West Bend 84966 Versatility Oval-Shaped 6-Quart Programmable Slow Cooker
by West Bend
List Price:
Our Price: $59.99
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Category: Kitchen
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Product Summary
Manufacturer: West BendBrand: West Bend
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Model: 84966
Color: Black
Product features:
- Programmable slow cooker with removable, oval-shaped, 6-quart cooking pot
- Cooking pot can be used on stove top or in the oven; base doubles as warming base and griddle
- 4 temperature settings--warm, low, high, and griddle; automatic shut-off after 24 hours
- Cool-touch handles; dishwasher-safe cooking pot and glass lid; recipe book included
- Measures approximately 10 by 14-1/2 by 9-1/2 inches
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Kitchen and Housewares Reviews of West Bend 84966 Versatility Oval-Shaped 6-Quart Programmable Slow Cooker
Customer Review: Not great for slow cooking
Summary: 2 Stars
My parents have a West Bend 84716 which I borrowed once to do some slow cooking on the low setting. I loved the result. I picked up this model because I like the fact that it will automatically switch to low when the cooking time is up. Unfortunately low is way too hot. I made the exact same recipe in this model that I made in the 84716 and the meat was all dried and hard. I did a little test with the 84716 and 84966 side by side just heating up 1 quart of water each and here is what I found. All my tests were performed with a Kill-a-watt to measure the power and the low temperature setting was used.
1. Once the 84716 reached it's desired temp, it shut off until it needed to heat again. This appears to be how it maintains it's temperature. The 84966 never shut off which would explain why it gets too hot. Possibly by cooking more in it, the unit won't get as hot as fast, but unless it turns off from time to time to prevent it from overheating, it'll just get way too hot to cook well on low. The only settings on the 84966 that appear to auto shut off are the warm and griddle settings.
2. I started with water that was 65F. The 84966 began boiling in a little under two hours, and by the time 2 hours rolled around, it was a nice boil, not a simmer. The 84716 never reached a boil. It only reached a good simmer and that was only after 5 hours.
3. According to Wikipedia, "A typical slow cooker is designed to heat food to 170°F (77°C) on low, to perhaps 190-200°F (88-93°C) on high." Here are the temperatures of the two slow cooker models I tested for the actual cooking surface using an IR thermometer. Granted that these temperatures represent how hot the heating surface gets and not how hot the food gets, this should just be used as a guideline to show the differences between the two units. If a surface doesn't get close to 212F, then it'll never boil and if it gets to hot then it'll cook too fast or burn.
84966 Warm 200-240F Low 295F* High 340F* Griddle 340-375F
84716 Warm 150-185F Low 210-230F High 245-285F
* The Low and High settings on the 84966 never turned off so the indicated temperature was as hot as the unit could get at the indicated setting.
If anyone is thinking that perhaps I purchased a faulty 84966, I thought the same thing so after cooking with it the first time and having bad results, I picked up a second one. I tested both units at the same time and they both had the same results. Either I got two bad units or they are just too hot.
If you're the type of person who prefers to cook food in a slow cooker on the high setting then you might not experience the same problems I did. I wouldn't be surprised if cooking on the low setting would be equivalent to cooking on the med or high settings so for those of you who don't cook on low, this might work out just fine. But I'm of the belief that a slow cooker should be used on low so things cook "slowly". For that reason I'm going to have to return this one and probably pick up the 84716.
Description of West Bend 84966 Versatility Oval-Shaped 6-Quart Programmable Slow Cooker
Home made meals are made easier with the help of the West Bend Slow Cooker, Just add the ingredients, select a temperature and return to a delicious ready-to-serve meal.Slow Cookers
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