Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

After being accustomed to the too-hot-cooking Crock-Pot branded cookers for several years, it was nice to find that this Proctor-Silex item is a TRUE slow cooker; meaning, it provides the extended, low-heat conditions that produce wonderful, tender and flavorful results. No longer will you have the unwanted rapid-boiling that can occur with other models. I also find that the 4-quart size is great for our small two-person family, yielding just enough for several pairs of servings without having to wastefully dump out food from having cooked a too-large batch. And as you can see from the price, this model is a champion when it comes to VALUE...especially if you get free shipping through Amazon Prime or an alternate ship-free promotion. The only minor quibbles (and the reason it gets 4 out of 5 stars) is the following: The edge of the glass lid and the rim of the crock do not meet in a flush, flat seal -- there can be small gaps, due to the crock rim not being totally level. And, besides that, the diameter of the glass lid is a slight bit smaller than optimal to generously cover the crock's rim, resulting in the need to meticulously center the smaller-diameter lid onto the crock, in order to avoid even more air gaps. These are very minor concerns, however, and the more I think about it, I suspect that these slight air gaps might just be the reason why this model cooks so...perfectly...unlike the others on the market which cook too hot and too quickly. As a last bit of nitpicking, you can certainly find more attractive slow cookers with fancier colors, designs and patterns out there -- this one is a bit of a Plain Jane. And of course, there's no ON light, nor is there an auto-shutoff mode (however if you simply must have auto-shutoff you can add this feature by buying a separate programmable timer unit for your wall outlet). But, all things considered, the most important feature you'll want in your next slow cooker is the ability of the unit to cook foods correctly on low heat -- and on that issue this unit succeeds where many other modern slow cookers fail. So, allow me to invite you to order your new slow cooker right away, then go look up a recipe for some nice Oxtail Soup, load up the ingredients, go busy yourself for 8 or 10 hours...and come home to a hot homemade feast to warm your insides!