Crock-Pot 38501-W 5-Quart Round Smart-Pot Slow Cooker, White

Verified that it cooks too hot
I'm an engineer, not a cook, hence the appeal of a crockpot (I can't boil water without burning it...)

I had an old Rival crockpot that worked well for many years (manual, round, and small). It broke, so I bought a 5-quart Smart-Pot at Costco this past weekend. I noticed it ran very hot (top of outside WILL burn your hands if touched!), so decided to test it.

I filled the unit 3/4 full of water and placed it on the high setting (4 hours) and measured the temperature after several hours with a thermometer. Water temperture was about 215 to 220 degrees F. I then repeated the process for the low temperature setting, but the temperature was about the same!

This disturbed me, so I placed a Kill-A-Watt (very handy device to measure electrical power consumption and wattage for electrical devices) between the pot and the outlet. Sure enough the unit draws the same power on the low and high settings (about 245W). Occasionally on the low settings the unit...

Awful
I agree with the majority of these reviews. I previously owned a 4.5 Q oval Rival that I loved and used for years until I dropped and broke the insert. I got this to replace that one and am so disappointed. It ruined 5 meals before I took it back. All the food was dried-out and burnt way before it was even supposed to be done cooking. The lid rattled all day, letting out moisture and annoying me in the process. I had to "even exchange" it because I didn't have all the packaging and stuff. I was hoping I had gotten a lemon, but no, the replacement was the same way. This time they gave my money back. Of course I read these review too late... any suggestions for a crock-pot that works?

horrible product
Used this item 3 times. I wanted to give it an adequate test run. It boils everything even on low setting. It gets so hot that I would never consider leaving the house with it on. The lid does not fit so all the moisture escapes. The meat did not turn out to bad, but I really had to keep an eye on the food. Defeats the purpose of fix it and forget it cooking. I absolutely do not recommend buying this crock pot.

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