I received my Rival Crock-Pot Model 3355 several years ago as a gift & it continues to work great. I typically cook with crock pots every 1-2 weeks. I love the convenience of coming back to a completely cooked meal. I cook all sorts of things in my crock pots including, roasts, soups, stews, chicken & noodles, casseroles, baked beans, green bean casserole, homemade yogurt, apple cider. plus many other things. This week I cooked chicken hind quarters (which I de-boned, skinned, & tore in bite size pieces for soups & casseroles) as well homemade chicken broth (to also use in soups & casseroles) in my crock pot. I use it year round. Since it doesn't heat the house like the stove & oven, it helps me save on the air conditioning bill in the summer. It also uses less electricity than a stove or oven, so my Rival saves me both time & money. . Time to Heat My Rival Crock-Pot 3355 does take longer to heat up than my Kitchen Selectives 3 1/2-quart crock pot, but it still does a good job cooking. Ease of Cleaning I like that the crock is removable and easy to clean. The inside of the heating element does have food stains on it. I've tried to clean it with a damp dish cloth once it has cooled. I've also tried a damp dish cloth with both baking soda & comet (one at a time) and nothing seems to clean it. I use a dish cloth & regular dish water to clean the outside of the heating element, plus baking soda & a toothbrush to clean the crevices. Ease of Use The Rival Crock-Pot is so easy to use. Just put your crock in the heating element, put your ingredients in the crock, put on the lid, plug it in, turn it on the desired setting, & walk away. Your food should be done at the predetermined time as the recipe states. Durability My Rival Crock-Pot Model 3355 has worked great for several years now & it still works great.

lovehomemade

USA

Overall, for a lower priced crock pot this one worked just fine. I've owned many crock pots over the years. Some were purchased new, others were hand me downs from friends and relatives. I love crock pots so I never say no if someone is looking to get rid of one. They're just so handy. We keep a few in the kitchen, different sizes for different things and my husband stores a few in the garage that he takes on his longer hunting trips. They have a generator for when they camp in the pop up, and sometimes they stay in the cabin at my parents hunting camp. I believe this is one of the hand me down crock post we received from a friend. My husband keeps it in the garage, so it's got to be durable as it sits out in the cold all year waiting to be taken up north on a hunting trip. It gets used to make chili most of the time. A pot feeds a good eight to ten hungry guys at dinner time, so it's quite large. Ease of Cleaning If it wasn't easy to clean it would not be one of my hubby's go to crock pots. The guys at camp aren't really the most domestic so clean up has to be simple. Ease of Use It's got to be simple and easy to operate or the guys wouldn't like it so much!

jcaitlin221

Southfield, MI

There are so many reasons that I love having a crock pot in the kitchen at all times - I won't go without one! There are so many uses for it for every season. For cooking applesauce after picking fresh apples in the Fall, slow cooking bbq pork shoulder in the summer, quick one pot meals in the Spring, and, of course, simmering away with delicious soups and stews in the Winter. So many great dishes and meals with so much time saved! And the time saving isn't just in the cooking, but also in the clean up and preperation. Everything goes in the one pot, the one pot comes out and gets washed, and voila! Not to mention some of my favorite recipes wouldn't be the same at all cooked on a stove top instead of in the crock pot.

AngelAvalon

Ashaway, RI

I cook most meals from scratch and love to save time and engery whereever I can. I plan meals ahead of time and freeze them later so we dont have to eat out when we are having a hectic day in our house. I love using our slow cooker for meals that I can stick in it and let cook all day then it is perfect when we get home. I like how it is simple and easy to clean and that I can stick it under our cabinets when not using so Its not taking up room on our counter. I cook whole chickens in my slow cooker and use the shredded meat for recipes and can having falling off the bone chicken in hours without having to do any work. It saves us money that way so I am not tempted to take the easy route and buy prepackaged meals.

KimAllen

Norwood, MO

It would seem obvious that a slow cooker is designed to cook, but it seems some other brands didn't quite understand this. I have owned 3 different slow cookers before this one and this is absolutely the best. I love the easy settings and clear glass lid with handle. I have been using mine pretty heavily for 2 years and it's still going strong. Some of the things I have made in it include french onion soup, orange marmalade, beef stew, chili, apple butter, chili cheese dip and sloppy joes. Cooking with a slow cooker is great for a working person, busy mom/dad, college student or young couple. Ok, that's pretty much everyone! I love using it. In fact, I'm now thinking about making some buffalo shredded chicken sandwiches with it tomorrow. So easy to create your own recipes! Add chicken breasts, a little chicken broth and buffalo sauce and cook until you can shred the chicken apart. Put it on soft buns, top with blue cheese or ranch, sliced cucumber and maybe some lettuce and tomato and you've got a great dinner! Honestly this is a great product.

sonopy

Reinholds, PA

I use my Rival 6 Quart Slow Cooker model number 3355 mainly in the winter time, although I am not sure why!  I use it about once a week during the cold months to make stews and soups.  I even baked apples for Thanksgiving in my slow cooker! They were the best baked apples I ever made!!  Slow cooker cooking is so easy to do.  Just put your ingredients in and turn it on.  It is fail proof.  I have had my Rival Slow Cooker for several years.  Rival is a name I can trust in deciding on brands of products I want to buy.  I love the Rival Slow Cooker has a removable stoneware insert for easy cleaning.  I am also able to use a liner in the slow cooker for recepes that can tend to stick to the sides.  I don't have to worry about my bags holding up to the heat of the slow cooker.  I just love my Rival Slow Cooker.  I would recommend slow cooker cooking to everyone and especially Rival as it has always been a very reliable company.  I have many small appliances made by Rival.

aprhir

Norcross, GA

We love this crockpot at our house.  We have had this for over 6 years and it is still going strong!  I love to just put food in the pot early in the morning, turn it on low, and have a healthy, homecooked meal ready by dinner time.  I have also made many dishes on the high setting in only a few hours.  The meat is always very tender and so delicious!  It's amazing how many recipes can be fixed in this crockpot.  We have made everything from chicken and beef dishes to pinto beans.  The dial on the front is easy to use with warm, low and high settings.  The lid and removable dish are very easy to clean and store.  The outside also wipes clean easily if it becomes dirty.  It is great having a removable dish in the crockpot to put straight into the sink to wash or store in the fridge if needed.  This crockpot is a necessity in our house and has prevented many headaches from trying to fix last minute suppers and meals.  

jenmomrn

Olive Branch, MS

I have had my Rival Crockpot for over 16 years and I absolutely love it!  It is works great, durable, reliable.  I cannot believe it has lasted this long.  It still works as good today as it did when I first got it.  I wouldn't trade it for anything.  I use it about once a week, but now that I am home, I will start using it more.

fivekids

Cookeville, TN

I enjoy my crockpot for a variety of reasons.  It is one of the most versatile items in the kitchen.  I have made from desserts to applesauce to stews in it.  You can serve hot cider from one also.  The best part of this crockpot is that you can remove the pot to wash it.  If something has cooked for awhile a brief soaking time is all it needs in order to wash it clean.  The low setting is fine for if I want to have supper cooked when I get home, to leave it in all day.  The high setting can get a meat dish done in four hours so if I don't start it til 1pm I am still good to go for supper.  It has truly given us many wonderful meals that otherwise would not have been ready when the family was ready to eat!  In the fall I like to make applesauce in it.  If I take less than a 1/2 hour to get the apples peeled I can come home to a crockpot full of applesauce ready to freeze.  The best part of a crockpot is coming in the house to the wonderful smell of food ready! 

numberslover

Jersey Shore, PA

I love my Rival Crockpot.It has made my life so much easier.I can add a Beef Roast,cup of water and  a pack of onion soup mix and 6 hours later I have a healthy meal to feed my family.It is great on days when I have alot to do.You can even put all your ingredients in the crock the night before and sit it in the refrigerator and before you walk out the door in the morning sit the crock in the pot and plug it in and turn ti low and go.It is a better way of cooking it has helped me stay on my diet and so far I've lost 35 pounds.It's alot better to come home to a roasted chicken with carrots and potatoes.Instead of munching while you're trying to find something to cook that's probally gonna take about an hour and you're starving.I think it's a healthier way to eat.You can fix so many different meals in the crockpot.It's especially great on a budget.It makes the toughest cut of meats sooooo tender and delicious.I save so much money by using my crockpot.It doesn't heat up the house.I can buy less expensive cuts of meats and I can have a low-fat healthy meal.

shewee44

Summerville, SC