Sunday, February 25, 2007
Review: SCV1600-SS Programmable Crock-Pot Versaware Slow Cooker
I've been looking forward to testing the programmable Versaware slow cooker that Crock-Pot sent me to review. The concept was intriguing: a removable stoneware insert that you could use on top of the range to "Sauté, Cook, Serve, Store and Reheat all in one pot!" as the product sheet says.
The experience wasn't everything the comapny promised, but on the whole I found the product solid - in more ways than one - and a good approach to slow cooking. First we'll put the downside up against the testing wall. Sorry, but there is no way this unit sautés. Yes, you can put it on top of the range, but it's not supposed to be over a high heat, and if you use electric the insert must sit on top of a diffuser. No high heat means no saute – by definition of the cooking technique. Granted, I had the unit on top of the wood stove and there were no instructions for that, so I used the diffuser just to be safe. And even with the less than blazing heat transfer from the wood stove, the meat browned much faster in the pan I had used for cooking bacon, which sat next to the crock insert. If someone has to be that careful with the application of heat, then, please, don’t make claims. Another problem is that you can’t use metal utensils inside. By the time I had the insert and pot roast back in the slow cooker for six or seven hours, I felt that I had been walking on egg shells. My wife did the dishes and said that the weight of the insert and cover made washing more difficult.
But don’t take those drawbacks to be total downchecks. Although it’s not meant for intense heat, the insert is good on top of the stove, in a microwave, or, I would presume, atop a hot plate to keep contents warm while serving at the table. The insert and top also go into the dishwasher. I fit the entire roast in without having to cut it up ahead of time, and I think you could easily get a four-pound whole chicken in the unit. I liked the choice of high or low cooking settings (the former about twice as fast as the latter) and the warm setting to keep things hot when the cooking is done. While the basic unit is $59.99, I’d say spend the extra $20 for the automatic, which switches to warm once the included timer (you set it in half-hour increments) has finished its countdown. Overall, it's an easy-to-use slow cooker with a good degree of control and convenient features.
The company also sent another model with more time control features – I’ll have a review on it in the near future. (Sometime after we finish the pot roast leftovers.)
The experience wasn't everything the comapny promised, but on the whole I found the product solid - in more ways than one - and a good approach to slow cooking. First we'll put the downside up against the testing wall. Sorry, but there is no way this unit sautés. Yes, you can put it on top of the range, but it's not supposed to be over a high heat, and if you use electric the insert must sit on top of a diffuser. No high heat means no saute – by definition of the cooking technique. Granted, I had the unit on top of the wood stove and there were no instructions for that, so I used the diffuser just to be safe. And even with the less than blazing heat transfer from the wood stove, the meat browned much faster in the pan I had used for cooking bacon, which sat next to the crock insert. If someone has to be that careful with the application of heat, then, please, don’t make claims. Another problem is that you can’t use metal utensils inside. By the time I had the insert and pot roast back in the slow cooker for six or seven hours, I felt that I had been walking on egg shells. My wife did the dishes and said that the weight of the insert and cover made washing more difficult.
But don’t take those drawbacks to be total downchecks. Although it’s not meant for intense heat, the insert is good on top of the stove, in a microwave, or, I would presume, atop a hot plate to keep contents warm while serving at the table. The insert and top also go into the dishwasher. I fit the entire roast in without having to cut it up ahead of time, and I think you could easily get a four-pound whole chicken in the unit. I liked the choice of high or low cooking settings (the former about twice as fast as the latter) and the warm setting to keep things hot when the cooking is done. While the basic unit is $59.99, I’d say spend the extra $20 for the automatic, which switches to warm once the included timer (you set it in half-hour increments) has finished its countdown. Overall, it's an easy-to-use slow cooker with a good degree of control and convenient features.
The company also sent another model with more time control features – I’ll have a review on it in the near future. (Sometime after we finish the pot roast leftovers.)
