Sales Rank: 1877


Features:

Dimensions 9.3 long, 18.1 wide, 14.3 high weighs 13.2 lbs

Removable stoneware w/tempered glass lid

Programmable touchpad selects time & temp / auto-shift to warm

Suregrip¿ side handles: improved grip & comfort

Chrome lid handle for upscale styling

Average Rating:
Rating: - Cannot control the temperature...lid is funky
The cooker seems to run very hot when on high. The first time I used it for a dinner party, my chili was at a full rolling boil at that setting, and my guests were commenting that the food was too hot. (By the way, in response to a previous review, it was a full pot...insufficient quantity was not the issue). There is no way to reduce the heat to low without having to reset it to a minimum of eight hours, and the "warm" setting cannot be accessed manually. I ended up having to use the low-tech solution and pulled the plug. I found myself wishing for my old crock pot with the knob on the front.

Also, the handle on the glass lid is held in place by a single screw. The handle is loose and an attempt to tighten the screw resulted in immediate stripping of the slot in the screw head. I guess Rival must have cheaped out on this component and used a very inferior screw. So now, when I pick up the lid by the handle, it wiggles all over the place.

I only spent 30 bucks on this and look forward to replacing it with a better product. Hopefully some of these design flaws will be worked out in the future.

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Rating: - Rival Smart Pot: IQ of about 100
Rival's "Smart Pot" is a pretty good crock pot that offers an oval shape for easy handling of longer pieces of meat and an hourly time control that automatically switches to warm at the end of the heating cycle. This crock pot is a little fancier than others and it offers a more modern look and appeal.

However, there are some flaws with this product- flaws that I didn't really notice or even think about until I started to use the pot. First of all, there is no way to set the crock pot directly on warm. The pot will switch to warm only after a timed cycle has ended. This is bad for those situations when all you need is to keep something warm. Second, there are only four timed settings to choose from: 4 hours, 6 hours, 8 hours, and 10 hours. Third, the crock pot can get very hot and doesn't have an opening at the top to let steam escape. Be careful when you lift the lid- if it's really hot, the steam can burn and cause you to react quickly by dropping the lid.

Another problem that occurs some of the time is burning. If you have a small amount of food and the liquid doesn't fill to the top, you could end up with burnt marks on the side of the ceramic container. As long as the pot is full, this isn't a problem. But it's something to watch out for if you plan to cook smaller meals.

I like the large capacity of this crock pot (six quarts) and I like the neutral color. It's also nice to be able to remove the interior pot for cleaning. It's bulky, but it's better than other crock pots (those that do not have a removable pot) that have to be cleaned by scrubbing directly.

Taken as a whole, this is an acceptable crock pot that has its good points and bad points. With a few more improvements, it could be much better. As it is, it's only average- suitable for those of us to don't do much cooking but inadequate for the more serious chefs among us.

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Rating: - It's not all that bad. Reading instructions help.
I have this model and I love it. It's true that it gets really hot, but you're not supposed to keep touching it while it cooking anyway. I just put a towel over it to keep the heat and steam in. It has never burned anything. If you read the instructions, you have to fill it almost to the top with the right combination of solid & liquid ingredients.
I was very skeptical of it especially after I read all the horrible reviews. My husband and I are both accomplished and well traveled cooks with a love for Far eastern, mediterranean and certain American regional cuisines like creole- all perfect for the slow cooker. I cook for us everyday. We never eat fast food. We collect books on the science of cooking. We buy local and organically fed/grown meat and produce whenever possible. So what and how we eat is a really big part of our daily routine.
We were going to return this slow cooker (it was a wedding present) and we gave it a chance and made a simple beef roast with vegetables. After about 6 hours on the high setting we had a wonderful, succulent, luscious roast. It was a no-brainer. Meat fibers don't chemically break down for at least 5 hours. It's just science. Don't blame the slow cooker!
Since then we have made a really wonderful Indian inspired curried beef and lentil stew, a divine onion soup and right now I am roasting a whole chicken in a black bean chili soup. It's going to be wonderful.