This crock pot is great if you're cooking a large quantity. However, I have found that it's disadvantages outweight the positives. First of all, the design is horrible! The top handle gets hot with the pot and you always have to use a towel to remove the lid. In addition, the cooks all food super fast. I have yet to find one recipe that I can cook all day without burning! The typical cook time is 3-4 hours in this thing! Time to Heat It cooks too fast and heats super quickly. Cooking Performance It cooks well for the most part, but you have to reduce the cooking time drastically. Ease of Cleaning Super heavy stone insert that is very hard to clean. Ease of Use It is easy to use because it's so large. Design The lid needs a handle that doesn't get hot! Durability Super sturdy item!

cbachmann

Charlotte, NC

I received this croc pot as a gift and have been using it for 3 years. It's a solid basic croc pot with minimal functions. I use it about once a month. It has always performed as expected when I follow a recipe. The pot is so simple that it really doesn't leave much room for error. I've never had any issues with it. It also cleans up beautifully. I even put the inner pot in the dishwasher. No need to use a liner.

jslotwinski

USA

Never had a fail with this slow cooker yet. Time to Heat On low setting it takes about seven hours for most things. High setting can be a little fast, so I would say three or four hours maximum, especially on the edges, but it has never ruined a dish yet. Experimentation will be required because I am sure they all have their own time frames. Cooking Performance Aside from the over done edges, it does a good job heating meat through and even when cooking from frozen, the settings work for us. We have done everything from slow cooker beans to pot roast. Ease of Cleaning Being able to remove the crock for cleaning is such a nice feature. Because of the tendency to over cook on the edges I do spray cooking spray around the entire crock so that when I wash it, it comes completely clean. The interior will eventually stain, no matter how hard you try to clean it, so if you have an option to purchase a slow cooker with a black crock, do so. Ease of Use Well, this is one of the best things about a slow cooker which is why it has been a popular appliance for mutliple generations. I have never burned anything in a slow cooker, even when leaving it on high for longer than I planned. Design I am only rating the design a four because I wish there was a light indicator for high and low. It is a nice assurance in a low light area to be certain the appliance is turned on. I always have to touch it after a few minutes, rather than simply be able to tell due to the light being on. Durability Every slow cooker I have owned has only been due to a cracked or chipped crock, never the heating unit and the same can be said of this product as well. The knob is substantial and the exterior does not scratche easily. The lid gasket is pretty strong as well and the lid handle is better quality than other ones I have had.

pennynanny

USA

Just this season I've made chili, spaghetti sauce, Mushroom-Onion pork chops, pesto chicken, apple sauce, apple butter, pumpkin butter, blueberry butter, and mixed beans in the crockpot and all turned out great. I eat a most all protein diet and it is very nice to throw in frozen meat, add seasoning and come home to supper and moist meat. I have ran the crockpot insert thru the dishwasher many times and it still looks great. It seems to cook evenly and has lasted me a few years and hopefully a few more.

taterville4

Thomasville, NC

With a big busy family, using our crockpot is a part of life. Our crockpot gets a lot of use and it handles it with ease. The size of this crockpot is large enough for feeding our family or for hosting a large group for a party. You can fit a lot of food in this guy. I love that the inside removes for washing (although I love using liners even more so there is minimal cleaning). The crockpot has done great at cooking a variety of foods. It is easy to use with just a high, low, and warm setting. My only complaint would be that I wish the cord was longer as it has to be relatively close to the plug due to the shortness of the cord. But that problem is minimal and really doesn't effect the use of this item

manzer001

Glenshaw, PA

Very satisfied with the cook time and performance of this product. Great size for pretty much anything, especially big meals. Warm setting, in my option, is slightly too hot and continues to cook the food, as opposed to just keep it warm. Little mini pot that comes with the large one is also great for dips and smaller meals.

adriennewelch

USA

I got this new crockpot as my old one was wearing out.  I use a slow cooker usually once a week mainly to cook dinner.  This one is more attractive than my old one.  I believe the black crock will hold up better over time as my old one was white and would stain easily.  I like that it has a manual switch and not an electronic one. I feel it is less to wear out overtime and will stand up better.   Mine came with a carrying case and this should come in handy when taking food to potlucks or to others homes.  It zips up nicely and is padded.  The glass lid fits nicely into the crock and there is two drain back funnels in the crock.  My last one did not have  the drain back funnels and would spit water that had condensed on the inside of the lid and rolled back down to the upper ledge of the crock and as it moved in the puddle it would spit water all over the counter.   This size is also nice because you can fit a half of a ham or a small turkey in it.  It also is great for making homemade stock. All in all this one is much improved over my last one. Cooking Performance Burns food on the back edge of the crock Ease of Cleaning I must spray the crock to keep things from sticking. The crock burns the food on one edge even on low.

blueshell

Portland, OR

I have an older model of Rival's 6.5 quart slow cooker. It has worked great for me, I always pair it with Reynold's Slow Cooker liners and that elimates the mess and scrubbing hassles that most Crockpot users will complain of. My Rival Slow Cooker has always been reliable and cooked the food evenly and basically been a no-hassle appliance. I recently had a problem with the knob cracking and breaking on my Crockpot and Rival's customer service was awesome. They could have easily dismissed me as my Slow Cooker is well beyond any warranty, but they offered excellent customer service and went well above and beyond in helping me. I really appreciate a company that stands behind their product, even their older dated appliances. The Rival Slow Cooker is also very stylish and fits in nicely in my modern kitchen. In the winter months I use it very frequently and it sets out on my countertop and isn't an eyesore at all.  

seaflower

Johnstown, NY

The Rival slow cooker Crock Pot is a very convenient kitchen appliance to have. It works exactly as it should- just put the food inside and turn it on. I use mine frequently for all types of foods- roasts, soup, chicken, dips... I haven't had any problems with my Rival Crock Pot, and it's a very affordable piece of equipment so I highly recommend it. My Crock Pot included a small booklet of recipes, which includes a variety of foods. I have tried a couple of them, and they work well. The Crock Pot is a great size for making large portions or large pieces of meat. Everything cooks evenly, and the pot is easy to clean. If food gets stuck on, I just add some water and let it soak for a little while, and then it comes out easily. The newer models now include digital timers, which I think would be nice, but most recipes don't need to be cooked for an exact amount of time, it's more of a general time frame, so that kind of timer isn't really necessary. The little dipper is convenient for a small portion of dips or sauces, but it does take a long time to heat up, and it doesn't seem to get nearly as hot as the larger Crock Pot. It's convenient, but I don't use it much because it takes so long to heat up.

stot0020

Minneapolis, MN

I had never used a crockpot before I received this Rival Crockpot. I love the ease of making meals with my crockpot. I scour the internet and find all different recipes to experiment with. Some of my favorite things to make are ribs, pulled pork, pot roast and a sliced beef sandwich that I finish under the broiler with provolone cheese on top. Yum! This crockpot also has a keep warm setting so that you can stop the cooking process and keep dinner warm so that different family members can eat at different times of day depending on their schedule. I recently used this to keep a shrimp bisque warm at a dinner party so that I could concentrate on other dishes or my guests. This crockpot is a nice size for a family or dinner parties. It is very handy for busy families.The inside comes out so you can clean it although it is quite heavy. The small bonus little dipper works well to use as a fondue pot. Sometimes I even use the little dipper if I have a couple apples that are going bad. I put them in the little dipper with a cinnamon stick and cook it for a few hours to make homemade applesauce. This is my first and only crockpot and I would recommend a crockpot to everyone. It makes life simple. Time to Heat Heats up right away Ease of Cleaning The interior pot comes out to clean easily, although it is very heavy Ease of Use What can be easier than a crockpot meal? Durability The knob fell off after a few years of use but I think I had banged it up against my cabinet door. A little crazy glue and good to go

timcar

Bridgewater, NJ