Flash in the Pan

I finally got a chance to test the other slow cooker that Crock-Pot sent. It’s a slightly different concept from the Versaware. The insert doesn’t go on top of a stove, which I didn’t find all that useful anyway. There is still the dual cooking heat level feature – good for better control over when a dish will be done and yet because both are still for slow cooking, the results won’t differ on the plate. You also have the warm setting to keep food safely heated without significantly further cooking and the ability to set the amount of cooking time in half-hour segments.

What the Smart-Set adds are two major things. One is a probe thermometer like the type you insert into a roast before placing it into the oven, with a wire that snakes out and plugs into a unit that displays the internal temperature. The unit can detect when food is done, though don’t expect a rare/medium/well-done choice, as this is still slow-cooking, not conventional roasting. When the food is ready, the unit drops the heat to warm so dinner is waiting when you get home or just around to eating. You won’t be able to use this with all dishes; for example, it’s great with a pot roast but useless for a stew, as the probe has to sink completely into the meat and it’s not intended for cooking a large whole vegetable.

The other feature, that works with the probe or independently is a set of cooking programs. You select the dish – say a beef roast or chicken – and the cooker will use what it considers the appropriate combination of low and high heat for pre-determined times to do the cooking. I liked being able to turn a dial and pick the type of food off the display and not have to estimate the cooking time, hoping that the dish wouldn’t be under- or over-done. And additional nicety was the hinged top, which tips back to let you check the food or serve all without having to find a safe place to set the lid down. If you’re looking for a slow cooker, this is a great choice at a suggested retail of $99.99.