West Bend Versatility 84846

I've owned one of these for 4 or 5 years, purchased after my second crockery slow cooker in 3 years cracked all the way through the bottom. It's true that the settings seem a bit high - things cook a bit… faster than expected, and this limits my options for dinner when I'm not going to be home within 6 or 8 hours. But it makes such wonderful stews and soups even then - and I would cook other things in the evenings to be placed in the refrigerator and reheated for dinner the next day until I retired and didn't have to worry about 12-hour workdays. What I love about it is that it's versatile and durable. I can start things on the stove - browning roasts, etc. - before slow cooking, or slow cook fatty dishes like ribs, transfer them straight to the refrigerator, and then remove the fat before reheating them the next day. The pot is attractive as a serving dish and travels well too - I can put it in an insulated carrier and take it to potlucks easily - remembering to pack a plastic serving spoon so no one will scratch the finish (no problems with it yet except for a little flaking around the top.) And after 4 or 5 years it is still in great condition. At the rate my crockery pots were cracking, I'd have bought at least two more by now, which is ridiculously expensive. (And no, I wasn't using them on the stove or putting them in the refrigerator - they just cracked from normal use.) But this slow cooker has been used probably 2-5 times a week for years with no problems at all, and still works as well as it did when I bought it. I wish it were cheaper (because I need another for our vacation home), but it did save me money in the end.

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I purchased this for my daughter and then one for myself. My daughter's pan was warped and did not cook evenly. When I contacted the manufacturer I received a very tepid response. I even offered to purchase… another pan to fit on the base,but I was told that size was not available. I always had a high regard for West Bend products when they were manufactured in the USA but since they are now made in China the quality is not the same. I will not be buying their products in the future. Angeline Shattuck

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