I know that I’m not the only one who loves a little slow cooking action. Last year, however, I purchased a CrockPot brand unit and had to return it for a very unexpected issue. When the ceramic (glaze coated) inset… you know, the part the food cooks in… became heated, the glaze liquified. Little beads of glaze could be literally wiped off the surface, only to form again when reheated. Can you say lead?
Of course, it was foreign made (Not naming any names here country that begins with C and ends with an a)… but I had quite enough of risky products from over there. That set me on the hunt for a crockpot that could not contain a lead infused glaze. This quest was way harder than you might expect, as there are only a few manufacturers… and all had had some kind of lead based recall at some point. Thus entered the idea, why isn’t there a crockpot made of metal?
Of course metal can have issues too, but overall its a safer vessel (there are zero crockpots made in the US, btw). That’s when we discovered the All-Clad crockpot. It’s not cheap by any means, instead its like investing in a really nice piece of kitchen awesomeness.
I’ve had the unit for almost a year and absolutely love it. The reason I mention it now though is because it’s on sale for the lowest price I’ve yet seen (but the sale ends tonight!):
http://www.williams-sonoma.com/products/all-clad-deluxe-slow-cooker-with-aluminum-insert/?cm_src=hppromo&cm_re=112812--Promo--AC_Slow_Cooker
I make all the typical slow cooker stuff in it… but then I can also take out the inset, place it on the stove and cook like a large stock pot. When I make meat sauce for lasagna… I cook it all in that insert and never use the actual heating part! It’s non-stick and I have yet to find any food that doesn’t just wipe off. It’s that impressive.
So if you’re in the market for a new crockpot… or need a really nice gift idea for a cook in your life, this is an amazing choice. enjoy!
update, DON’T purchase this crock pot
As of today, I am no longer the owner of an All-Clad crock pot, in fact, I managed to return it to William Sonoma for a store credit, even after all this time. As it turns out, the metal insert begins to degrade over time and becomes pitted. I did get All-Clad to send me a new insert by explaining that I know metal impurities when I see them (pits were caused by lower melting temp junk that buckled the non-stick coating). They made it like they were doing me this huge favor by mailing it to me… turns out a bunch of people have the same issue now and All-Clad has replacement inserts ‘on back-order’ for months.
Well… I got my insert, should be ok, right? Heh… no. I have about 25 lbs of apples sitting in my dinning room waiting to be turned into Apple Butter. I got through 2 batches, and on the third, the unit decides it wants to shut off whenever the frack it wants (but the display keeps counting down). I’m done… called Willy-Som this morning.
- If you happen to own this appliance, here is what you need to know and how to resolve it:
-There are three known defects: -pitting pealing insert - A display that won’t work - random unit shut offs while display keeps working.
If you experience any of these issues, don’t bother with All-Clad, they are awful, even if you are out of warranty. This unit was a Willy-Som exclusive and they will work with you.
If you purchased it in a store, you will need to return it to a retail location -but- the managers in the stores will not want to accept the return. What I did was to call the 800 number on their website, ask for a supervisor, and then explain that the unit suffers from a known defect. If you get a rockstar rep like I did, she will call the nearest store and hash things out with the manager on your behalf. They can not offer a refund if you have had the unit awhile, but they can issue a store credit or exchange. They prefer that you use your credit at the same time you make the return, but I just gave the manager the look -.o and she gave me my gift card and off I went.
Bottom line, don’t buy this thing. If you have and experience issues, get to the right rep and get your store credit. Need more detail? Read the 1 star reviews popping up lately and/or PM me. And before you ask, no I don’t have a good crock-pot recommendation. They are all questionable, cheap junk as far as 3 hours of research last night revealed. Should any of you have good experience with a large capacity unit (6+ qt size), please share /desperate.
