Customer Reviews

West Bend 84294 The Crockery II 4-Quart Slow Cooker

5 star:		(14)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

I have used this crock pot for three meals so far without problems. It show great promise of the being the (almost) perfect slow cooker.

I purchased this model because it is as close to the perfect crock pot as you can get. Our other crock pot is a 6 quart round model and too large for normal cooking and "burns" or over-cooks normal meals. This four quart crock pot is the perfect size for our family of four. We can fill it half-way with fixings for a half-gallon of stew (gives leftovers) or make a full pot of spaghetti sauce that will provide for a couple of meals. The three settings (High / Low / Keep Warm) work as you would think. I did note that the `Keep Warm' setting may be a bit too hot for delicate sauces but was just right for the stew and spaghetti. Four quarts (1 gallon) is a lot of food!

Any crock you get should have a dishwasher safe removable crock and lid like this one. An oval crock pot allows you to fit larger cuts of meat in the crock than a round pot. I can not fit my 6-quart crock in the dishwasher but can and do put this one in the dishwasher.

This crock pot does not `loose steam' as some of the others are described but the lid is not sealed like a pressure cooker. As the food is cooked, steam is emitted. It gathers and cools at the (inside) top of the glass lid and drips down to the side of the lid, collecting on the lip of the crock where the lid sits. The lid sits on the lip of the crock easily with a few small dimples to prevent it from sealing (this is good - keep reading). As the steam condenses on the side of the crock the water collecting on the side seals the cooker. It works. Steam is kept in the crock pot but the pot will not become a pressure cooker. The glass lid will not `bubble' or rock on the stone crock as it cooks so it is safer than some older models. It works and works well.

The oval shape of the crock allows for a larger cuts of meat than a round crock pot the same size. The stone crock and glass lid is dishwasher safe and actually fits in the dishwasher. Clean-up is easy. The pot does not take up too much space in the cupboard.

This crock pot has a great price for what you get. A higher price may not get you a better crock pot. Until I see a crock pot with intelligent sensors (senses the temperature of what you are cooking) and digital controls for temperature and time with pre-sets for different types of sauces and meals, this is the one.

March 2006 add-on. I still think this is a great crock pot. Over the years I have perfected a few wonderful recipes. A couple years ago I purchased a Rival Smart-Part device that tunes the temp & time. I set the Rival to "A" for a lower temperature cook. (I think the Rival instructions tell you to use the "C" setting but "A" seems to produce what I think is the perfect low temperature. With the Rival temperature controller separate, you have more control over how it should cook).

October 2007 add-on. Still a great crock pot.

October 2008 add-on. Still a great crock pot. Big enough (whole 6lb chicken / large roast) for our family (the twin boys are now 7). Everything is still in good shape. I still use the rival temperature controller to correct the temperature.

September 2010. Still a great crock pot. Seared country style (pork shoulder) (season heavily with b-sugar and seasoned salt) ribs and threw them in the crock pot with a heavy dash of Worcestershire for 6 hours. :-)

What can you say about a crockpot? They're supposed to be no-brainers -- you dump your ingredients into it and let it cook 'em. If you're a lazy cook like me, you want simple, effective, and easy to use. This crockpot is nearly the Platonic ideal of crockpottery. It comes with exactly three pieces: the metal cooker (with a short but adequate electrical cord and plastic dial), the ceramic pot (fits snugly in the cooker), and the metal-rimmed glass lid (fits on the pot).

It's big enough to handle family-sized meals, but not so big that you'll have trouble carrying it, fitting it on your counter or in your sink, or even in your refrigerator. (You can take the pot out of the cooker and put it in your fridge with the lid on, it will fit on most shelves.) It is a simple, pleasing shape. The pot is smooth, round and easy to handle and clean (no awkward corners or crevices that are hard to scrub out), making it ideal for both cooking and placing on the table to serve from. The projections at either end of the pot make it easy to lift and carry. Once removed from the cooker, the pot cools quickly enough that you can carry it bare-handed within minutes, though the contents will stay hot with the lid on.

The cooker works. It has a dial with three settings (besides "Off"): "Low," "High," and "Keep Warm." What else do you need? A child could use it; what kind of crockpot recipe needs more precise controls?

This is an essential, no-frills basic crockpot that just does what a crockpot should, at a great price (I can't imagine what additional value you'd get out of those fancier more expensive models). It's a workhorse in my kitchen. It's given me no problems at all. IF YOU'RE A BACHELOR, you need a crockpot! Buy this one.

This is a very nice little crock pot. I've used it several times and have been very happy with it. The removable crock itself is a little thinner than my old crockpot and I feel I may have to be more careful with it but it's a great size for a family of 2 to 4 people and works very well.

I really like this cooker. Initially I planned to use it for cooking large quantities of ingrediients such as brown rice, garbanzos and soybeans to freeze in recipe-sized packets so that I can speed up preparation of soups, stews and casseroles, and it is very useful for that purpose. The oval shape easily accomodates a stewing chicken or corned beef, and the liftout ceramic core is very attractive on a trivet on the dining table.

I bought this crock-pot a year ago because I commute an hour to the school I teach at and end up exhausted by the time I get home...with grading to do as well. I had to find a way to get meals prepared with minimal muss and fuss and needed an occasional break from microwave meals. A slow cooker seemed ideal.

This model seemed to fit the bill: large capacity, convenient oval shape to hold larger items like roasts, and an affordable price, but I guess you do get what you pay for.

Maybe my particular slow cooker was defective. I'll never know since the 30 day return window expired by the time I noticed the problem, but this unit puts out too much heat. Even on the low setting, I'd come home to food with a decidedly burnt taste to them. At first I thought that the recommended 8 hours on low for most recipes might be too long, so then I started using it only on weekends when I could cut the cooking time down. That didn't work either. Even on the low setting, the food would come to a boil around the edges and that horrid burnt taste would permeate the entire meal. I'd also find that the edges, and sometimes the bottom, would have food stick and burn, leaving a crusty black residue that had to soak overnight before being taken off. Also, I never felt comfortable leaving it on all day because the bottom of the unit became very hot as well.

Now it sits in my closet in my classroom. Every now and then I'll pull it out to boil hotdogs for in-class celebrations, so it's not a total waste of money...but I'd definitely not recommend this unit for anyone else, based on my experience with it.

I bought 2 of these in the past 4 months..I was happy with the first one but wanted an indicator light so I ordered another and it hums and hisses after a month and a half..I called west bend and was told to send it in at my own expense...thing is that the shipping would almost be as much as the cooker..and I explained this all and I got a supervisor who was still argumentative and unhelpful named candy...she would not even give me the name of the person she reported to and told me she had lodged my complaint but had nothing she could send me to show it had really been recorded do i doubt it ever was..the crockpt is bad workmanship and customer service worsew..I will never buy another west bend again ever!

This crock pot is not what is shown and described. BE CAREFUL!!!!
It was misrepresented on the website. I made the purchase, spending $17 to have it shipped, only to have to return it as soon as I got it. I was told this was not the responsiblity of Cosmetic Mall....it was Amazon's site. I will not be making any more Amazon purchases.

After doing some research online, I decided to purchase this model based on favorable reviews. My roasts have turned out beautifully after cooking all day. I made homemade spaghetti sauce in the slow cooker for the first time and was pleasantly surprised it did not burn after cooking for several hours. Some things to note:

1. Be sure to spray interior with Pam before using OR buy Reynolds Slow Cooker liners.
2. Because the top is glass, be very careful with it! I have found the rubber gloves I use to wash dishes make it harder for me to wash the top and removable interior portion of the slow cooker(it's slippery).

All in all, this is a great slow cooker. I feel that it is reasonably priced and I even purchased one for a Christmas gift.

Unlike many of the newer crockpots this one does not burn the food. I can put my food in the crockpot in the morning and when I return from work it is done and not burned. I would recommend this crockpot for anyone. We are a two person family at this time and the crockpot is fine for our small amounts of food but will hold enough for a larger group.

You can put your ingredients in the evening and leave it slow cooking all night and in the morning you have your lunch ready