Customer Ratings & Reviews

This is my first pressure cooker. After seeing a multitude of ads and hearing my friends sing their praises I decided it was time to try one for myself. I chose this model primarily for its nonstick inner pot, easy release steam vent and the Crock-Pot brand name. The cooker comes basically fully assembled and was up and running right away. Crock-Pot includes a quick reference sheet, full product manual and book of recipes in the box. The recipes vary in difficulty and include both meals, sides and desserts so you have plenty to get started with. I appreciate the quick reference sheet that helpfully explains how pressure cooking works and what to expect when using different settings. As expected this model is incredibly similar to the major brand of pressure cooker that most people refer to -- I'm sure you can guess which brand. This is great for two reasons: (1) the vast multitude of recipes written by and for that name brand are easily made in this Crock-Pot model, and (2) many accessories designed by and for that name brand fit this model as well. I was surprised at first to see how many accessories are available, but with the popularity of these appliances it makes sense. I didn't realize that many recipes involve using a 7-inch cake pan with a "cradle" inside the pot while cooking, and I was glad to see affordable options for these (and other useful tools) available. It would be nice if this odd-sized cake pan were included in the box but it's more easily obtained than I expected. So how does it work? As well as expected. The control panel is straightforward and provides numerous options, but I've found most recipes simply have you set the pressure and cooking time manually rather than using the pre-programmed modes. Either way you go the controls are easy to use and offer satisfying clicks and beeps. The unit shows a helpful progress bar when pressurizing -- which takes a fair amount of time, 10-15 minutes depending on what's inside the pot -- followed by a countdown based on the cooking time you programmed at the start. I like that immediately following cooking the pot switches into "keep warm" mode and the timer starts counting back up. This is very helpful as many recipes tell you to wait a certain number of minutes before releasing the steam pressure. Releasing the steam is as easy as turning the dial on the top -- no need to wrap a spoon in a towel and risk burns by moving the valve yourself. Be prepared that the steam releases in a strong vertical jet, so be careful where you have the pot positioned when you turn the release knob. The inner pot is nonstick as advertised, which yes, may be less durable over time, but if you're careful, it should last many years without issue. Cleaning the inner pot is a breeze as expected. Cleaning the rest of the unit isn't hard, but you may have to scrub a bit if food splatters on the bottom of the lid while cooking. There are a few nooks and crannies on the outer unit and the lid to be aware of, as well as a silicone gasket that you can remove for cleaning -- just remember to put it back or the unit will not pressurize. The stainless steel on the outer pot is high quality and attractive, but it smudges and streaks easily like most stainless steel. It would be nice if the outer casing where coated in a nonstick/anti-smudge coating, but a stainless steel cleaner will shine this up in no time if smudges bother you. Overall I am very pleased with this unit and the meals I've made in it so far. There are thousands of recipes available and it cooks as quickly and easily as advertised -- some meals are really one-pot wonders. My only complaint in addition to the minor ones above (which I'm guessing are common to most pressure cookers) is how short the removable power cord is. It plugs into the side of the pot and makes positioning the steam vent away from your face and cabinets a bit hard, though not impossible. Overall a minor quibble that doesn't reduce my five-star rating at all. I would recommend this unit to anyone -- just make sure you read the directions thoroughly and explore some of the available accessories too.

Steam leaked through the lid on the first time trying it. I could not even pressurize water.

Junk. Lid would not seal. Go with the insta pot brand.

Unfortunately this isn’t worth the price tag it has. It doesn’t cook rice properly and whenever you use the steam feature you get an error message of E3 regardless of how much water you put in the container. Once the rice even stuck to the container and burnt. The vegetable tab over cooks and turns to mush. The slow cook feature I used for 3 hours for chicken and it still came out raw

Had to return this, the lid would not seal for the pot to come to pressure!

If I could give this no stars I would. Tried five different recipes, two of which I tried multiple times. If the recipe called for more than 20 mins of cooking always got an error. Swapped out units and still had issues. Tried recipes that came with the appliance- E6 error again. I returned and do not recommend.

In the box is the multi-cooker, power cord, recipe booklet and a warranty card. There are also additional pieces for the inside the crockpot. First impression, I think everyone should have one of these in their kitchen. The convenience and ease of use is unparallel to a regular older crock pot. The set and forget setting this unit has, takes all the guess work out of it. I was able to make a pot roast with all the fixings in a 3rd of the time with the pressure cooking features. It was simple, I chose the pressure level, closed the pressure value with a turn of the nob on the lid, and locked the lid. For safety reasons, I touched the outside of the crockpot while cooking and it warm to the touch. I also love the rubber bottom to hold the crockpot in place. There are so many options to choose from and this unit replaced my steamer, rice cooker, crockpot, and my pressure cooker. It has cleared much needed space in my cramped kitchen. The only con that I can find is the cooking capacity. The inside is a little small, I think that this unit would be great for a couple. ( I would love to have a bigger one for the holidays) Overall I love this product and I do see myself using it everyday. I would definitely recommend to friends and family!

Vapor leak out from sides, not recommend. Something wrong with the lid.

Yep cooks stupid thick roasts and chicken is tasty

Saw a recall on an item that looks just like this. No reviews yet cause I’m afraid to use.

PROs: - Pressure-cooking speeds obviously aren't going to be fast as a microwave oven, but you can achieve near oven-like results in a TINY fraction of the time without turning your meats into microwaved shoe leather...meats, even tough cuts, came out tender and flavorful whether pressure or slow cooked - As you pressure cook, the spices you've added actually penetrate the meat/meal rather than just coat it--it's like a slow-roasting marinade that adds flavor throughout the dish, not just the surface - Nearly 40 page recipe book is included as well as a generic operation guide (pressure cooking settings, lid required, steam release dial position, etc.)--though hardly a wealth of mealtime inspiration, the recipe book is definitely more comprehensive than you might think and actually covers quite a bit of the most common types of foods/meals you're likely to cook in the Express - Crock-Pot's re-tooled steam release control put the valve and the release knob on separate parts of the lid--makes it much less likely that you're going to burn your hand on a hot jet of steam! - We didn't notice any temperature increases in the kitchen while the multi-cooker was in operation; a major bonus when you're after oven-like taste without the accompanying need to turn the air conditioner up (definitely a plus for people with smaller kitchens) - 12 preset modes on tap with digital controls to set time, temperature, pressure and delayed starting, this is truly a one-stop unit for most every cooking need: Brown/Sauté, Slow Cook, Simmer, Boil, Yogurt (we'll have to try that one someday); Keep Warm, Meat/Poultry, Beans/Chili, Soup/Stew; Rice/Grains; Dessert; Steam - Unlike the simple dial controls on the Crock-Pots of yore, this one is all digital, all the time--buttons beep when activated and there's an accompanying LED to indicate which function is active, and a large blue LED display is right up front for timers and status indicators (we LOVE the pressure progress bar as it DOES take a little bit of time to get the unit up to cooking pressure before the cooking cycle actually begins)...unless you need to spend time stirring your ingredients (which you really can't do when you're pressure cooking anyway), the controls and display are informative, easy to understand, yet still have a "set-it-and-forget-it" simplicity that busy chefs are likely to appreciate CONs: - The pot cleans up easy enough; but liquids, especially after pressure cooking, tended to collect inside the trough that runs under the outer lip of the pot, especially beneath the protruding locking tabs--we didn't notice this accumulation at first and were greeted by a rather "fragrant" reminder of the meal we cooked the week prior after pulling the cooker out again for another meal - Pressure cooking takes a little practice and forethought to get right, especially when it comes to de-pressurizing and steam release--we learned the hard way with applesauce, tomato sauce, and processed pumpkin that you can't be anxious--allow for some slower cooling/pressure release time or your steam release might also include a geyser of hot food! - Speaking of steam release, be aware that the pressure release valve shoots a hot jet of steam straight out from the valve opening in the lid (it's not gentle like a tea kettle whistling--this stuff is strong, hot, and goes on for a while). If your kitchen is like ours and your open counter space is underneath a kitchen cabinet, sustained use could possibly warp a wooden cabinet door or discolor some paint--just make sure you've got the cooker sitting out in the open for the best results Bottom line: It's hard to review something used to cook food because good taste is ultimately what we're after, but it's also so subjective. Suffice it to say, we thought the food this unit produced tasted excellent--definitely more tender and more flavorful than the results we could have achieved using a microwave, and lightning quick compared to the same food prepared in an regular oven without the added heat in the kitchen. But similar to our experience with a competitor's multi-cooker unit, we did have to take some time to get to know how this Express unit cooks food to best match our preferences; it's definitely not as simple as throwing a plate in the microwave and hitting an easy-timer button on the number pad. But for our patience, we were rewarded with tremendous tasting results from a variety of foods. With the solid build quality and excellent performance we experienced, I could easily see this unit being a daily/regular driver for a single individual or small family because it provides so many functions/capabilities, and does so without hogging a lot of counter real estate to serve them up. It's definitely more than a simple slow cooker, but not as idiot-proof or easy-to-use as a microwave (though it's by no means complicated)--so long as you're willing to spend just a little bit of time getting to know it as we did, there's a LOT to like about Crock-Pot's latest Express offering--highly recommended!

Steam is leaking. Seems it has gaskit issues. Will check further and see if something is wrong.

We have the older Crock-Pot Express and wished to purchase an additional one for our vacation place. The pot refused to seal and build pressure. We contacted Crock-Pot support and was told to return it for exchange. The short story is that we bought and returned three of them before getting one that would seal. Skip the hassle.

On discription write stainless steel pot but its was not

I’m getting an error message and it won’t build to pressure. I literally used it about 4 times w/o a problem and cooked beans earlier this week. Last night my husband decided to make spaghetti and we noticed the issue. The $37 lasted longer.

I really like this crock-pot, but it really fills a very niche need. This crock-pot functions as a pressure cooker, a slow cooker, a steamer, a rice cooker, and a traditional pan. The recipe book that comes with it includes recipes such as Pad Thai, baked potatoes, garlic beef, and bundt cake (just to name a few). Is this device the best way to cook these items? . . . No, not really. A traditional oven could probably do a much better job with the baked potatoes and bundt cake at the very least. That being said, if space is at a premium in your kitchen (or if you're cooking in an odd setting - like a conference room or event space), having a single device that can perform a wide array of functions is an absolute godsend. You should really consider this crock-pot as more of a "portable kitchen." No, it isn't as good as a traditional kitchen, but if you're trying to cook in an unfamiliar or unusual setting, this one device can fill a lot of different needs. The non-stick interior cleans up very easily. Learning when to use the lid and what to set the pressure is going to take some time. I've been using it for a few days now, and I'm clinging desperately to the little recipe book that came with it. Over time, I expect that I'll get more comfortable experimenting with it. I would strongly recommend this if you participate in a lot of pot-lucks or holiday parties at the office.

Terrible experience. I git it for my daughter and son's wedding gift. The very first time they took it out and tried to use it, it didn't work. It only gave an E6 error message and wasted two hours of their time.

This little pot is a time saving super machine. The first thing we cooked in it were some baked potatoes. They were perfectly done in less than 30 minutes. Made an excellent pot roast. The included recipe book has some great ideas that we look forward to trying. Setup was very easy and clean up is a breeze. Good sturdy appliance that seems that it will last a long time.

Crockpot recall due to faulty lid sealing. Returned to store, before recall as I experienced steam escaping constantly so it would not pressurize. Bought a different multi-cooker pot from Best Buy.

I'd recommend this cooker because it's so easy to use and from a brand that I only trust to do my slow cooking in. So, far this one has been great for all of the meals I've had a chance to try in it. I've been able to try rice, stew, steamed broccoli and spaghetti (which I honestly never thought about trying until I got this). I was able to pressure cook and make a perfect stew in virtually no time. I have had other multi-cookers that when on slow cook are literally too low of heat to do anything and others that even on low get the food over-done because they cook too hot but this one seems to do it right. The controls are easy to use, and the display is simple which allows you to set timers, temperatures and monitor the time left. Overall, it's functioned as I have expected but actually works better than my Ninja for slow cooking! Overall, I'd recommend this if you're looking for simplicity and versatility (without taking up much extra space) of being able to cook recipes the slow cooker way or cook using pressure. The added plusses of boiling and searing/cooking in the stick free pan is a huge plus and I'll be reconsidering some meals that I used to cook on the stovetop to cook in this instead!