What a crock... Rival 3145 Crock Pot
Written: May 08 '04 (Updated May 09 '04)
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Pros: Slow cooks food easily and without mess. Easy to clean.
Cons: Short cord.
The Bottom Line: A good crock pot that cooks up to 4.5 quarts and is easy to clean.
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| 4paws's Full Review: Rival 3145 4.5-Quart Slow Cooker |
Rival 3145 Crock Pot
I’m always in favor of anything that makes my life easier. The person who invented the Crock Pot was a genius. What could be better than putting something on to cook in a safe manner for most of the day so that you can quit what you’re doing or get home to find a delicious home cooked meal ready to serve. When I had the full family at home and was working fulltime, I found it immensely helpful. Even now, when it’s only me, it’s still nice to put on a pot of soup or pot of beans early in the day and then either go to work for a while or work on a project at home and then by late afternoon or evening, having my dinner ready for me. Living alone, the extra will make meals for several days. This is fine with me. I don’t mind eating the same dish 2-3 days in a row and seldom cook something that would not fit that bill. It’s also a time saver in that the extra can be frozen for future days or call my brother & family or my daughter and son-in-law and ask them to come have dinner or if they are busy, just take some home with them. I’m on the way home for either of them. So, I love my Crock Pot for gastronomical as well as social features.
Description
I bought this Rival 3145 Crock Pot after my last one finally “gave up the ghost” because I wanted a larger one and also, I wanted the feature of being able to remove the inner Crock for washing. The one I had previously was all one piece and a pain to wash, since you could not submerge it into water and the dishwasher is also out of the question.
This Rival 3145 Crock Pot has an outer metal skin that is quite pleasant. It is white with a band of Wisteria draping over a small fence around the top. It also has handles that remain cool. Inside that is the Pot, which is made of sturdy (I say that because I have had it for several years and it has survived some abuse) forest green crockery. The glass lid is heavy and easy to see through. I like both of these features because the lid will not easily allow spillover and keeping an eye on your food without lifting the lid often makes the whole process more efficient and clean. The cord is not very long (one of it’s few downsides) so that you have to be able to place it pretty close to the outlet. The cord is 24 inches long and inserts into a regular 110 outlet with a double prong plug.
Details
The Rival 3145 Crock Pot is 12 inches in diameter and 7 inches tall (not counting the knob on the glass lid). It may contain up to 4.5 quarts of food. That’s a pretty good size Crock Pot. It will easily cook a roast of normal family size.
The Crock Pot has a dial with Off-Low-High. That’s it! I nearly always start what I am cooking on High and switch it to Low until it is done. Please note, that if you are cooking beans, I almost always misjudge the amount of beans to the proper amount of water. So, you do need to keep an eye on those.
Cleaning
This is the part I like. When you have emptied the pot, you just remove it from its metal shell and put it in soapy water or you can even put it in the dishwater. I don’t do that, because it takes up too much space in the dishwasher and I find it easy to clean anyway. Wipe down the outside and the cord if anything has dripped onto those. Dry it and tuck it away until the next time.
Final Thoughts
This is the Crock Pot I always wanted. It is large enough to cook a big pot of stew or soup if I want and the Crock portion comes out to put into soapy water for easy cleaning. The settings are sufficient for slow cooking foods. It does take up a little space, but it’s not the sort of appliance you will plan to use so often you need to keep it out. I have seen the Rival 3145 Crock Pot advertised for $30.00 , but, I found mine on sale for $19.00 quite a few years ago. I’m happy.
Bonus Recipe
Slow Cooker Chicken & Dumplings
4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
2 tablespoons butter
2 (10.75 ounce) cans condensed cream of chicken soup
1 onion, finely diced
2 (10 ounce) packages refrigerated biscuit dough, torn into pieces
Place the chicken, butter, soup, and onion in a slow cooker, and fill with enough water to cover.
Cover, and cook for 5 to 6 hours on High. About 30 minutes before serving, place the torn biscuit dough in the slow cooker. Cook until the dough is no longer raw in the center

Makes 8 servings
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 19.99
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Epinions.com ID:
4paws
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Location: Tulsa, Oklahoma
Reviews written: 250
Trusted by: 79 members
About Me:
The human race has one really effective weapon, and that is laughter.
Mark Twain
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