Customer Reviews

Crock-Pot 3780W Duet Divided Slow Cooker, White

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This crockpot is user-friendly, and the perfect appliance for busy families. Its divider feature allows one to cook different items at varying degrees - perfect for cooking a meat and a vegetable item (the meat cooks to perfection, and the vegetables don't get overcooked!). It's perfect for the holidays if you'd like to keep two different gravies warming during the meal. For families with picky eaters, you can please everyone by using this crockpot for a "two-menu" meal. Don't worry about rushing home from work - just fill it in the a.m., and dinner is ready in the p.m.

Ok, I'm a little confused as to what to do with this product. When I ordered it, I was under the impression it had seperate heat settings for each of the compartments. It doesn't. Apparently, the smaller compartment is used for "side dishes" that cook for the same time and at the same termperature as the food you put in the larger compartment. When you prepare soups, roasts or stews, you can use the smaller compartment for the vegetables, which tend to cook differently than meats. Who wants to cook these seperately...I'm no Emeril, but wouldn't you want to cook everything together to blend the flavors? And the instruction booklet specifies that, under penalty of death, YOU MUST USE THE CROCKPOT WITH BOTH COMPARTMENTS FILLED! Wonderful.

The crockpot itself seems to be sturdy as befits a Rival product, and I'm sure it cooks evenly and consistently, but I found the recipe guide that came with it very scanty (IMO).

So, like I said, maybe I'm missing something here, but I find the idea of a "duet" crock pot to be little more than an expensive gimmick.

This is the first crock pot that I've ever had, and I'm so glad I got the divided one. Meat comes out incredibly moist and flavorful without any special treatment, and with the vegetable compartment meal planning is a snap.

It's a reliable performer. It is well made and attractive, with a very sturdy lid that stays in place. Temps are evenly maintained, and each compartment can be set for a different temp. My only disappointment is that it gets very warm on the outside, enough to cause a burn.

This crockpot is an absolute dream. In addition to being a nice hearty size when you use it for just one dish it has the added benefit of being able to make a side dish at the same time. How nice to come home from work to a complete meal. The warm setting is a great bonus too!

The divided dish cooker would be a great product if the manufacturer would be willing to provide some recipes for how to use it.

The model I purchased actually came with a 6-quart crock, and the divided dish was included as a bonus. The cookbook that came along with it had plenty of recipes for the big crock but not a single suggestion for the divided crock. So I visited their website to see if perhaps some companion recipes could be found there. No luck.

I then e-mailed their customer service department TWICE to request recipes, mentioning that I had looked at their website and did not find what I was looking for. Both times I was told to go look at the website for recipes.

One of the representatives actually claimed that there were lots of recipes for side dishes on the website. Well, there are none. She also suggested that I purchase any of the cookbooks from their e-store. Yeah right. I should take her advice and spend some more money when she couldn't even give me correct information about the recipes on their own website. It was disappointing that their customer service people couldn't do any better than that.

So, be warned if you buy this product. If you are comfortable inventing combinations of foods on your own to cook in the divided dish, more power to you - I have no complaint about the product itself. But I would have been vastly more satisfied, had the manufacturer only gone the extra mile and offered some suggestions of companion recipes to get me started, so I'd have a sense of quantities and cooking times. And their customer service left a lot to be desired.

Buyer Be Ware! This rival product let me down. The lid did not fit snug. In fact, it slid around loosely and left a gap on each side of the rim approx. 1/2". Concerned that the defective lid would not hold heat to properly cook food, I called customer service and they sent me a replacement lid once I verified that my lid wobbled when placed on a flat surface. Guess what! The replacement lid did the exact same thing! Needless to say, I returned the item for a complete refund.

We always host the family dinners for the holidays and this product is the last word on keeping the mashed potatoes and gravy ready to serve at the noon lunch and for a later serving. I was amazed you could keep mashed potatoes in crock pot let alone with the gravy too. I even bought a spare insert just in case one gets broken. Rival needs to reintroduce this item or at least its replacement insert.