I asked for a "big simple (not digital) crock pot" last Christmas and received a Rival Crock Pot , seven quart, that just has a knob to select low, high, or warm temperatures. It is exactly what I wanted. I keep three slow cookers - small, medium, and large. I use the large one primarily for large chickens and roast. My previous large crock pot was digital. I am somewhat anti-digital - I don't really trust them. Well, I was right not to - it didn't last very long (one of the temperature settings went out altogether and the other became unreliable) and when the electricity goes off (which it does in our rural area often), it would turn off and not come back on. So I wanted a big crock pot with a manual knob. It works great and even comes back on when the power is restored. The only negative thing about it is that it cooks very hot, by which I mean I have to cut way down on the cook times suggested in recipes. That's okay once you adapt to it and figure out how long stuff needs to be cooked, but not so great at first as everything gets overcooked. Time to Heat Are any slow cookers quick to heat? Cooking Performance Does fine once adapted to how hot it cooks. Ease of Cleaning I use slow cooker liners, which is a complete game-changer. No mess. Ease of Use Couldn't ask for a simpler operating system - low, high, or warm. Design Like any other simple crock pot. That locking lid device that some have for transporting without spills would be nice, but for home this one is fine. Durability I have a very old Rival Crock Pot that is chugging along just fine, so I expect this one to do the same.

totallymama

Talihina, OK

I love my crock pot! This one is easy to use and cooks just about anything. I cook rosasts, sauces, soups and stews. I get everything together the night before, put it together in the morning before I leave, turn it on and come home to dinner! I got mine with a bonus 1/3-2/3 crock which makes it easy to prepare to different items at one time... thats really convienient. The only down sid is the crock it self; theres a ring where the juices from roasts are and I cant get it clean. I even spray it with no stick and I still have a bit of a ring; doesnt affect the performance or taste though.

evamom

Camden Wyoming, DE

I had a tiny slow cooker when I was single. We received this 6-quart Rival slow cooker as a present and we use it 6-8 times a year to make big batches of soup, stew, or chili. For a two-person household, the 6-quart size is probably overkill, but we do freeze the leftovers. The slow cooker takes up a bit more shelf space than I'd like. Its oval shape seems to be a storage hog. In addition to the unnecessarily large footprint, it's rather heavy - but this Rival slow cooker is worth it because it works well, makes one-pot meals super easy, and never lets me down.

kims2571

Cardiff By The Sea, CA

I got my Rival Crockpot as a hand-me-down from my father and stepmother before I got married a couple of years ago. This crockpot is great for many reasons. It can be used to make many things. I've made everything from pot roasts and stews, to soups and cassoroles. For pot roast and stews, it's great because you can pre make and mix everything that you want to have for dinner the previous night, start cooking it the following morning, and your dinner is done just in time for when you get home from work. If you're making something else, this crockpot has four different time setting of four, six, eight, and ten hours, depending on how long you want to cook something, or what you're cooking. The eight and ten hour setting are great for roast or any type of meat that you want to fall apart. The slow cooking time also lets the meat simmer in all the flavors of herbs or spices you might have put in it. I ususally use my crockpot once a week.

jordanpdouglas

Colorado Springs, CO

I use this slow cooker frequently, as it was a gift, but it has some drawbacks I would consider if in the market to buy one again. - I think it is too hot.  Maybe that's because I was used to older slow cookers, but it's taken quite a bit of tinkering to get recipes done on time rather than cooked to mush. - The knob fell off the lid in the first year of use.  My husband has fixed it, so it is usable, but annoying. - Mine came with a divided crock as well as the usual crock.  In my opinion, the divided crock is not worth it.  It's difficult to clean, difficult to scoop food out of, and I had trouble finding two dishes that needed the same amount of cook time in the precise proportions to fit in the two compartments. - While it is nice to be able to select cook times, I would love to have a delay start as well, for those times when I am cooking a shorter-timed recipe but need to be away from the house longer than the cook time. Overall, this is useful, but I probably would not purchase it again.

Ilaide

Reedsville, PA

I got my Rival 6-quart Slow Cooker for a gift several years ago to replace a smaller crock pot and I love it.  The oval shape and large capacity hold even a large whole chicken.  I just remove the skin from the chicken before placing it in the slow cooker to cut down on fat.  I can fit enough vegetables besides the chicken or pot roast to feed my family of 6 and have plenty of leftovers.  The removable crock makes for easy cleaning.  I have had a slow cooker with a fixed crock before and they are a pain to clean.  I also make yogurt in my slow cooker and can make half a gallon of yogurt in one batch.  My Rival Slow Cooker came with an insulated zip-top bag for transporting the crock to pot-lucks.  I also use the insulated bag to cover my slow cooker when incubating yogurt overnight.  My one complaint about this model of slow cooker is the function that makes it automatically switch to "Warm" when the selected setting is finished.  I have had beans sitting on warm setting that are not done, but would have been, had they been left on the setting I had it on.

jencolburn

Nashville, TN

With the Rival 6-Quart slow cooker, it was love at first use. Seriously. This thing is AMAZING. In all the times using it (which have been a LOT, let me tell you!), I have not had a bad experience. This crock pot cooks whatever you put into it nicely and evenly.  From meats to soups, main dishes to side dishes, this Rival crockpot will NOT let you down. If I had the storage space, I would own multiples of these. I used to laugh at my mom's owning of several crockpots, but now I wish I, too, owned several. How great would it be to cook up an entire meal in just crockpots? But I digress. The stoneware for this Rival crockpot is removable for easy serving and easy clean up. No more serving food over at the counter, or schlepping the bulky, and, let's face it, utilitarian, crockpot over to the table. Nope. Just pull out the stoneware and set on the table for easy, elegant serving. The stoneware cleans easily, just requires some soaking if you've got some burnt on stuff around the edges.

newwife777

Waxhaw, NC

If you're a busy person, or just don't feel like watching the stove all day, this crockpot is wonderful.  I have a family who eats a lot.  A LOT.  This crockpot does the job nicely.  Wonderful size for big pots of chili or soup.  I am also able to cook very large cuts of meat in it.  I really don't know how I ever lived without it.  I use it at least 2 times a week.  It has 4 heat settings, plus the "warm" setting that it goes to when the time is up.  The white crock is fairly easy to clean.  My only gripe about this crockpot is that the handle fell off about a year ago.  Now, I'm stuck using a knife and a potholder to get the lid off.  Other than that, it's great. P.S.--I'm looking forward to trying to make home-made yogurt in it soon. 

chellenole

North Royalton, OH

I received my Rival 6 Quart Slow Cooker as a wedding gift that I had registered for.  As I registered I remember looking at the different brands and types of slow cookers on the store shelf and found there were a few reasons to select the Rival 6 Quart Slow Cooker over the others I saw.  I loved the oval shape of the slow cooker instead of a round slow cooker because it was able to hold more.  I wanted to be able to double recipies in my slow cooker and still be able to cook my recipies thoroughly and have the food fit in the cooker well.  I really like that there are two high settings and two low settings as well as a warm feature that it kicks on to once the time you set the slow cooker for has finished.  My slow cooker is very easy to clean since I can take the inside out as well as the lid and put them in the dishwasher.  I also like how I can take the inside out and serve out of it as a serving dish if I don't want to transfer all of the food to a new container.

hml

Undisclosed

I use this crock pot at least once a week. I enjoy the automatic timing feature the best. If I'm not home when times up it simply goes to warm. No worries about coming home to cold food! It's easy to remove & clean up.

Penben84

Taylorsville, IN