Crock-pot Express Crock Slow Cooker 8 quart Red

Received boxed well with no dents, cracks or otherwise observable defects. Strengths are the size and simplicity of design with a lack of the digital fluff that drives up costs with its added fragility and high failure rates. The previous crock pot in my possession had a digital module that "bubbled out" across the face of the read-out. Yes, it doesn't have a light. Clue: look to see where the knob is turned if you forgot what you were doing after that 4th glass of wine or Jack without the ice. But whether you have a light or not, assuming it hasn't failed, you were going to put your hands on the product anyway, right, without at least a very light touch to test on either the glass or a side for heat? I don't pick up my toaster, toaster oven or egg steamer with bare hands after I finished using it without at least a light touch. There is a simple, ancient and well-tested device, known by many names and cultures throughout the ages, we now call a potholder, which might be indicated for such situations if such handling is necessary. Yes, the cords are short as a safety feature that tries to force you use the crock pot on a counter next to an outlet as far away as possible from small hands and from interference with the cord. Yes, the handles, such as they are, get hot and they are somewhat small (it's not exactly a "portable" device after all and doesn't advertise itself as such), but what I see is without the extra coatings, plastics, bells and whistles, there is very little on this unit to break (or break off) unless you want to perform a drop test or throw it against a wall. For those that complain the crock pot gets hot, I suppose you must have a floor stove that doesn't. Use a timer to shut it off if you are not at home at the end of cook time if that's your major complaint (it's actually safer as it's not subject to heat failures) as suggested by others for those that would have wanted to have the crock pot set the table for them also. All you have to look at is the KitchenAid Crock Pot that was highly rated by America's Test Kitchen as an example of a nightmare waiting to happen for those that like the fancy electronics despite their high failure rates. Here, there may be some things that are inconvenient, but really they're pretty minor when you're looking for something relatively bulletproof with good performance and longevity. I just look at this as a dutch oven that doesn't heat up the kitchen during the summer and saves money if you have an electric stove. I've had both electric and gas and feel a hell of a lot safer walking away from the crock pot for any length of time than either of the stoves with the dutch oven. I understand that a dutch oven may be in theory more precise in terms of even heating over it's entire surface when it's placed inside a stove, but the most I can say IMO is that the differences are minor based on my experience with both. I'll leave that to the Le Creuset upper crust types to argue that out with their 300+ dollar tastes. Here: Marinated 5 pound sirloin tip roast placed at room temperature on low at 5 am...roast 3/4 immersed...broth surrounding roast at 10 am read approx. 140 degrees F. There was good low temperature stability throughout process. At 1:30 pm cooked completely through on the edge of fall apart but could be cut with a fork after slicing. Broth in a meat stew with veggies (one inch cuts) ran at about 150 degrees measured at 4 hours low heat. Not to cause a fight here, but just because there may be some "bubbling" on the surface doesn't in my experience mean "boiling." Heavier liquids seem to do this more and many times I'm not reading anywhere near 212 degrees when I test. Edit: 3/28/22 ...Sometimes I make bad judgments, sometime good and sometimes as in this case a very good judgment. Still working well using it a couple of times each month. Longevity, durability & consistency in operation.

This slow cooker is like the MVP of meal prep. With 8 quarts of capacity, it’s ready to tackle everything from hearty stews to party-sized chili. You could probably fit a small village’s dinner in here—and still have room for dessert.The manual controls are refreshingly simple. No confusing buttons or settings—just turn the dial and let the magic happen. It’s like the slow cooker is saying, “I’ve got this, you go relax.”The removable stoneware insert is a dream for cleanup. It’s dishwasher-safe, so you can spend less time scrubbing and more time enjoying your culinary masterpiece. And the glass lid? Perfect for peeking at your food without letting the heat escape.Bonus: It’s so reliable, you might start slow-cooking everything—soups, roasts, casseroles, maybe even breakfast. Who needs a stove when you’ve got this beauty?In short, the Crockpot® Manual 8-Quart Slow Cooker is the ultimate kitchen companion. If it could talk, it would probably say, “Let’s get cooking!”

Cooking capacity:Great size for price, works excellent , excellent red color

The product is amazing I the best meat I could ever made. Love it!!!

This is a great sized slow-cooker. It is a slow-cooker, not a Crockpot, there's a difference in how they cook. We have a Crockpot that is round, that also makes a difference. We found soups and stews are best for this oval slow cooker. If we cook a roast, it doesn't take as long to cook because it covers a larger space. If I'm cooking chicken breasts, I cook in the round one, it cooks slower and won't dry out the meat. It's just a matter of knowing which one to use.

The box was slightly dented, but besides that, the product was perfectly fine. Product works very well.

Why did you pick this product vs others?:The size is great for big pots of spaghettiBuild quality:Solidly built

I have had my fair share of crockpots and many different sizes , but not this big .When I cook a roast with vegetables , I seem to run out of room . I figured I would buy this and see how much more room this has compared to what I have been using .I found this had plenty of room for my 5 pound roast , tons of potatoes and onions , and one pound of carrots and half a pound of celery with four cans of gravy . I cooked it for 7 hours and was perfect , the meat was so tender it was difficult to get out of the pot , just was delicious .When I went to cook meatballs and sausage I placed to many in the pot and had a mess , my fault as to not thinking about the meat cooking and the juices adding to this . I had 4 pounds of meatball I made and placed in uncooked , then had four pounds of sausage and three jars of sauce. I had to take out about 20 little meatballs to have it not boil over , I had 50 meatballs in total .The outer case on this is flimsy , so I need to take care not to push on the sides as it will dent super easy . None of my old ones are this cheaply made , unfortunately this seems to be how they are made today .So far I love this and my cat uses the box to play in. Hopefully this can last me as long as my old one that’s over 30 years old , fingers crossed .Clean up is simple , but is heavy and could be difficult for older folks , it’s a tight fit in my kitchen sink , but manageable . The red color is sharp and hope it doesn’t fade over time , but if anything goes wrong I’ll be back to update this .