HomeSmall AppliancesToaster Ovens / ToastersMaxi-Matic MST-800V Elite Gourmet Large 8-1/2-Quart Slow Cooker, Stainless |
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61 of 63 found the following review helpful:
 Elite Gourmet 8.5 qt. Nov 16, 2006
By Allen White
We have a family of 7 and required a larger crock pot. This one is excellent as it holds twice what we could normally get in our old crock pot. As the exterior is stainless steel, it does get hot. But the upside is that the cooking time is about the same if not better than with the smaller pots. Definetely worth the investmest if you are cooker for larger groups.
136 of 149 found the following review helpful:
 Garbage Feb 11, 2008
By R. McAdams
I should have listened to the negative reviews here, before I bought this. First of all, it does not hold (inside the volume of space available in the ceramic "cooker" part, 8.5 quarts. When you leave the rim clear for the lid, it BARELY hold 8 quarts. I did a water test with a 1/2 gallon milk carton to measure this.
Second, and most importantly, this thing is NOT a "SLOW cooker!" It is a FAST cooker! I followed all directions, I read the manual, and then I put together our family chili recipe and put it into the "slow cooker" to simmer until morning, thinking that in the morning, I would discover well simmered chili. Nope.
I filled the ceramic portion, leaving about an inch from the rim, as the instructions tell you to do, having to alter my recipe to do so. I left the cooker on low, on a stable surface, not heat sensitive, and away from all disturbances. In the morning (about 5.5 hours later) I awoke to a "slow cooker" which had BOILED the food, and caused it to OVERFLOW the confines on the ceramic "cooker" part, onto the counter, over the lid, and even into the space between the ceramic "cooker" part, and the heating base under it. This created a huge mess, and almost inedible food.
I have since cleaned the thing as best I could, and contacted Amazon for a return label. This hunk of junk is going back to the store. I will try a "slow cooker" from another brand and see if I get better results, because this thing is not a "slow cooker." Just to be sure it wasn't a fluke, I put just regular water into it, left the same amount of space as I had with the chili, and set it on low, and went to go do some house work. About 3 hours later, the water was BOILING, and steaming, and overflowing the "slow cooker."
Save your money for a different product by a different manufacturer.
65 of 76 found the following review helpful:
8.5 QTS? NOT!!! Jan 17, 2007
By J. Hoffman
Got this last week, cooked a first batch of chili yesterday, and this thing is going back. Why?
1. When you make a batch of soup, have a known amount for dinner and put the rest in standard containers to freeze, you find out the actual capacity of the slow cooker. This thing is between 6.5 and 7 quarts max.
2. The crock is a loose fit in the base and has to be carefully centered or you get "hot spots" where the crock is too close to the base. On the "hot spots" you get boling and sticking.
3. I don't know what this fad with brushed stainless steel is about, but my experience years ago in a commercial environment was reinforced by this cooker. Brushed stainless steel mars easily and is difficult to clean without marking. And this thing gets hot!
14 of 14 found the following review helpful:
 Cooks well, poor manual, could offer additional features Nov 15, 2009
By A reader from NY
I've been using the Maxi Matic MST-800V Elite Gourmet 8-1/2 quart slow cooker for about 2 weeks now. The good:
--Relatively low price.
--Big capacity means lots of leftovers for tomorrow.
--Cooks well.
I recommend this product, especially given the price : value ratio. It's worth it. I couldn't find any other slow cooker this large at a similar price.
What would make it a five star cooker?
The following:
--The glass lid and the ceramic insert have gaps when one is on the other. Sometimes steam escapes through the small gaps, drying out the food. However, there is a specific combination of lid in one direction that fits better. I put stickers on the "good side" of the lid and the handle of the ceramic insert. When I match the stickered sides prior to turning it on, no steam escapes. Manufacturing the product so that this defect doesn't happen would be better.
--An instruction manual that explains how the features actually work. For instance, the device as a "defrost" setting, yet the manual does not explain how this setting works. How long does it take to defrost by weight? Who knows. What temperature is the defrost setting at? Who knows.
--A "keep warm" feature. So that once the food is cooked it can be kept warm until time to serve. Perhaps the mysterious "defrost" setting is also a keep warm setting, but, again, who knows?
--The ability to set a timer and have the device go from say "high" to "keep warm" after X hours.
--A built in meat thermometer (ok, maybe I'm dreaming, but...) that would ensure the device switches off when the interior of the meat reaches X degrees.
If anyone reading this review understands how the defrost setting works, please add a comment and explain what you've learned. And if anyone from the manufacturer is reading this: a) fix your manual and b) comment here in the meantime to tell us how the defrost setting works.
Given these issues, it's still a 4 star item. If you're looking for a large capacity cooker at a good price, purchase this item.
Thanks.
11 of 11 found the following review helpful:
Great Product For the Price Jan 21, 2010
By D. Schanz
My husband purchased this slow cooker for me for Christmas. Our family of 7 had outgrown my previous crockpot and I had asked for something bigger. I couldn't believe the size of the thing when I took it out of the box! This crockpot will hold anything I could possibly want to cook in it. The shape makes it possible to put odd shaped pieces of meat in it without having to maneuver it all around like a round crockpot sometimes requires. Other reviewers have commented about different features they would like to see, but for the price, it has a good selection. The defrost feature is nice as it cooks frozen meat at a higher temperature until thawed (for safety reasons) and then drops the temperature down to low. (The owner's manual says you could also cook frozen meat on the high setting safely, but the defrost setting is handy if you want to really slow cook a piece of meat but don't want to have to bother remembering to turn the temp down when it is thawed.) Others have commented on it cooking too hot for a slow cooker. All I can say is that I have used it the same as I have always used a slow cooker and have had the same results. Most recipes call for 4 hours on high or 8 on low. I haven't had any problems using those guidelines. Some have commented on the cover not fitting tightly, but I haven't had that problem, though it is a set on fit and if moved to one side or the other, the cover will allow steam to escape. It is a nice glass cover and not plastic which in my mind is definitely a plus. I don't have any recipes that would require me to fill a slow cooker this size right to within an inch of the top, so I haven't experienced any problem with overflow. I've been very happy with this so far. It's a nice slow cooker with a nice price tag.
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