West Bend 85156 6-Quart Round Crockery Cooker, Stainless Steel/Black

We got this crockpot about a year ago and have used it maybe 15 times. We hand wash the crockery. The last time we used it, we noticed lots of black flecks in our soup, ranging from tiny (at first we thought it was pepper) to about 1/2 inch in diameter. It was the black enamel of the pot flaking off into our food! When we washed the pot, our sponge was black with enamel. Yuck! I suppose you get what you pay for.

I got this as a gift. I have only used it twice and with great results. The first time I made a pot roast with beef, vegetables and barley. Cooked it for 7.5 hours and it turned out great! The next time I used vegetables, chicken and rice. Since I was going to be away longer and did not want the vegetables to turn to mush, I made a "Hobo" pack- that is, season the veggies, wrap them in foil and placed them over the meat, directly below the lid. The food cooked on low for 10 hours. while the rice was a little mushy, the chicken was great. The stew turned out awesome and the veggies were in a perfect stage of tenderness.

This slow cooker did what it needed to do, and I have been pleased with the results.

I cannot believe the negative reviews I've been reading on here about this crock. Granted some company produces a lemon now and then but any review that this slow cooker is junk is outrageous. I bought this one the year they started making it and still use it now. A slow cooker that doesn't actually COOK (I am speaking of temperatures too low) is the cooker worthy of a mud slinging review and it's not this crock! This honey cooks hotter on low than some crocks and thank goodness for that because most of us who are seasoned cooks know bacteria thrive in a warm/kinda hot environment! The absolute only thing I can say is worthy of a slight frown with this product is that the lid spits out a bit of moisture on the countertop now and then..geesh