All-Clad Stainless Steel Electric Slow Cooker 99003 Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)I have owned this slow cooker for two years. It was less than six months old when it began to show signs of wear. The black plastic around the keypad cracked and has slowly chipped off in small pieces ever since them. Currently, more than half of it is missing. I have also had to reattach the feet on 3 different occasions. On the other hand, I have not had any problems that affect its function; the machine works well.
I would not recommend this item--although it works adequately, I expect better quality in this price range and from All Clad in general.

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All-Clad 99009 Stainless-Steel 6-1/2-Quart Slow Cooker Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)I work almost everyday (including Sundays) so this pot has been my life saver (or the dinner saver). My older one was 5qt. cool touch Rival. This All-Clad cooker cooks so much faster than my older one (the inside temperature of All-clad gets 230F in high setting). Ribs and 5 pound chicken done in 4 hours in high. If you want crispy chicken skin, let it cook for 6 hours. I highly recommend this product.
By the way I put small roasting rack when I roast chicken or ribs so that they don't stew in the dripping. Save the dripping broth. Put it in the fridge overnight, and get rid of the fat. And use it in your soup or stew, of course, this cooker can do that job just fine as well.
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Updated Review: 4/17/2008
I've been using this slow cooker at least twice a week. Time to time I would hear "pop" sound either in the middle or toward the end of the cooking time. I couldn't figure out what was making this sound. One day my husband found cracks on the ceramic insert. They were fine cracks, but the cracks were in inside and outside. I contacted All-Clad. The service rep. told me to send a picture of the cracks. So I did. For several weeks I didn't hear anything from them. So I contacted them again. Apparently they didn't get my email with the pictures. So I sent them again. The next day I got a phone call from All-Clad that they would send me a new insert. It arrived a couple of days ago. I made a most wonderful chicken soup with leftover rottisserie chicken yesterday. I'm starting my love affair with this slow cooker again.
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Update Review: 11/9/2009
I wish I could say that my slow cooker insert is still going strong. Unfortunately it isn't. I really tried to use them (I have gone through 3 inserts) as much as I could - until I could see the leak. I thought of getting a metal insert. However, it costs $200 NOT including shipping and handling. So I got the most modest Rival Slow Cooker: a 7-qt. with a turn dial. I've had it for 7 months. So far no cracks. It boils water quicker than All-Clad even in the low setting, but still no cracks. I had talked to an All-Clad rep about a possible defect in the ceramic insert, but she didn't seem to believe that theory. I wish I could change the rating to 2-star. It could have been 1-star, but I liked All-Clad's customer services.
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Additional Comment: FYI the 2nd insert cracked within 2 hours in the high setting and the 3rd insert cracked in the low setting. After that I began to think maybe the inserts were defective. I did not abuse them. I only used as directed: high or low and went through the dishwasher. I'm using my humble and simple Rival cooker in the same way, and so far no cracks. I thought of getting the metal insert for the All-Clad Slow Cooker, but it was too expensive: $200 for the insert, over $50 for the metal lid (required for the metal insert) and $70 shipping and handling. Besides the reviews were not good for their non-stick metal insert. I'm very happy with my humble Rival 7 qt. Slow Cooker.
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Update: 6/10/2010
My humble 7-qt Rival slow cooker is still going strong. I've been using it every week, and still no cracks so far. I have made roasts, soups, stews, and casseroles. I haven't made dessert yet. I've seen Sandra Lee "baking" dessert in her white slow cooker. I can't remember if it was Rival or not. But I'll try someday.

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Cuisinart 4-Quart Round Slow Cooker, PSC-400 Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)We have had this slow cooker for three months, using it twice a week. So far we are very satisfied.
In researching our purchase and reading numerous reviews, we found that the Cuisinart generally received positive evaluations. There were a few negative ones, but obviously we discounted them and went ahead with the Cuisinart anyway. Some reviewers criticized it for overheating food, but overheating in a slow cooker is usually a sign that the pot was underfilled. A good slow cooker should have the power to heat a full pot to over 200 F, so it should come as no surprise that the heater can boil a low pot. The Cuisinart instructions specifically warn against underfilled pots, and we have had no overheating problems with even half-full pots.
We have not had this cooker long enough to comment on durability. Contrary to some opinions, our impression is that the Cuisinart is a solidly constructed, well-designed appliance, made with high quality materials. No sign of a lemon here.
We use our 4 qt cooker to make meals for a family of four. We debated whether to get a larger size, but in retrospect we realize that a one gallon pot holds more than enough for our family.
Programmability was important to us, and we like the userfriendliness of this unit. A few reviewers have lamented the lack of a delayed start program, but a feature that encourages you to leave raw food at room temperature for a prolonged period did not sound that desirable to me. The cooker will automatically switch to a safe warming mode in case you are not around at the end of the cooking cycle.
A cookbook is included, but most of the recipes are one or two steps beyond the convenience of a mix-and-go meal. We have bought cookbooks with simpler recipes, and have been happy with the results.
There are other slow cookers that will perform the basic tasks competently for less money than the Cuisinart. For the extra cost you get programmability, a nice appearance, superior quality, and a few unexpected extras.

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Crock-Pot SCVT650-PS 6-1/2-Quart Programmable Touch Screen Slow Cooker, Stainless Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)I spent a year looking for a good slow cooker that (1) When set on low did not boil food too hot (2) Could hold enough for large batch cooking (3) Did not have a hinged lid (hard to clean and breaks easily) (4) Is programmable for a set amount of time, then switches to warm (5) Was reasonably priced. I tried cheapo store brand round slow cookers which nuked my food - no need to explain since most people have had one at one point or another. Last fall I purchased the top of the line All Clad slow cooker with non-stick insert from Williams Sonoma. After sales tax it cost me a little over $300 which made me nervous. The first meal I made in it was braised short ribs. I browned the ribs in the slow cooker insert on the stove and set it on low for several hours. The food was delish and it kept a gentle simmer but I was horrified to find light scratch marks on the inside of the insert as I was washing the dishes. I used the All Clad for several days and then finally returned it because I couldn't bear the thought of having paid that much money for something that wasn't going to last. Besides, I felt a bit weird about simmering food for many hours in that non-stick coating that may one day start coming off. I then decided to look for a traditional crock pot with a timer - if I need to saute or brown I now do it in a cast iron pan the night before, deglaze, then dump all of the contents into a container that goes into the fridge if I am going to start the crock in the morning. When I get up I fill up the crock pot with the prepped food from the night before, hit the buttons, then leave for work. So far this ELume version has been great.
Pros: The low setting is actually a low simmer. I've made Indian lentil/dahl curries, bbq pulled pork, baked beans, Chinese jook/congee, Beef stew, Chili verde,red chili, soups, stock, the list goes on. I typically program it to cook for 10 hours on low and it works like a charm. Food is really slow cooked, and there are no hot spots, burned, stuck on food like previous appliances I've owned. The polished stainless finish looks beautiful - although not it does not have as high of quality finish as the All Clad.
Cons: The programmable button/pad area can be improved - the numbers are difficult to read unless you are looking at it directly at eye level, meaning you have to bend down to see what you're pressing. Mine came with a burned-out area on the keypad but I didn't bother returning it since it didn't affect the function - you can still see that it's the "on" button, it just doesn't light up. The black keypad part feels a tad cheap and you can almost pry it off if you wanted to (esp. when it gets hot) because it's glued on (!) albeit very sturdily - hopefully this lasts for a while. The crock pot itself gets a bit hot when cooking but not excessively hot like ones I've had before.
Bottom Line: I paid about $75 for this including tax. Purchased at Linens N Things with a coupon. I'm giving this a four star rating - good quality for that price but I would pay no more. Compared to my week of owning a $300 slow cooker, this is a bargain.

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