Slow cooker pot goes onto burner and into the oven
I was watching Rick Bayless' "Mexico, One Plate At a Time" and saw him using something like this so I tracked it down on Amazon. What a great idea -- the removable pot is made of cast aluminum and can go onto a stove top. I can saute vegetables, brown a roast and then lift the pot (using oven mitts) into the slow cooker to finish while I'm at work.
The aluminum pot's walls and bottom are about half an inch think and distribute heat evenly. I expected to find hot spots because it's oblong and my burners are round. That wasn't a problem. I've simmered marinara sauce directly on the stove top and haven't noticed any difference in temperature between the center of the pot and either end. I've also used it on the stove top to cook lasagna noodles. It's large enough to roast a whole chicken.
Sometimes slow cookers finish their cycles with everything done well, but with too much liquid left in the pot. With this one, I can just set the pot on a burner and quickly...
Not Too Hot!
I am going to concentrate on the heating characteristics of this appliance, as others have covered most of the features pretty well.
All "modern" slow cookers cook food to hotter temperatures in faster times than the old slow-cookers of yore. The trouble these days is finding a slow-cooker that does not get too hot...too fast; this defeats the entire purpose of buying a "slow-cooker" in the first place.
I recently tried another brand of cooker that, when set on "low," brought a full load of water to a rolling boil in less than 2 hours! This is unacceptable for a slow cooker. If you expect to leave such a "fast-cooker" for a full work day, your meal will be petrified when you return.
I tested this slow cooker by checking the temperature of a full pot of water as it heated on "Low" over a 6 1/2 hour period. The GRAPH OF THE RESULTS is available in the product pictures at the top of the listing. In summary, this slow cooker heated a full load of...
Recommend for heavy use
I keep losing ceramic inserts to cracking. This high quality dutch oven style metal insert is the answer to my needs. My slow cooker is on 24/7 for my dogs [most death row dogs coming from starvation situations]. I have to book time for us to cook other items. I may have to get another one.
I love the two sets of handles, the nice space between the base and insert edge, the steam vent in the glass lid. It would benefit from pour spout in the center of the insert.
The metal lid handle gets hot, watch the fingers. I would like 7 qts, but I over fill everything so the bigger it is the more I will fill it anyway.
I recommed this with no reservations; shades of Cook's Illustrated...
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