Rival 3040-VG 4-Quart Crockpot - I think you can do better

The Rival 3040 4-quart Crockpot basically does what it needs to, but not as well as it should. I made the mistake of not researching my purchase and of buying a slow cooker based on style. I ended up with a slow cooker that basically works, but has a few flaws.

I will start off by clearing up some semantics. This type of item is technically called a slow cooker and Crockpot is a brand name. The Crockpot brand was just so successful that the brand become synonymous with the product, like Kleenex or Band-aid. At some point Rival acquired the Crockpot brand. Despite the new parent, I still see many more Crockpot branded slow cookers than any other label.

How I chose
When my wife and I decided to buy a slow cooker, it was basically a time saving idea. With a baby on the way we were on the lookout for easy ways to have a decent dinner ready in the evenings. I looked at a few on-line and quickly found a 4-quart stainless model at Target for $25. 4-quart was no problem for me because I had no idea how big I really needed. Stainless really appealed to me simply for the style factor. It matched all the rest of my appliances. Finally, because the cost was only $25 I opted not to sweat the decision too much. After work I headed over to Target and picked it up. After nearly two years of use, I give it a C.

Likes and Dislikes
I have since learned what we really need and want and the Rival 3040 4-quart Crockpot falls short in a few areas. For starters, I wish we had gotten a larger size. The 4-quart size is OK for most things but our family is growing and the crock size is not. At 4 quarts I would say the Rival 3040 4-quart Crockpot is just large enough to cook the smallest of chickens. I wish that I had not bought the stainless finish. It may look OK, but who needs to display a slow cooker? When the slow cooker is on the stainless gets very hot to the touch. This is not only slightly dangerous but also inefficient since the cooker loses heat through the sides. The Rival 3040 4-quart Crockpot comes with a stainless glass lid. I am quite sure glass is the way to go, but when you are shopping look for a heavy glass lid. The whole point of slow cookers is that they are energy efficient so don’t buy a slow cooker with a ill-fitting or light lid that will bleed heat. I would rate the Rival 3040 4-quart Crockpot’s lid as average. This particular slow cooker offers two heat settings, low and off. This is pretty standard but if I had it to do over again I would get one with a warm setting. I have used my slow cooker to keep meatballs warm for a party, but on the low setting they are actually still cooking. If you leave them too long..... Yuck. The Rival 3040 4-quart Crockpot offers a round shape. I can see no draw back to this. One aspect I consider a plus is the removable stoneware basin with rinse-clean coating. In roughly two years I have had no performance issues with this slow cooker.

Conclusion
Overall I am generally happy with my purchase of the Rival 3040 4-quart Crockpot. I do think it has some flaws and I wish I had done some more research before making my purchase. At $25 I think this represents average value, but I would stay away from the stainless. Although the Rival 3040 4-quart Crockpot basically works, I would not recommend this particular one to a friend for the reasons mentioned above. I think the Crockpot brand is basically fine, but you can do a little better than this particular model.