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168 of 171 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Busy mom's best friend, June 23, 2007
This review is from: All-Clad 99009 Stainless-Steel 6-1/2-Quart Slow Cooker (Kitchen)
I work almost everyday (including Sundays) so this pot has been my life saver (or the dinner saver). My older one was 5qt. cool touch Rival. This All-Clad cooker cooks so much faster than my older one (the inside temperature of All-clad gets 230F in high setting). Ribs and 5 pound chicken done in 4 hours in high. If you want crispy chicken skin, let it cook for 6 hours. I highly recommend this product.
By the way I put small roasting rack when I roast chicken or ribs so that they don't stew in the dripping. Save the dripping broth. Put it in the fridge overnight, and get rid of the fat. And use it in your soup or stew, of course, this cooker can do that job just fine as well.
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Updated Review: 4/17/2008
I've been using this slow cooker at least twice a week. Time to time I would hear "pop" sound either in the middle or toward the end of the cooking time. I couldn't figure out what was making this sound. One day my husband found cracks on the ceramic insert. They were fine cracks, but the cracks were in inside and outside. I contacted All-Clad. The service rep. told me to send a picture of the cracks. So I did. For several weeks I didn't hear anything from them. So I contacted them again. Apparently they didn't get my email with the pictures. So I sent them again. The next day I got a phone call from All-Clad that they would send me a new insert. It arrived a couple of days ago. I made a most wonderful chicken soup with leftover rottisserie chicken yesterday. I'm starting my love affair with this slow cooker again.
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Update Review: 11/9/2009
I wish I could say that my slow cooker insert is still going strong. Unfortunately it isn't. I really tried to use them (I have gone through 3 inserts) as much as I could - until I could see the leak. I thought of getting a metal insert. However, it costs $200 NOT including shipping and handling. So I got the most modest Rival Slow Cooker: a 7-qt. with a turn dial. I've had it for 7 months. So far no cracks. It boils water quicker than All-Clad even in the low setting, but still no cracks. I had talked to an All-Clad rep about a possible defect in the ceramic insert, but she didn't seem to believe that theory. I wish I could change the rating to 2-star. It could have been 1-star, but I liked All-Clad's customer services.
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Additional Comment: FYI the 2nd insert cracked within 2 hours in the high setting and the 3rd insert cracked in the low setting. After that I began to think maybe the inserts were defective. I did not abuse them. I only used as directed: high or low and went through the dishwasher. I'm using my humble and simple Rival cooker in the same way, and so far no cracks. I thought of getting the metal insert for the All-Clad Slow Cooker, but it was too expensive: $200 for the insert, over $50 for the metal lid (required for the metal insert) and $70 shipping and handling. Besides the reviews were not good for their non-stick metal insert. I'm very happy with my humble Rival 7 qt. Slow Cooker.
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Update: 6/10/2010
My humble 7-qt Rival slow cooker is still going strong. I've been using it every week, and still no cracks so far. I have made roasts, soups, stews, and casseroles. I haven't made dessert yet. I've seen Sandra Lee "baking" dessert in her white slow cooker. I can't remember if it was Rival or not. But I'll try someday.
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188 of 202 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
ceramic vs. aluminum version of all clad slow cooker, December 7, 2007
This review is from: All-Clad 99009 Stainless-Steel 6-1/2-Quart Slow Cooker (Kitchen)
I have never offered a review here before, but after using this, just felt like i needed to say something. I have had the smart pots, the large 7qt, the next smaller, and then a rival smaller one.....can't remember the exact sizes, but my frustration with all of them is that it didn't matter what setting you put it on, they all "boil". so i really never felt that i had an option except to cook on low for 4 hours, or cook on "warm" by putting it on low for 20 minutes where it would switch over. cleanup is always a pain, dishwashers just bake the stuff on, and you have to soak it before you can easily wash.......so i was ready to take the risk with this new crockpot after handing over the others to my daughter....they worked, i just didn't care for the boiling. THEN, I noticed that the all clad comes in two versions.....the first, generally available anywhere is the ceramic insert version ($149).....NOT to be confused with the aluminum version that costs $249 that can only be ordered through williams-sonoma. i ordered it just prior to thanksgiving from WS, deciding that if i was going to spend 149, may as well spend 249 and see if it really works well.......I am stunned, it's more than i hoped for. it's not only beautiful, it's so easy to cook and clean. you can take the aluminum version and cook right on the stove to brown your roasts, i was worried that the nonstick wouldn't brown well, but it does fine. it's light, and i love the two handles on the sides for ease in moving around. cleaning.....wow.....it practically just rinses out, for that alone it's great.....i'm not sure the ceramic would do the same. as for cooking....that's the first time i opened the lid to see that it was cooking, and NOT boiling. it has a delayed start, the screen to read from is very bright and easy to read. only drawbacks are that the lid is stainless steel and you cant see through it, but since you aren't supposed to take the lid off anyhow, it takes away that temptation. you also need to get some tongs or a large spoon that are made for non stick items.......make ahead mashed potatoes slide around inside instead of sticking and scorching, my roast just slid out, and there is no "burnt" residue ring left on anything i've cooked so far that usually requires scrubbing......alot of money? yep. but when you figure in cost per use, i will probably double the use because it's so kitchen and user friendly. i've also tried smalle batches of things to see if it cooked any different, it doesn't, so one slowcooker is all i need. i was also worried that because it heats from the bottom that it would burn, it doesn't, and the aluminum distributes the heat so evenly, i see no difference in any area of the pot that cooks more or less. being able to go from stove top to crock, saves me one more dirty pan.....if you are considering ditching your old cheap crockpots, save your money and hold out for this one, you wont be disapointed.....it's great.
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56 of 57 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
WOW!, July 25, 2007
Okay, I bought this slow cooker to replace a 3-quart one bought at a yard sale in the mid-1980s - so I suppose anything would be an impressive improvement. However, this slow cooker lives up to its "highly recommended" status deemed by Cook's Illustrated (the America's Test Kitchen people). It looks terrific, clean-up is a breeze, and cooks great at a variety of settings. We have made baked apples, stuffed cabbage, corned beef, lamb stew, plus the usual soup/stews - and all have come out beautifully. The warming feature is also wonderful. Worth every penny!
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