Slow Cooker Buyer Beware — 1-2★ Warning Reviews
15 most helpful negative reviews — real warnings from real buyers
Slow Cooker Buyer Beware — Top 1-2★ Warning Reviews
Real negative reviews ranked by helpfulness. These are the most useful warnings from actual buyers.
ANOVA Sous Vide Precision Cooker | Bluetooth | 800W (Discontinued)
⭐ (1/5) | ✅ Verified Purchase | 2612 found helpful | 2017-04-24
Weeell. This was an amazing cooker. I mean, it was it did was it was supposed to do.: It cooked things. It was a kitchen appliance. Life moved on.
Then Anova pushed an update to their app that requires you to pair your kitchen appliance with your facebook profile. I’m not kidding here.
Breville Joule Sous Vide, White Polycarbonate, CS20001
⭐⭐ (2/5) | ✅ Verified Purchase | 2142 found helpful | 2018-03-18
If you’ve done any research into sous vide devices, you know that ANOVA and ChefSteps rule the roost. Objectively, the Joule bested the competition in every respect that mattered to me: efficiency, speed, and size. It’s smaller, it heats water quicker, and the minimalist style appealed to me.
I saw no reason the Joule wasn’t the best.
Anova Culinary Sous Vide Precision Cooker | WiFi + Bluetooth | 900W (Discontinued)
⭐ (1/5) | ✅ Verified Purchase | 1611 found helpful | 2017-12-06
First of all, a disclaimer; this is going to be a technical review for the WiFi version of the cooker. I am an IT consultant with network engineering experience.
The device is great on paper. The actual part that does the immersion cooking is as far as I can tell, flawless.
ANOVA Sous Vide Precision Cooker | Bluetooth | 800W (Discontinued)
⭐ (1/5) | ✅ Verified Purchase | 1291 found helpful | 2017-04-13
I returned the item because Anova updated the phone app to force you to buy Wifi access. My model was bluetooth only and I could no longer control the device via the app. Plus, my model didn’t come with Wifi Access, so I was forced to use the manual control. When I purchased the item, I had full control from the app, as it was advertized.
Hamilton Beach Portable 6 Quart Set & Forget Digital Programmable Slow Cooker with Lid Lock, Temperature Probe & Defrost Setting, Dishwasher Safe Crock & Lid, Silver (33869)
⭐ (1/5) | ⚠️ Unverified | 1160 found helpful | 2016-04-16
3 Rd time I used it I placed stew in it for no more than 8 hours on low overnight. Woke up at 4 am and smelled a weird chemical smell. Went into the kitchen and the crockpot was melting! How can you trust a product like this that you can’t use unless you have to monitor it. I’m lucky I woke up.
ANOVA Sous Vide Precision Cooker | Bluetooth | 800W (Discontinued)
⭐ (1/5) | ✅ Verified Purchase | 1112 found helpful | 2017-04-10
Anova changed the app to require a login just to cook a meal. They are apparently more interested in mining data than pleasing their customers. I bought the Bluetooth version so I could monitor it, but now the app requires a login, and I object to logging in just to monitor this expensive device. I can’t recommend it any more.
Hamilton Beach Set ’n Forget Programmable Slow Cooker With Temperature Probe, 6-Quart (33967)
⭐ (1/5) | ✅ Verified Purchase | 970 found helpful | 2010-07-23
I had been debating buying this slow cooker for several weeks. It has all the features that I was looking for, did well in consumer tests, was priced right, and had a fair number of glowing reviews.
ANOVA Sous Vide Precision Cooker | Bluetooth | 800W (Discontinued)
⭐ (1/5) | ✅ Verified Purchase | 958 found helpful | 2017-04-12
Until recently this was a five star product, That was until Anova decided to require a login or Facebook information to use the app. There’s no need for this on the bluetooth version.
Anova Culinary Sous Vide Precision Cooker | WiFi + Bluetooth | 900W (Discontinued)
⭐ (1/5) | ✅ Verified Purchase | 949 found helpful | 2017-05-02
How could Anova design a 200 hundred dollar cooking unit, that can heat water to 210 degrees, and then sits on top of that steaming water, but is susceptible/prone to malfunction because of inevitable steam intrusion into the control head???
Wonderbag Non-Electric Portable Slow Cooker with Recipe Cookbook, Holiday Edition
⭐ (1/5) | ⚠️ Unverified | 741 found helpful | 2013-11-08
Nov. 18th Update
This addition to my review is in response to recent comments including that of the Wonderbag Representative, C. Copeland, who wrote the statement,“Bacteria is killed once the food is brought to a boil, and simmered for long enough for the ingredients to be cooked through.
Cuisinart PSC-350 3-1/2-Quart Programmable Slow Cooker, Silver, 9-1/2 in H x 9.1 in W x 12.67 in L
⭐⭐ (2/5) | ✅ Verified Purchase | 673 found helpful | 2017-02-25
Do you want the good news or the bad news first?
Let’s get the bad news out of the way. Like many others have posted about this and the similar MSC-400, despite how much tender loving care you give to the nonstick pot insert, it looks like it WILL bubble and flake over time.
BLACK+DECKER SC1007D Slow Cooker, 7 Quart, Geometric Cream
⭐ (1/5) | ✅ Verified Purchase | 653 found helpful | 2016-05-21
I bought this crock-pot as a birthday gift for a friend. Recently, she sent me pictures of how the crock-pot performed the first time she used it. I have attached those pictures below. The handle completely melted off and the second handle is about to do the same. I assumed this crock-pot would be of high quality, but it isn’t.
Breville Joule Sous Vide, White Polycarbonate, CS20001
⭐ (1/5) | ✅ Verified Purchase | 597 found helpful | 2017-10-30
Worked great for a while, then wouldn’t stay connected to bluetooth and then started having issues maintaining temperature. Called Chef Steps directly and because I bought it from Amazon they cant help me and because Amazon return period has passed, I guess we are SOL.
Crock-Pot 6 Quart Cook & Carry Programmable Slow Cooker with Digital Timer, Stainless Steel (SCCPVL610-S-A)
⭐⭐ (2/5) | ✅ Verified Purchase | 496 found helpful | 2013-05-10
When using my new crockpot to serve my tomato sauce and meatballs warm at a volleyball tournament fundraiser, I noticed that on the keep warm setting the sauce was boiling. I had to rely on unplugging it and plugging it back in. The other 5 slow cookers there all worked fine.
Hamilton Beach (33967A) Slow Cooker With Temperature Probe, 6 Quart, Programmable, Stainless Steel
⭐ (1/5) | ✅ Verified Purchase | 485 found helpful | 2014-02-26
I used this crockpot sparingly for about 9 months and was overall happy with its performance. One day I plugged it in and though all the lights were on and it looked like it was working it just wouldn’t heat up.
Reviews reflect user opinions. Every product has both positive and negative reviews — use your judgment.