Customer Reviews

Slow Cooker Mate 3-Chamber Stainless Steel Slow Cooker

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

 

 

Electric steamers have had divided inserts for years, so that you can cook multiple dishes at the same time. When I saw the Slow Cooker Mate, my first thought was "Why hasn't someone done that with a slow cooker before?"

It's a great idea. You can cook a main dish in the large insert, and one or two side dishes in the small insert. The operation of the cooker is pretty straightforward... slow cookers are about the simplest appliance in the kitchen, so there's not much to say there. It has all the basic features. The maximum cooking time is a very respectable 18 hours.

The large insert is 6 quarts, the small insert has two one-quart sections. Of course, you can't fill the inserts up to the top, so the usable capacity of the large insert is 4.5 - 5 quarts, and 3 cups for the small insert sections.

One surprise I got is that the small insert is quite deep, and takes a lot of capacity from the large insert. The instruction book says to only fill the large insert half way (3 quarts) when using the small insert. That's still plenty of capacity if you're making two side dishes.

The instruction book includes several menus for a main dish and two side dishes, which is enough to give you an idea of how to make your own menus.

I'm very happy with the Slow Cooker Mate. It's a product that was long overdue.

What a great idea! I use a slow cooker a lot, as I work outside the home. With my old slow cooker, I would end up scrambling for sides at dinnertime. Now, dinner is on the table within a few minutes of my arrival home! Clean-up is a breeze too! I cooked a pork shoulder (for pulled pork soft tacos) and veggies this week. The meat was tender and came apart easily. The veggies were perfectly cooked! I'm in love with the Slow Cooker Mate!

I LOVE the idea of this crock pot; I hate how one dish meals can sometimes all taste the same, so when I saw this baby--I was very excited. I have only had it a few weeks and I am still playing with timing and technique. I put the crockpot on at 7:00am and don't return till 6:30pm-- so if your day is not so long you may find your experience different.
Basically the top part fits inside the normal crockpot, with enough space to easily fit the main course for a family of 4-6. The top section conveniently holds and cooks two separate side dishes. Each side dish size is perfectly sized for a bag of frozen vegetables or your standard boxed side dish (cous-cous, rice, potatoes.)The starchy items--like rice, cous-cous, etc. turned out perfect. Small cubed 'simply potatoes' were not cooked all the way through after ten hours on low; I am going to try shredded potatoes next time.
The thing that I am finding tricky is the vegetables. The directions suggest thawing a little; you probably do need to do this if you are putting in for just a few hours on high. Since mine is on low all day, that did not work. Peas and Broccoli were way over cooked. I left the string beans frozen and they looked very pale as if overdone, but actually had a little crispness to them and tasted better. Of course the main compartment, in which I am making traditional crock dishes is working exactly like any other crock pot. (It can be used alone too.)
Small things I have noticed is the electronic timer is a little finicky--I hope that does not present any problems going forward. And there was a lot of rules and concerns about how to handle the crocks themselves in the instruction booklet. I do not know if they are more delicate than most, but one direction bothers me particularly and that was that one must not prepare food and store in the crock overnight before cooking. Hello?! That's what one does with a crock pot! We prep the night before and plug it in and go in the morning. So far I have been using the Crockpot bags---there was no rule against them, so I hope that they are not a problem, too.
I do recommend this item, but just be prepared to experiment until you get timing right. I can't tell you how nice it is to come home to a prepared meal with separate items.

Much like most slow cookers. The control label fell off shortly after receiving the cooker. But, for working household it does save time in preparing a meal. I would like to see more meal suggestions.

We moved from the states to Brazil and I put my old crock pot in storage...thought I could buy one in Brazil! Wrong!!! So I bought this one because it had the side dish trays...love it. Brought it back with me from the states after Easter. Wouldn't be without one. Seems to cook quicker than the recommended time though. So if you put 10 hours for a smaller portion, cut it back quite a bit. I make smaller portions because we have a small family of 3.

this cooker works ok but the quality is kind of cheesy. the outer shell which holds the heating element and controls is made of flimsy metal and gets really hot. haven't tried the top insert yet but it's small and at the same time will drastically reduce the lower capacity when used. servicable but wouldn't buy again and too much of hassle to pack up and return. you can do a lot better with the rival crockpot brand

Programmable isn't quite what I'd call it. You can program how long it will cook before it shifts to warm. It does a good job. I think a time delay was more of what I had in mind but it will do fine for now.

The separation of the vegetables and meat is a great idea. That way my kids eat crockpot meals without complaining that everything tastes the same.