In the 12 years of my marriage I have gone through 4 different crock-pots. This one lasted the LEAST amount of time. I love using crock-pots for family dinners, church dinners, sports games, chili cook-offs, you name it. It is one of the most frequently used appliances in my kitchen normally. The year that I had this model, that all changed. It's like I became a recluse because I was ashamed of the results I was getting from this crock-pot. Broken handles (TWO!), uneven heating that resulted in burned food, and a faulty control panel that sometimes decided not to turn on at all despite being plugged in and all. I became increasingly frustrated and finally begged for a NICE new crock-pot for my birthday. My husband was so tired of the hassles this pot was giving us (and missing his chili nights) so he bought me a nice new one from a totally different company -- haven't had a problem with it yet 4 years later! Time to Heat WHEN it decided to heat properly, it was okay time-wise.

HRHHermione

USA

Love, love, love this slow cooker! It's like it's my birthday any day I get to use it. What could be easier than filling it with food, plugging it in, turning it on and walking away? The answer to that question would be: Pretty much nothing. (Well, sleeping is easier.) Mine heats evenly, cooks evenly and cleans up easily. I like the fact that the lid is clear, allowing me to check on the progress of my food while it's cooking. The removable crock is so very nice and a giant upgrade from my old slow cooker, which did not have this feature. I believe it to be very durable; I use it at least once a week (sometimes two or three). I do feel safe leaving it alone in the house, the outside doesn't seem to get overly hot, so I'm not that worried about my house burning down due to this appliance. As far as I'm concerned, Rival is the best slow cooker on the market - I have only owned Rival Crock Pots and I will continue to stick with them.

K80

New Glarus, WI

I LOVE crock-pots. My very first slow cooker was a 3.5 quart Rival Crockpot. It lasted for MANY years and I have no real complaints about it. After it finally died, I bought a generic slow cooker, I don't even remember the name of it. It worked okay, but got wayyy too hot and never cooked my food right. So, I finally went out and bought a new Rival Crockpot - the one I am reviewing now. I was soooo excited to get it, and have used it many times without a problem. The removable crock is great, and I love the way you can set the crock for a specific amount of cooking time - and either on low or high. Then, the crock will automatically go to the "warm" setting until you are ready to eat. I was very happy with it. Then, the handle broke off, after only one year of use. I had always washed and dried it carefully, and there was no reason for the handle to have broken off so easily, other than the fact that it was poorly made. I called the company to see about a replacement lid, and they said they no longer make them. I was very disappointed. I am, however, still using the crock for the time being. I just put a piece of tape over the little hole on the top, and use oven mitts to remove the hot lid.

davick92

Newton, IL

Some people say that a slow cooker is a slow cooker, but this particular crock pot smart pot blows the "lids" off all the other slow cookers.  If you have never owned a slow cooker such as this smart cooker, you should know that these slow cookers are crucial to anyone with less time to prepare quality meals and is a great alternative to take out or fast food. All you need to do is set the timer, add in the food, choose the settings and go! I love slow cookers for the reason that I want quality meals but i have less time than your average person to prepare them.  As a student, going to class and practice means I am infrequently in my house.  Enter crock pot.  All i need to do is plug and go and in a few hours when i return to my kitchen i am ready to serve and eat. Slow cookers have some flexibility in what they can prepare but its not great, only good.  Some of my favorite dishes are slow-cooked ribs, meatballs, pork tenderloin, chicken piccatta and chili.  All are possible with a slow cooker and all you have to do is prepare it, put it in the pot and your done.

jgrimm66

Smithfield, RI

We use our crock pot several times a month to make homemade pasta sauces, roasts, soups and lots of other delicious recipes. Pasta sauces should be stirred once in a while, but the programming feature works great for setting it before leaving for work and coming home to dinner all prepared. The unit is solidly built and we have been using it for over two years now with no reliability issues. The crock pot heats evenly throughout and we've never had a anything burn or taste liked it's dried out. Of course, it's next to impossible to make a bad meal in a crock pot. Clean up is a simple with just water and soap with mild scrubbing. While there are many crockpots to choose from, Rival is one of the best brands out there and this model is no exception.

jtspenfield

Rochester, NY

I really love my Crock pot. I use it about 3 times per week and have been totally spoiled by this type of cooking! I have a large family of 5, so I find that this large size really suits us. If I ever cook a smaller amount of food, I have to be VERY careful not to over cook it as this CP seems to run pretty hot to me. Also, I have found that if the pot is about 2/3 full, it cooks the best and most evenly. Also, if I know I have a busy night ahead, I'll use a CP liner to make clean up easy!

katiemusic

Cartersville, GA

I have used this crock pot a total of six times. On the second use, the lid handle came off. I improvised and was able to use it okay. On the fourth use, one of the the side handles cracked and fell off into pieces. The sixth and final time I used this crock pot, the plastic washer underneath the lid handle broke, rendering the lid useless. Since so many have experienced the same problems, you would think Rival would want to protect their reputation by offering some form of compensation especially, since they no longer carry the replacement parts. 

leahl

Saugerties, NY

I love my crock-pot but the one I had was way too small to make a decent size meal for my hubby and myself. So I asked for a new one for Christmas and this is what my dad got me. Not being much of a cook I rely in my crock-pot to help me provide a great dinner for my husband. Plus, while I was pregnant I didn't really feel like being on my feet for long hours. This crock-pot is plenty big for a large roast and potatoes and I love the sleek look of it! Now that I'm a busy mom its wonderful to be able to simply go in the kitchen, pull out what I want to cook, put all the ingrediants in the crock-pot, turn the crock-pot on and get back to other things like laundry and keeping up with my daughter. Not knowing how to really cook means I'm not all that great at going in the kitchen and frying meat or creating a casserole. But I have managed to find some truly delicious crock-pot recipes that are extremely simple. I depended on my crock-pot while single and living on my own and now I depend on it to cook dinner for my family. 

angelwcamowings

Cabot, AR

*My old slow cooker was an off brand the handle on the top fell off. Which is just unacceptable if you have ever used a crockpot. So we went out and bought **CROCK-POT Smart-Pot **same model in metallic red...ooh is it pretty! I love this crockpot, I can just program a timer and walk away, also the heat settings are all push button which is so nice. Its like the cadillac of slow cookers in my eyes. I also purchased the crock pot bag so that I can take it anywhere with me. The handles are very durable which is a big plus with me considering the slow cooker I had in the past. The crockpot doesn't seem to get to hot to touch if needed. Outer shell wipes down very easily and the inside and lid was up very nice. So far I have had no problems with the **CROCK-POT Smart-Pot ** and I do not forsee any in the future due to the excellent quality. The price was very reasonable considuring the product durability and excellent features!*

onelove2608

Addison, NY

I purchased this slow cooker after my previous one developed chips and scratches. I was taken in by the fancy features and the ability to program it. I appreciate being able to set it precisely. The stainless steel body is very attractive, and I don't mind this appliance sitting out on my counter all day, cooking away. It looks very clean and modern with the black crock and nifty buttons. I do have a pretty hefty complaint, though--it cooks so quickly! I have actually had several things scorch when cooked according to slow cooker recipes. I cooked a whole chicken last week. It was a five pound chicken, and I set it to 10 hour low and left it all night, 8 hours total. When I woke up I turned it off immediately and let it cool so I could bone it. An hour later, I started boning it only to find that the meat had disintegrated and had a terrible texture, and the carcass completely fell apart. I spent a long, long time just trying to pick the bones out of it. I have found I have to monitor the cooking closely, which for me pretty much defeats the purpose of the "fix it and forget it" style Crock Pot is known for.  

lkziemke

Tracy, MN