CorningWare Programmable Slow Cooker - 4-qt.

by CorningWare

Product Details

• Shipping Weight: 12.5 pounds
• ASIN: B0000BVQBJ
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (17 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #166,718 in Kitchen & Dining (See Top 100 in Kitchen & Dining)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

51 of 51 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Happy so far, with two qualifications, January 24, 2006

By 

R. A. Davis (Washington, DC) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: CorningWare Programmable Slow Cooker - 4-qt.

My husband and I purchased this unit several weeks ago from Target through Amazon, and have used it twice, both times with very good results. I read a number of negative reviews of some other slow cookers, many saying that the lids were flimsy; this cooker features a sturdy glass lid and a lovely French White cooking/serving dish. Clean-up has been quite easy, as well. And while I am not a huge fan of cooking (it's a means to an end for me rather than something to enjoy while doing), I have found that I enjoy planning and preparing meals using this slow cooker. (We also bought a big Betty Crocker slow cooker cookbook through Amazon, which has been useful so far.)

First qualification -- and I have e-mailed Select Brands (manufacturer) for more about this: we found a recall notice for this unit at the U. S. Consumer Product Safety Commission website. The notice is dated August 2004, and specifically says that the recall is for a product with the same name and model number sold by QVC between Jan - April 2004; the notice was issued because QVC received several complaints that the heating unit melted the plastic base and scorched the owners' countertops (no injuries were reported, according to the notice).

Now, I am pretty confident that the problem has been fixed by now, or Target couldn't have sold it to us; so confident, in fact, that we're planning to use it to cook a pot roast tomorrow. But I have contacted the manufacturer just to be certain, and I will let you know if/when I hear back from them about it.

Second qualification (and this is mostly my fault): when we received the unit, I was disappointed to find that, though it is called "programmable," it is not programmable in the sense that you can say "Start cooking at 9:00 am for 6 hours on low, then shut off/down" -- it is programmable in that once you turn it on and start it, it will cook for the number of hours you've programmed, and then will revert to the warm setting.

Though I thought I read the description carefully, I must have misunderstood this feature, because I was looking for and thought we had bought a cooker that would turn itself on at a programmed time. Even so, we are pretty happy with it, so it's not a big disappointment.

68 of 70 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars This cooker never overcooks!, February 15, 2005

By 

M. Hamilton (Omaha, NE United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: CorningWare Programmable Slow Cooker - 4-qt.

I've always been pleased with the results of this cooker. It cooks evenly and accurately. And the size is just right for a family of four to six. My only complaint is that since it is digital, you can't program it to be on the low setting for four hours or less. Although the fact that it goes into keep warm mode when it's done cooking is a nice addition. Plus, I really like the cool touch exterior which keeps me at ease with my toddlers curious hands lurking about.

40 of 40 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Works very well, April 25, 2006

By 

asolar (Florida) - See all my reviews

This review is from: CorningWare Programmable Slow Cooker - 4-qt.

I purchased this because I want to eat healthier foods, but I'm short on time, and I dislike cleaning up lots of pots and pans. It has worked out well. The CorningWare ceramic pot is very nice. It looks good and it comes with a plastic sealable lid if you want to store leftovers in the refrigerator. The slow cooker itself cooks at the correct temperature. I actually went through the trouble to fill it with water and test it with a candy thermometer. The exterior does get warm, but not really hot. The automatic reduce-to-warm-when-finished feature helps keep the food from overcooking.

I only have two minor complaints. First, I'm a little paranoid about leaving any kitchen appliance plugged in for a long period. I even unplug the coffee maker. Therefore, I think it would be a good idea to include an idiot shutoff feature that shuts the appliance off after, say, 24 hours. Second, it does make the counter top a little warm. Perhaps the bottom legs need to raise it up a little higher. In any case, I purchased a tempered glass cutting board, which is heat resistant and can be used as a trivet. I placed the cooker on top of that and I no longer have any worries about my counter top.

A few cooking tips:

* Coating the CorningWare with cooking spray makes cleanup easy.

* It works best when it's full of food.

* Don't put too much water in it if your cooking with vegetables.

* Fresh ingredients work best.

* The general idea for many recipes is

a) Place heavy roots and vegetables, like carrots or potatoes, on the bottom

b) Place light vegetables, like corn, in the middle.

c) Place meats on top.