Kitchen

[KathT]

Earlier this month I asked about the Crockpot Casserole Slow Cooker because I was considering purchasing one. I did buy one & was asked to give a review after I used it. My review is that is ok but I'm not wildly enthusiastic about it. It is very heavy & has a large footprint in terms of how much counter space & storage space it takes. The crock is well made & seems to be better quality. The removable crock is a plus with the ability to cook/ bake in the oven or base & for easy cleaning. I would not soak/submerge it in the sink for any period of time because there is a small line around the exterior bottom of the crock that isn't glazed. The interior corners are rounded making it suitable for casseroles but I wouldn't bake a cake in it. I like that it has a warm setting as well as high & low.

Mine doesn't heat evenly. One side has a hot spot along most of one-the longer measurement-side. I caught it before it burned to a crisp but that side was definitely overdone. I will only use it when I am home. I was making CP lasagna when this happened & I was careful to keep the cheese away from the sides so I know it wasn't the cheese placement that caused it to burn/be overdone.

The exterior of the base gets very hot when in use, even the counter underneath was much warmer than my other cps. I will either put a wooden cutting board or thick towel under it if cooking on high or for longer times. The exterior was hot enough that I would recommend keeping young children away from it so they don't accidentally touch it. Also warn others that it is hot. This may not be a problem if the warm setting is being used.

I will keep this but probably won't use it as much as my GE Programmable. My plan for our brunch is to bake my gluten free, egg free, dairy free dish in the crock the day before in the oven & then re-warm/serve it in the base.

My overall evaluation would be that this is a new option for crockpot cooking that has  pluses & minuses. I would only recommend this as an additional cp not the only one I had. I would give it a rating of 3.5 out of 5.

[tigg]

Thank you for the great review!

[cjones0822]

I got one for Christmas but haven't used it yet!

[Mominohio]

Great, comprehensive review. I had been thinking about one, but hadn't decided if I'd use it enough to justify it. Glad to know the bad and the good!

[momtochloe]

It seems the more I read the more I so wish I had held on to my mom's avocado green crock pot from the 70's . . . it seems those older crock pots seem to do the best job even to this day.

I have a couple that are very new that I would never leave plugged in during the day when I was not at home . . . the new guidelines cause them to cook at a slightly higher temperature and it seems have kind of negated their all day use.

[Preds]

I got one from friends this year for Christmas.  I almost used it the other day while I was at work ... the way I do my other one.  After reading this ... think I'll use it this weekend so that I can keep an eye on it.

Thank you for such a great review.  You are right about the size.  Storing my other is easy.  This may go tothe attic with the other "once a year" heating/cooking pots.