Customer Reviews

Rival 6-Quart Oval Countdown SmartPot Stainless Steel Slow Cooker

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(10)

 

 

I think they did something wrong with the temperature on this crockpot. It burns everything. I have even tried cooking items on the low setting at the high temperature times. It still burns things. While the timer feature is nice, you can't use it to cook items all day long.

I bought this primarily to make slow cooked stews with and it delivered. I cooked my food on low for 18 hours and only the outer edges of the top surfaces were crisped. The other 98% of the food was tender and delicious. I'm guessing some have had problems because the food they tried was harder to keep moist. Slow cooker foods need water (for stews) or moist vegetables (onions) to keep the juices flowing and prevent the food from drying out. Also, this model was great because it had a timer so you could always set it to cook for less even in the recipes that don't have too many liquids. The booklets that come with the cooker are filled with handy tips (one hour of high = two hours of low, how much water to add per amount of food....). And the pot was pretty easy to clean. For a novice like myself, this was great.

I followed all directions to the letter and this appliance burned everything. Even the lowest heat was very high. Would not advise it being left unattended for this reason and that, in my opinion, defeats the purpose. Perhaps other Rival models perform, but I won't risk it. I replaced it with a Kitchenaid slow cooker.

This is a terrible product.

I've experienced the same problem as other reviewers who've complained about burning. My cooker has a noticeable "hot spot." Everything at the back of the pot burns - whether it's a pork roast, chili or overnight oatmeal. There has always been enough liquid in the pot. And the "programmable" part is hardly that - there is the standard number of choices, but on a fancier touchpad. There are programmable pots on the market. This is not one of them.

There are two temp settings for this model hot and very hot. Cooked recipes given in booklet with Rival's cooking times. Two on high - the meat was overcooked and dry. The third on low, I manged to stop early before turned into complete mush. On both settings it was boiling for hours by the end. I would never be able to cook with it unattended. DO NOT BUY. I am searching now for another company's slow cooker. Cannot trust the Rival company that would sell such a blatently defective product.

I purchased this crock pot with the intention of starting it when left work and having dinner ready when I walked in the door. The one and only recipe I tried said to cook on low for 8-10 hours. The book will advise you that when given a range of time, use the middle. I set the cooker for 8 1/2 hours thinking if it wasn't done when I got home I could still wait a little longer. When I got home my dinner was completely burnt! I also noticed that approximately 5 minutes after I turned it on the outter "stainless steal" part of the crock pot was hot to the touch and that just won't work with a three year old in the house. I will be returning it after I can get the burned chicken and rice out of the pot.

I agree with other reviewers. I've used mine twice and both recipes called for the low setting. Within a few hours the stuff was boiling. I used it the second time while away and it burned. Not the best slow cooker out there. I picked the one I wanted online with reviews and when I got to the store they didn't have that one and only had two others to choose from so I got this one. Bad choice.

I bought this about a year ago and we are very happy with it. We have made soups, roasts & many other dishes successfully. I especially like the size because you can fit a roast with vegetables easily. I have never use the recipes from the Rival book. There are much better slow cooking recipes on the internet.

This crockpot heats up quickly, even on the low setting. That's the ONLY reason I gave it a star. Actually, I'd give it no stars but can't seem to "erase" the one star.

Unfortunately, it gets too hot. Last week it damaged my solid surface countertop; I now have a twelve-inch crack and "eruption" and will have to replace the countertops. Today I used the crockpot again, this time placing it on two separate solid wood cutting boards with a trivet sandwiched between the wood for additional ventilation. No crack in the countertop tonight but the wood boards were too hot to hold and the countertop underneath could have doubled as a frying pan. I have only used the low setting, and never for as long as the recipe suggests. The crockpot has been used a total of 5 times, each time getting too hot.

Whether my crockpot is defective or this particular model is defective in design, I am completely unhappy with the purchase (wish I had saved the box though so I could return it). The lid does not sit properly, either. The hinge prevents reseating and I have to disassemble the lid/hinge to close the lid.

I have decided to throw this crock away before it burns down the house. Good luck if you still choose to buy one of these. But maybe, just maybe, you should rethink your options.

I just got married and registered for this crockpot and it burns everything. I felt like it was all my fault, but it is totally the crockpot!