Product Description
Enjoy healthy, home-cooked meals even with a busy schedule thanks to this easy-to-use oblong-shaped slow cooker. Simply add ingredients to the unit’s non-stick cooking pot, set the pot onto its heating base, and select a temperature. At the end of the work day or after a busy day of weekend errands, dinner will be ready and waiting. Perfect for soups, casseroles, pot roasts, curries, and more, its generous 5-quart capacity holds enough for dinner with the family or for single-person meals with leftovers. The unit’s adjustable temperature control slow cooks food at any temperature, and its keep-warm setting comes in handy for serving or holding food at a safe temperature. Providing exceptional versatility, the cooking pot can be used in the oven, on the range top, or in the freezer, and the unit’s heating base doubles as a nonstick mini griddle. The slow cooker also includes a glass lid for keeping an eye on the cooking process and integrated side handles for convenient carrying. Even more, the slow cooker comes with an insulated tote, which keeps food warm during transport from the kitchen to a friend’s house, office party, or other gathering. The cooking pot and glass lid clean up easily by hand with hot soapy water or safely in the dishwasher. The 210-watt slow cooker measures 7-1/4 by 12-3/4 by 8-3/4 inches and carries a one-year limited warranty.
Product Features
- Oblong-shaped slow cooker with adjustable temperature control
- 5-quart capacity; oven-, range-top-, and freezer-safe cooking pot
- Heating base conveniently doubles as a nonstick mini griddle
- Glass lid and insulated tote included; dishwasher-safe parts
- Measures 7-1/4 by 12-3/4 by 8-3/4 inches; 1-year limited warranty
This is my third West Bend Slow Cooker in 20 years. I got rid of my oldest one and now have two I use regularly. I ordered this one because it had a carrier tote; I take my slow cooker with me to covered-dish dinners and church socials. This is a nice extra feature, but I would have bought a West Bend anyway; I like the adjustable heat-not just high, medium and low. I use my slow cookers to thaw and reheat frozen foods,cook turkey breasts, and make soups.You can put ingredients in the cooker in the morning and come home to a hot dinner. This is a good product, easy to clean and can be used on the stove top or even in the freezer. I highly recommend it.
I’ve been slow-cooking since the first CrockPots (in the 1950′s? — time flies). I’ve used a couple of dozen or more during that time. Settings were all Low-High-Off, later adding Warm. No bells and whistles. Most of these cookers were very unreliable on temperature control. Except for programming capability, little else has changed in 50 years.
The West Bend Versatility series is a quantum leap forward: non-stick metal pot that can be used to brown meat (any experienced slow-cooker knows what a convenience that is!); converts to a griddle if you don’t have one handy; and has an infinite heating control from barely warm to just-short-of-boiling.
Because I’m a gadget geek, I made some tests. (First, please be aware that most slow-cookers typically peak at around the same point –somewhere between 180-210 degrees F, regardless of the heat setting. The main difference between Low, Medium, and High is how quickly the peak temperature is reached. Some of the more sophisticated cookers (the Versatility is one) have lower or higher peaks related to the setting. For the serious cook, these types are preferable).
My tests started with the pot 2/3 full of room-temperature water. I used a calibrated thermometer probe in the center of the pot. I put the cover on, but it wasn’t seated where the probe wire exited.
TEMPERATURE SETTING #3 (LOW) HOURS MEASURED TEMPERATURE
1:00 157
2:00 176
3:00 180
4:00 182
5:00 183
6:00 183
7:00 188 (Flatlined)
TEMPERATURE SETTING #4 (MEDIUM)
1:00 170
2:00 188
3:00 194 (Flatlined)
TEMPERATURE SETTING #5 (HIGH)
1:00 155
2:00 198
2:45 209 (Flatlined)
I didn’t do a time series on the #1 and #2 settings, but they topped out at 149 and 160 degrees respectively.
Remember that the Versatility setting is infinitely variable, so in-between heating speeds can be used. Also, bear in mind that these temperatures were measuring water only — cooking food may be different.
These ranges were relatively the same on both the 5-quart and 6-quart cookers.
Speaking of quarts, be aware that the “5-quart” has an actual maximum capacity of 4.3 quarts at overflowing. West Bend Customer Service still maintains that it’s 5 quarts. The “6-quart” model is an actual 6-quart capacity. Practical capacity for cooking is, of course, less.
As other reviews have noted, there’s no “off” setting, so you havee to unplug. However, the cooker end of the cored is unpluggable, so no big deal.
Other reviews have complained about the non-stick coating deteriorating. I refer them to the instructions in the manual, under the heading “Using Your Slow Cooker–First Use” wherein it describes how to avoid damage to the coating. I won’t repeat it here — it’s in the book. Also, note that while the coating is dishwasher-safe, it will last longer with hand-washing –a breeze due to the non-stick finish. Because so few users actually read directions, West Bend does not cover the non-stick under warranty.
All this said, the Versatiltiy is an incredible value for its price. It’s a good example of how excellent design, engineering, and production can result in a quality product at very low cost. It’s far and above any cooker I’ve used before.
4 stars only because it lacks an “off” switch, and the “5-quart” capacity is inaccurate and misleading.
Outstanding product and value!