Crock-Pot® - 7qt Digital Slow Cooker - Platinum

My old, national brand, slow-cooker passed away several years ago. For whatever reason we did not replace that unit. So, when I had an opportunity to review a genuine CrockPot Digital 7qt Platinum Slow Cooker I was delighted too in exchange for the actual product. I immediately remembered all those delicious, one pot meals created with my last unit, that were so convenient and tasty. I wondered if this CrockPot could measure up, and, or, be an improvement. Upon receiving this unit I was first impressed with its overall great looks. The lustrous, platinum, polished finish is contrasted by the black heating base, black, stoneware crock pot, black background of the touch, digital, display screens, and the black, soft-touch, handle grips. WoW! This unit blends in with my existing kitchen decor. It is stylish and fashionable and would blend in with any modern kitchen motif. WooHoo! This unit only weighs approximately 13.5 pounds. I can place it anywhere in my kitchen where I want to use it. Since this unit does get hot I position it on heat resistant surfaces in my kitchen and allow space for air circulation. So, how does this CrockPot unit perform? ** After two weeks of using this CrockPot slow-cooker for nine meals these are my observations: * Programmable Digital Controls – This unit features both High and Low settings. The touch-pad controls are very intuitive, and easy to learn. The High setting defaults to a Four hour cooking cycle,while, the Low setting defaults to an Eight hour cooking cycle. However, the digital touch pad allows me to adjust the cooking times from just Thirty Minutes up to a maximum of Twenty hours in Thirty minute segments, plus or minus. WoW! The touch-pad display counts Down from whatever time setting I choose. When my preset cooking time is completed this unit automatically goes into the Warm setting, which lasts four hours, and, then, the unit automatically shuts OFF. How cool is that? Be aware that the Warm cycle does not have a 'countdown' display. However, the Warm Light is lit while it is ON. The cooking temperatures of High or Low are 'Fixed' and cannot be adjusted (More on this later). I used a household, food-temperature thermometer to check the Low setting, which was 200 degrees F, and, the High setting was approximately 315 degrees F. My older slow-cooker never got over 180 degrees F on Low, or 275 degrees F on High. * Design – This CrockPot unit is a 'classy' addition to my kitchen. It has four non-skid legs, which stabilize this unit and elevate it high enough to allow air to circulate under the main body. This unit gets very HOT and should only be placed on heat-resistant surfaces. When handling this unit always use appropriate pot holders or other heat insulating gloves. Even the handles of this slow-cooker get very hot, so please be careful. The electrical cord is twenty-four inches in length for safety purposes, and, wraps on the hooks at the back of the unit for convenient storage. This CrockPot uses only 280 watts of power, so it can be plugged in most anywhere in my kitchen. The glass cover of this CrockPot fits loosely on the top intentionally to allow water vapor and steam to release. There are four indentations on the top of the crockery pot stoneware to assist heated vapor to escape. Be aware that this unit is designed to cook meals for seven to eight people, larger families. I found that the more I filled this CrockPot, at least three quarters full, the better it cooked. Love leftovers. YUM! If your needs require capacities less then seven qt. – Best Buy also has smaller CrockPot units available. * Time Saver - Grandma and me are retired but, we have many activities, which do not keep us home bound. This Digital Platinum CrockPot allows me and Grandma to enjoy hobbies, shopping, gardening, and boating and fishing without having to be around our kitchen constantly. Grandma (with my help) prepares the veggies and meat in the early morning after our daily coffee routine. We load the CrockPot and set the cooking temp and times, and off to our FUN stuff. The Four hour Warming feature is a plus, plus. YooHoo! * Money Saver – This Digital CrockPot allows us to use quality, less expensive pieces of meat. The Low temp feature is unbelievable in cooking meat to super-tender, mouth-watering, consistency. Love it. Vegetables cook to perfection in this CrockPot and retain most of their vitamins and minerals on Low temp cooking. Healthy Cooking. * Low Temp Cooking – It is obvious to me and Grandma that cooking at Low temperatures allows vegetables to 'marry' their various flavors slowly as against to high temp cooking. Any kind of meat cooked at Low temp is more tender, flavorful, and sumptuous with accompanied vegetables and Grandma's favorite seasonings. YUM! * Convenience – Love the ability to load this CrockPot early in the morning, and have a delicious meal warmed and waiting for us to enjoy at the end of the day. YaHoo! The included recipes in the Owner's Guide are basic, but classic. What's amazing about this slow-cooking CrockPot is we can cook almost anything in the stoneware pot, and, in combination with vegetables or noodles. Grandma even slow-cooked chicken wings with Bar-B-Que sauce for a tailgating party. We quickly ran out, and our friends raved about how tender and delicious they were. * Clean-Up – The glass lid and stoneware pot are dishwasher safe. Because the stoneware pot is too large to fit in our dishwasher we just wash it with dish washing detergent, and use vinegar to get out the harder stains. The platinum finish of this CrockPot easily wipes clean with just a moist towel. ** Love this CrockPot, but have the following concerns: * After two weeks of cooking in this CrockPot on Low, I found that the Low Temp is high, approximately 200 degrees F. Liquid starts a low-boil after thirty minutes. We adjusted the cooking times of our standard recipes by one hour less and added up to a third more liquid (Chicken or Beef Broth) to compensate. The majority of liquids condensate back into the CrockPot. But, keep this in mind when leaving this unit unattended for extended time periods. Even with the extra liquid our food was still delicious, and cooked to perfection! * This CrockPot unit gets very hot and care must be taken in handling the lid and gripping handles. Always use pot holders or heat-insulating gloves to avoid burns. * This seven quart CrockPot is a large capacity slow-cooker. Anything less then half-full may result as disappointing and over-cooked food. Always have enough liquid in the pot to withstand a constant low-boil for the duration of your time settings. We use this CrockPot at three-quarters full and have excellent results. I highly recommend this CrockPot Programmable and Digital Slow Cooker. If you have an older slow-cooker this would make an excellent upgrade. It is not expensive and the digital features of this unit are first-rate. Grandma is purchasing one as a gift for an upcoming bridal shower.

Crock pots can be a dime a dozen. Most people grew up with one, have one, or know someone with one. It’s one of the most common kitchen appliances but this model has some features that set it above the rest. For starters, this is on the larger size of the spectrum. I’ve seen Crock-pots running from 3-8 quartz, and this one being 7 quartz, lends itself to the larger end. Crock-pots, such as this one don’t generally have tons of excess parts or equipment so the size of this is likely exactly how you imagine it, which is perfect enough to feed a family. The first thing I noticed was look. This has a very sleek look coming in black or stainless steel, which should blend in and look quite sleek to the vast majority of kitchens. I always recommend reading the manual but this is also so easy to use, you don’t even really need the manual. The meat and potatoes here (pun intended), is the cooking. I’ve made a handful of meals so far and everything has come out tasting delicious, has been very easy to make, and has caused zero headaches. The crock-pot is quick to heat up, has an easy to understand how to use timer, and traps in the air nicely, ensuring your food is properly cooked. The lid seals tight to avoid leakage and once the cooking timer is done, the system automatically switches to warming mode, which is my favorite feature. Set it and forget it. The only real con was that the handles could get quite hot and there isn’t a locking mechanism for the for lid. Keep that it mind if you’re trying to make a meal at home to then transfer to a cookout or office, you’ll probably want to bring some rubber bands to ensure everything is secured. Besides that, this sucker is easy to use, the perfect size, makes a dang good meal, and with a timer than can be set for up to 20 hours, you’re in for some slow cooked goodness.

I've been using Crock-Pots for decades and this is a beautiful upgrade from my last. Still the convenience of slow cooking a perfect meal for the family in a beautiful package with digital controls. The 7 qt capacity is large and all I'll ever need. The platinum color is beautiful on the counter. The rubber handles make moving it easy to grip and carry. The insert and lid being dishwasher safe making clean up easy. The real upgrade is in the ability to fine-tune the timing of your meals based on your needs, your schedule, your recipe. Expecting to be home by 5, but running late? No worries, once the cooking time is complete this crockpot automatically adjusts to keep your food warm until your ready to eat. Have a recipe that does better at 5 hours on high or 10 hours at low, cheese recipe only needs 30 minutes? No problem with this crockpot. Prepare some meals on the weekend and then let the slow cooker slowly reheat them during the busy weekdays for a meal ready when everyone is home. Crock-Pot just keeps getting better and I'll keep using them for delicious convenient meals.

---SETUP--- The setup for the Crock-Pot slow cooker is quick. Once you take it out of the box, give the lid and the ceramic bowl a quick wash, dry it, and get ready to cook! ---FEATURES--- The key feature of this Crock-Pot is that it has a digital timer that increases or decreases in 30 minute increments. It also automatically changes to warm the food after the set timer has concluded in case you aren’t home by the timer’s end. There are two other button options to speed up the process, high (4 hours) or low (8 hours). The timer can go as far as 20 hours of cooking. ---PERFORMANCE--- The performance of this Crock-Pot is great! I was able to fit 2 big pieces of chicken breasts and smothered them in chicken broth. Then, I set the timer to high and added 30 minutes using the plus symbol. In the meantime, my wife and I went out for ice cream and to run some errands. When we returned, we were greeted by wonderful aromas of broth and chicken. After the timer ended, as I picked up a chicken breast, it fell apart, which meant that the meat was tender and perfect for my planned chicken quesadillas. I let the chicken continue to simmer and warm while I made some flour tortillas. After the tortillas were made, I took out the chicken breasts and using just a fork, I disheveled the meat into strands. ---EXPECTATIONS--- The product meets my expectations. It truly is a set and forget device for the kitchen. The chicken came out delicious and it stayed warm thanks to the auto-shut off. The ceramic pot is removable for easy cleaning and it is even oven-safe, in case you want to put something in the oven in it. ---VALUE--- The price for the Crock-Potin terms of value is worth the money you’ll save by making your meals at home more often. ---APPROVAL--- I highly recommend this product for people who are limited on time and need something to cook while they are at work. Many recipes can be found online on how to set and forget your meals. Arrive home to a delicious smelling meal ready to go.

I have had a basic Crock-Pot slow cooker for the past 15+ years and boy has Crock-Pot come a long way in design. That is probably why I am so excited about this particular 7 qt Digital Slow Cooker and the price is right. Upgrades from my old Crock-Pot: It is now digital. You can basically program it and forget it. Now you can push the Mode button to choose either High or Low heat, then use the + or – button to set how long you would like your food to cook. A new feature that I LOVE...when your time is up for cooking it will automatically change the setting to warm which can last up to 4 hours. This allows you and your family to be able to eat a hot meal together. You can wait for those slow-pokes without worrying about the food drying out or overcooking. If you have kids and they keep asking when will dinner be ready, just tell them to look at the timer and they will know how much longer before they eat! Easy clean up: The removable ceramic insert and glass lid are dishwasher-safe, and the outside can easily be wiped down. It has a nice look to it and I love the platinum and black look of it. Fits right in with my stainless steel appliances. Safety feature: The rubber on the handles is a great upgrade so that you are not coming into contact of slippery handles that could potentially slip right out of your hands when lifting or get too hot to handle. Hook: The back of the appliance has a hook so you can wind the cord around it to keep it out of your way. It is a nice touch and great for storage. So nice to be able to wind the cord instead of having loose cords hanging around to either trip over or make everything go crashing to the floor when you pull on it…been there, done that! This 7 quart slow cooker is the perfect size for many different meals for the average family. Beef stew is my all-time favorite in the slow cooker, just add spices, potatoes and carrots/veggies and beef. In the slow cooker it comes out perfect every time. It’s oval shape allows you to put it on a narrow surface.

Everyone knows the name Crockpot and their reputation - this pot is no different! Put in the food, select high or low temp, set the time and walk away! When you get home you'll find your food hot and once the timer has expired the heat set down to a nice, station-keeping low temp. We used it to make a meal the first name, came out fantastic, followed by a superb dessert the next evening. Now one complaint (and it's minor) - the finish on this one, platinum, looks like a mirror. I'd prefer something that didn't collect tons of fingerprints or show every little smudge, but hey, it does it's job and does it well!

This is the best crockpot I've used. It's larger, and oval, instead of round, which makes it easier for me to layer the food for even cooking. I wanted a larger one to hold more, and this 7 quart slow cooker does that. I had no trouble fitting a large pot roast with plenty of vegetables, which is one of the main reasons I wanted a newer Crockpot. I've used it for a few dinners and they turned out well. It has a timer, not just low and high, but you can program it to cook for a set amount of time on either low or high. The default for low is eight hours, but this is easily adjusted up or down. It can be set for a short cooking time, or all day, from as little as thirty minutes and up to 20 hours. It includes several recipes in the guide that comes with it, as well as recommended times for how long it should take on low or high. Along with this guide, more recipes can be found online. One of the best features is the option to keep the food warm. When the timer has ended, the Crockpot automatically keeps the food on the 'warm' setting until the power button is used, or time runs out. I was also able to put it back on warm without having to restart the cooking cycle. The first time I used it, I set the timer to end shortly after I expected to return home. But then I was delayed, arriving home well past the expected time, and the food was still done perfectly, and at a temperature for serving. I really enjoyed the foods cooked in this, as well as the ease of setting the timer for the desired cook time, and the warm setting. It's also easy to clean the liner and lid. It looks good and works great. I love this Crockpot.

Having a few different slow cooking pots over the last fifteen years or so and finding them a useful cooking tool, I was looking forward to trying out my new Crock-Pot - 7qt Digital Slow Cooker. Fairly simple to unpack; a lid, ceramic pot and metal base. This slow cooker includes a digital control panel which allows you to set the cook temperature of high, low and then after your chosen cooking cycle keep warm mode for up to four hours. The Crock Pot is the usual durable ceramic style, well finished but not the lightest. While there is additional flexibility provided as part of the inclusion of a digital timer, I did not find it of a huge benefit. I would have liked to be able to program two different cooking temperatures in one cycle, rather than either increments of 30 mins up to four hours in high mode, or the low mode which can be set up to eight hours. Was hoping that there was a delayed start mode, where you could set it in increments of 15 minutes or so for up to an hour, however I guess there might be some concerns around perishable ingredients spoiling, still would like this flexibility. Cooking was even and with the two distinctive cooking temperature settings yielding 180 and 220 degrees respectively. The exterior of the unit is shiny chrome metal, with two handles. Even though portions of the handles were covered with an insulating material, with my big hands they overlapped onto fairly hot portions of the outside of the unit, especially coming directly out of the high temperature setting. Overall this is a good Crock Pot from the standard bearer in slow cookers, with digital capabilities. Just wish the digital controls provided a bit more flexibility with programming control. Pros: - nice ceramic 7-quart cooking bowl - digital display - two cooking modes with stay warm setting Cons: - Short cord - Digital controls could offer additional functions - Outside of the unit seemed to get warmer than other slow cookers I have owned