Crock-Pot SCCPVP700-S Review
This 7-quart model is the most expensive on our list but is one of few cheap programmable slow cookers that finds favor with users. A few report that the pot's outer walls get very hot.
The Crock-Pot SCCPVP700-S sits near the top of our price range but holds a spot on our list because its programmable settings feature is a big hit with consumers. In Crock-Pot SCCPVP700-S reviews at Walmart, users often note the convenience of the auto-warm function, which switches the slow cooker to warm mode after the pre-set cooking time has elapsed. Consumers appreciate the added flexibility of not needing to be in the kitchen at the moment when a stew or roast, say, has finished cooking and needs to be held for a while before meal time. Some consumers find the four possible heat level and cook time combinations limiting, but most Crock-Pot SCCPVP700-S reviews indicate they're sufficient for everyday needs and produce results that evoke rounds of applause. One Crock-Pot SCCPVP700-S review at Amazon says roast chicken is so tender that it falls off the bone while removing it from the pot. Like other budget slow cookers, this model works for dips, soup, chili, poultry, pork, vegetables and dumplings, and so on (frozen ingredients, as well).
Few products are perfect, however, and that includes the Crock-Pot SCCPVP700-S. Grousing about inadequate heat (16 hours to cook a corned beef seems excessive, asserts one consumer critic), too much heat (stew cooked for 9 hours contained dry meat, mushy carrots, and burnt bits, claims another), outer walls that get hot, and plastic handles that break show up in some Crock-Pot SCCPVP700-S reviews.
The 7-quart size appeals to cooks responsible for feeding large families. The specs say it's large enough to feed nine people and hold a 7-pound roast; one consumer reports getting eight portions from 4 pounds of cut-up chicken and vegetable accompaniments. The programmable settings let you choose 4 or 6 hours on low or 8 or 10 hours on high, and there's a countdown timer for the warm mode. The removable oval stoneware crock is dishwasher-safe, as is the glass lid; the crock can also be set in the oven at temperatures up to 400 degrees. A recipe book is included.
Frugal consumers in the market for a programmable slow cooker should find the Crock-Pot SCCPVP700-S to their liking. The programming options on higher-end models may be more open-ended, but the pre-set combinations on this Crock-Pot give cooks a measure of freedom beyond what they'd experience with a manual slow cooker.
