What a Crock!!
Written: Mar 20 '01 (Updated Mar 21 '01)
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Pros: Meals made ahead allows you to eat healthy on a tight schedule. Attractive.
Cons: Glass lid get very hot.
The Bottom Line: If your time is as precious as mine you need a slow cooker, this West Bend product out paces other slow cookers in looks and performance.
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| bermudabum's Full Review: West Bend 84416U Slow Cooker |
My West Bend Slow cooker works out while we are away. Whether it is soccer season or time to hit the beach I often load up my slow cooker to save my most precious commodity- Time.
With the schedule my family keeps we are often getting home after 7pm and with two children that need to eat, bathe and a limited dinning budget my slow cooker is the solution to many meals.
The West Bend 6 quart slow cooker makes life as simple as load and go. At night after I tuck my babes in bed I pile in Chicken (bone and all) Roast or even veggies into my slow cooker and set it in the refrigerator with enough liquid to cover the contents. In the morning I load the removable insert into the slow cooker and turn it to auto. this setting will bring the food up to temperature quickly then reduce it to prevent scorching. When we return and are ready to eat, dinner is served, quickly.
No waiting for food to cook because it is done and ready to go.
I find that my slow cooker is great for soups and even shredded barbecue beef not to mention some fabulous pot roasts.
The glass lid allows you to peek in without having to lose heat by opening it up. Do be careful however all that trapped heat makes the lid hot as well. The lid cleans up easily in the sink or dishwasher too.
The capacity, six quarts, makes enough chicken and vegetable soup for 6 to 8 comfortably and enough chili to top rice for a small army. The fact it heats from not just the bottom but the sides makes for even heating requiring less stirring and eliminates bottom scorching.
There are of course a couple fall backs to using a slow cooker. First off they are that, slow. Don't plan on eating that 6 pound roast an hour after you plop it in, yet alone 30 minutes. The crock is a bit big for most automatic dishwashers but because it doesn't scorch your food this is not a hard item to clean. If you fill the crock all the way to the top don't be surprised if your juices push out from under your lid a bit as the juices heat up. The exterior of the slow cooker tends to get warm but not sufficient to burn. The contents however are very hot and the lid does not lock down so be careful when transporting the slow cooker somewhere for say pot luck.
The reason I chose this West Bend slow cooker was primarily it's styling. the stainless look far exceeds that of the floral patterns and other various patterns I have seen on other models. It doesn't make my "manly" kitchen all pretty and comfy and instead makes it look like the state of the art food preparation area I aim for. Thankfully the performance has left me more than satisfied with the results.
Forget Taco Bell and McDonalds, get nutritious meals at home in less time than it takes to get through the drive through
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 34.95
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Epinions.com ID:
bermudabum
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Member: Dave
Location: Tidewater, VA
Reviews written: 42
Trusted by: 25 members
About Me:
Grab a rum swizzle and hear what this Bermuda*Beach*Bum and single dad has to say.
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