Customer Reviews

Maxi-Matic MST3630 ELITE GOURMET SLOW COOKER 3.5qt TRANSPARENT OUTSIDE

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

 

 

I went looking for a new digital and changed my mind when I saw this cute transparent model. 3.5 quarts is fine for 2 or 3, maybe four. Being clear down to the cooking bowl helps out and helps keep the lid on too. I like this unit and would suggest it to anyone, there are two points to cover first the glass cooking crock does not have any tabs or handles to hold onto while lifting the hot-full of food out to the base so the idea of taking the glass crock out and taking it to the table is not really an option unless it is 3/4 full of less. Second, it has burned a small amount to the bottom of the crock even on the low setting. Avoid that by rubbing a little oil on the bottom or put some root veg. in first, who cares if one small chunk gets a little over done.

I bought this glass cooker after hearing about trace amounts of lead in traditional ceramic glazed cookers. Using this the first time, I walked into the kitchen and the entire room and living room REEKED of off-gassing chemicals. Electronics and pthalates from the wiring and electronics were cooking along with my food. After some time, I realized, this is way more dangerous to my health than trace amounts of lead that may never leech out of a normal crock pot. In fact, my Rival slow cooker never off-gassed at all. THis Elite Gourmet would take at least months to off-gas. Spending an hour with this product actually made me ill. I had to toss my food and turn on an exhaust fan. it took an hour before the smell gone from my living room.

One star for appearance It is certainly pretty but is too hot. I can't imagine what could be cooked on high because after two hours whatever is on low is burned on the bottom even when I turn the bowl frequently. Not exactly a load and go to work appliance. My first attempt at overnight oatmeal resulted in a stinking burned mess that took two days to clean out of the bowl. Be sure to put something on the bottom that you don't intend to eat because you won't be able to. The so-called "auto" feature is an auto defrost. Thre is no "warm" setting and the instructions admonish us to not leave food in the pot for more than 30 minutes after the pot is turned off. I will continue to search for something to cook in this unit that comes out unburned on the bottom (maybe soup) because it does look nice and I like being able to see what is going on inside.

Pros:
It's clear - very cool!
Glass bowl easier to clean than ceramic crock.
No handles on bowl - others list this as a problem but I like it. I don't accidentally pull the bowl out when intending to pick up the whole crock.

Cons:
It burns food at the bottom, even with LOW setting.

HOWEVER - I HAVE SOLVED THE BURNING PROBLEM! Do a search for "bakeliner" on Amazon - there are many sizes and styles. I suggest either purchasing the 6 inch circle and centering it perfectly or the 8 inch circle and cutting it to 7 inches. I purchased the full sheet at a local store and cut a 7 inch circle out of it and the burning problem disappeared, at least at the low setting. It still burns at the high setting, so don't use the high setting.

This slow cooker is so fun since you can watch your food cooking! My roast literally fell apart; I cooked it from 7:30a.m. until 4:00p.m on low. Would highly recommend this; don't hesitate to buy it!

Okay i really dont have time to ever leave feedback on any of my purchases but i had to make time for this one, it is the best crock pot i have yet to purchase, some reviewers have complained about a chemical smell so what i did is i left this on low for about 8 hours without the glass bowl and yes there was a smell to it kinda like the smell you get when you purchase a new electric heater, after two days of leaving it on with the ceiling fan and opened kitchen door the smell is gone, i love this item because i can see my food and the storage is fantastic the left overs stay in the glass bowl and you close it with the plastic lid, the glass lid you use when cooking the handle does get hot so use an oven mit or towel this is not manul so you have to watch to see when your food is ready, and thats where the glass bowl comes in handy perfect....YAY!!!! for this item, i love it!


NOTES: The clear base outside is plastic made from china, which i dont like, it will get hot to the touch but not like it will burn, it does have handles in the case you have to remove the whole unit, the glass bowl is glass and made in france, it has no handles when removing the glass bowl but i found this not to be a problem because the glass bowl itself has a lip around the bowl where you can use an oven mite and pick up....no problem : )

The one I have now is a replacement for one that malfunctioned. I used it mainly for making soups and I like it.

Three years of use, weekly, and it works wonderfully. Clear glass is the way to go. We had no problems and would buy this product again.