at a "warm" temperature for up to an additional 4 hours. We are thrilled with the improved meals I am slow cooking--not mushy and not burnt. A wonderful product at a good price!