Crock-Pot 38501-W Review

At first glance, the very low price on this programmable slow cooker makes the Crock-Pot 38501-W seem like a true bargain. Indeed, a favorable Crock-Pot 38501-W review at About.com extols the virtues of the pre-set heat/timing combinations and others at Walmart similarly note the benefits of the automatic switchover to warm mode when cooking is done. Many of these Crock-Pot 38501-W reviews assert that the end product - be it stew prepared with less cuts of meat or a lava cake - is always a delight.

But others, including consumers who posted Crock-Pot 38501-W reviews at Amazon, aren't won over. These critics complain about hot spots, burnt food, leaking, sputtering, broken side handles, and a lid handle that's too hot to touch. At Newegg, Crock-Pot 38501-W reviews describe the temperature controls as useless, noting that liquids boil even when the controls are set to warm. One consumer grouses that a frozen, 4-pound roast cooks so quickly it can't be left to cook all day even when set on 4 hours/low heat, and other Crock-Pot 38501-W reviews warn that this slow cooker needs babysitting: leaving the contents unattended is a surefire way to a dry, burnt, and otherwise unpalatable meal, they assert.

The 5-quart capacity of the Crock-Pot 38501-W suits two hungry people or a small family. Its best feature is the programmable settings panel, which lets you choose 4 or 6 hours on low or 8 or 10 hours on high; once the time runs out, the cooker switches itself to warm mode. The stoneware crock has a stick-resistant coating and is dishwasher safe, as is the glass lid.

The Crock-Pot 38501-W seems to be an attempt to offer frugal consumers a cheap slow cooker with programmable settings. But based on the reviews we found, this product just doesn't rise to the occasion. Where's the convenience of a slow cooker -- and a programmable one, at that -- if you can't just walk away?