All-Clad 99009 Stainless-Steel 6-1/2-Quart Slow Cooker Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)I work almost everyday (including Sundays) so this pot has been my life saver (or the dinner saver). My older one was 5qt. cool touch Rival. This All-Clad cooker cooks so much faster than my older one (the inside temperature of All-clad gets 230F in high setting). Ribs and 5 pound chicken done in 4 hours in high. If you want crispy chicken skin, let it cook for 6 hours. I highly recommend this product.
By the way I put small roasting rack when I roast chicken or ribs so that they don't stew in the dripping. Save the dripping broth. Put it in the fridge overnight, and get rid of the fat. And use it in your soup or stew, of course, this cooker can do that job just fine as well.
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Updated Review: 4/17/2008
I've been using this slow cooker at least twice a week. Time to time I would hear "pop" sound either in the middle or toward the end of the cooking time. I couldn't figure out what was making this sound. One day my husband found cracks on the ceramic insert. They were fine cracks, but the cracks were in inside and outside. I contacted All-Clad. The service rep. told me to send a picture of the cracks. So I did. For several weeks I didn't hear anything from them. So I contacted them again. Apparently they didn't get my email with the pictures. So I sent them again. The next day I got a phone call from All-Clad that they would send me a new insert. It arrived a couple of days ago. I made a most wonderful chicken soup with leftover rottisserie chicken yesterday. I'm starting my love affair with this slow cooker again.
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Update Review: 11/9/2009
I wish I could say that my slow cooker insert is still going strong. Unfortunately it isn't. I really tried to use them (I have gone through 3 inserts) as much as I could - until I could see the leak. I thought of getting a metal insert. However, it costs $200 NOT including shipping and handling. So I got the most modest Rival Slow Cooker: a 7-qt. with a turn dial. I've had it for 7 months. So far no cracks. It boils water quicker than All-Clad even in the low setting, but still no cracks. I had talked to an All-Clad rep about a possible defect in the ceramic insert, but she didn't seem to believe that theory. I wish I could change the rating to 2-star. It could have been 1-star, but I liked All-Clad's customer services.
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Additional Comment: FYI the 2nd insert cracked within 2 hours in the high setting and the 3rd insert cracked in the low setting. After that I began to think maybe the inserts were defective. I did not abuse them. I only used as directed: high or low and went through the dishwasher. I'm using my humble and simple Rival cooker in the same way, and so far no cracks. I thought of getting the metal insert for the All-Clad Slow Cooker, but it was too expensive: $200 for the insert, over $50 for the metal lid (required for the metal insert) and $70 shipping and handling. Besides the reviews were not good for their non-stick metal insert. I'm very happy with my humble Rival 7 qt. Slow Cooker.
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Update: 6/10/2010
My humble 7-qt Rival slow cooker is still going strong. I've been using it every week, and still no cracks so far. I have made roasts, soups, stews, and casseroles. I haven't made dessert yet. I've seen Sandra Lee "baking" dessert in her white slow cooker. I can't remember if it was Rival or not. But I'll try someday.

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Even with a busy schedule, you can still enjoy healthy, home-cooked meals thanks to this easy-to-use oval-shaped slow cooker. Simply add ingredients to the unit's black ceramic pot, insert the pot into the cooker, and set the 26-hour programmable timer. After a long day at work or a busy day of weekend errands, dinner will be ready and waiting. Perfect for soups, casseroles, pot roasts, curries, and more, its large 6-1/2-quart capacity works great for single-person meals with leftovers or for dinner with the family. Thoughtfully designed, the slow cooker also provides attractive stainless-steel housing; an integrated control panel with an LCD display; three temperature settings--high, low, and keep warm; a glass lid for keeping an eye on the cooking process; and riveted stainless-steel handles for safe transport. The ceramic insert and glass lid clean up easily by hand with hot soapy water or safely in the dishwasher. A recipe booklet comes included for getting started. The slow cooker measures 19-7/8 by 14 by 11-3/8 inches and carries a one-year limited warranty.

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Amco 13-Inch Splatter Screen Review

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(More customer reviews)I've been looking for a basic splatter screen for a while now and this one is the best that I've seen. Others are so cheap that as soon as you try to clean them the screen comes out of them. Not with this one. Highly recommended.

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Love to cook but tired of cleaning up the spatters and spots that inevitably end up all over your stovetop (and wall, and shirt…)? Well, Amco has your answer -- a spatter screen.Its rustproof 18/8 stainless steel handle keeps your fingers safely away from the hot pan, while its generously sized 13" round screen is perfectly sized for most frying pans and contains the little spits and spots that normally end up...everywhere.Use when sauteeing shallots, frying frijoles, and more!

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Le Creuset Enameled Cast-Iron 7-1/4-Quart Round French Ovens Review

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(More customer reviews)Anyone serious about Cooking should have at least one cast iron pot and Le Creuset is the best quality available today. The 7 quart pot is perfect for anything which requires long slow cooking either on the stovetop or in the oven: stews, baked beans, pasta fagioli, paella, cassoulet, soups, etc., etc. An iron pot takes longer to heat up than say stainless steel or aluminum but it holds heat longer than either. I have even used my Le Crueset on the BBQ to bake a cake or make cornbread so as not to heat up the kitchen in the summer. In fact, this past summer when the electricity went out, I even made all the components of Lasagna Bolognese as well as baking it complete in my Le Crueset on the BBQ. It was round, shaped like a cake but it was delicious. I've had one of my Le Creusets for over 10 years (that calculates to 91 more years on the 101 years warranty!) with no sign of any obvious wear mainly because I have taken care when using it: wooden instead of metal spoons or spatulas and using non-abrasive cleansers on the interior.

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Since 1925, Le Creuset has been handcrafting Enameled Cast Iron cookware, and particularly Round French Ovens (or Dutch Ovens), in Northern France.While this popular shape has been around for many centuries before that, the basic design has changed very little thus endorsing the cooking qualities that it provides.Generation after generation has come to cherish the Le Creuset Round French Oven???s quality, durability, and versatility, and it easily becomes the core piece in any well-equipped kitchen.The cast iron provides superb heat retention and distribution, and the enamel is hard-wearing and non-reactive, making the number of recipes that you can do in this pot endless: anything from savory rice to braised chicken to mouth-watering cake. Your imagination is the only limit!

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Fagor 8-Quart Stainless-Steel Pressure Cooker with Steamer Basket Review

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(More customer reviews)I use to own an electric pressure cooker, and after many scorched meals, decided to try a stove-top model. It was the best move I could have made! 18/10 stainless, surrounding aluminum on the bottom has kept every meal scorch-free. I feel completely safe using this pressure cooker. It locks easily, and the dial indicating if the pot is at pressure and if it is at high or low pressure is fool-proof. There is nothing complicated about using this pressure cooker. I just can't say enough about this pot. I have cooked professionally, and I have cooked for many years. I would not be exaggerating if I told you that this is the best-loved piece of cookware that I own. Fagor has produced an outstanding product.

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Pressure cookers are gaining momentum as the new healthy, time-saving, and energy-saving way to prepare food. While not a new method, the technology has certainly been transformed over the years to be easier and safer than ever. Constructed from 18/10 stainless steel for long-lasting durability, this 8-quart pressure cooker makes it possible to save up to 70 percent of the time and energy traditionally used in cooking rice, meat, and vegetables. The cooker's lid offers a long handle made of black heat-resistant plastic for comfortable use. A safety-lock handle, visual pressure indicator, and an automatic pressure-release setting ensure the lid won't come off unintentionally. For added convenience, the cooker provides a handy basket insert, complete with legs and a loop handle--great for draining pasta or steaming vegetables. Dishwasher-safe parts make cleanup a snap, and an instruction manual and recipe book come included. Designed for use on all heat sources, the pressure cooker measures approximately 17-1/5 by 11 by 10 inches and carries a 10-year warranty.

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Tramontina Gourmet Cast Iron Covered Casseroles Review

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(More customer reviews)The price can't be beat! $45 with free shipping is a great value regardless of what I write in this review. I was excited to open the box, and loved the color immediately! I continued to be impressed by the weight of the pot. But after completely un packing, I placed the lid on the pot, and looked at my wife and said, this is why a Le Creuset is $245, and this was only $45. The lid does not seal tightly, and you need to rotate the lid to find the position where it seals best, though it's still not 100%, closer to 90%.
Would I buy it again? Probably. Would I have bought it in a store, where the faults were clear before making the decision to purchase? Probably not. I just cannot justify the $200+ dollars for the "real deal".
I hope this helpful.
UPDATE: After using this dutch oven many times for a variety of dishes, I would increase my rating to 4 stars. The initial dissappointment of the ill fitting lid has faded, and what remains is a pot that does its job well and even out on my bakers rack, next to a Le Creuset, holds its own in terms of looks.

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Friends and family will quickly gravitate to the dining-room table with this beautiful casserole as the centerpiece. Measuring 14 by 11-2/7 by 7-4/5 inches, the covered pot holds 6-1/2 quarts, making it perfectly suited for slow cooking homemade soups and stews, sauteing vegetables, braising meats, roasting poultry, baking, and even frying. It also works well for one-dish meals: start by sauteing onions and browning meat, then add liquid and other ingredients to finish on the stovetop or in the oven. The vessel's interior features a light-beige, smooth, porcelain-enamel finish that requires no seasoning, so it's ready to use right out of the box, while its exterior sports a gleaming, vibrant red porcelain-enamel finish that adds a splash of color to any cookware collection.
Constructed from heavy-gauge cast iron, the vessel not only retains and distributes heat evenly (no hot spots to worry about), but it also resists scratches, stains, and the damaging effects of regular household use. Use it on any stovetop, including induction, electric, gas, and ceramic; it can also withstand an oven's heat up to 450 degrees F. Two integrated side handles flank the casserole, helping to ensure safe transport from the kitchen to the tabletop or buffet for use as serveware. The vessel's heavy, secure-fitting lid keeps heat, moisture, and nutrients contained, and its round stay-cool lid knob makes it easy to remove the lid when it's time to give contents a stir or serve up dinner. The covered casserole carries a limited lifetime warranty and cleans up easily by hand with hot, soapy water.

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