DeLonghi DCP707 Stainless-Steel Programmable 5-Quart Slow Cooker
- Just set it and go with the 10-hr digital countdown timer; perfect for long work days or busy days running around with the kids at sports practice
- Enjoy the ease of the servable ceramic bowl, take it straight to the table, so there is less to clean!
- You can take pleasure in the ample counterspace you'll still enjoy with the sleek compact design
- Feed the family or even a whole dinner party with the 5-qt capacity
- Be sure that you will always cook food at the perfect temperature with high and low settings and a 2-hr keep warm function
Cuisinart PSC-650 Stainless Steel 6-1/2-Quart Programmable Slow Cooker
- Programmable slow cooker with removable round-shaped ceramic cooking pot
- Simmer, low, and high modes; 24-hour programmable cook time; auto keep-warm; cord storage
- Brushed stainless-steel housing; glass lid with stainless-steel rim; cool-touch chrome-plated handles
- Includes cooking rack, recipe book, and instruction book; dishwasher-safe lid and ceramic pot
- 3-Year limited warranty
DeLonghi D895UX Cool-Touch ROTO Electric 1-1/2-Pound-Capacity Food Fryer
- Electric food fryer with non-stick interior and 1-1/2-pound capacity
- Adjustable temperature; digital timer; mesh basket rotates to use less oil
- Exterior handle for raising/lowering fryer basket with lid closed; viewing window
- Oil-drain system ensures easy cleanup; dishwasher-safe parts; 2 filters included
- Measures 14-3/4 by 12 by 9-1/2 inches
Slow and Easy: Fast-Fix Recipes for Your Electric Slow Cooker
Slow cookers are incredibly popular among home cooks, and with good reason -- easy to use and cost, time, and energy-efficient, slow cookers are an ideal way to get dinner on the table fast. This book will provide slow cooker aficionados with expert advice on choosing the right slow cooker, tips on ideal foods for slow cooking, and of course, a wide range of great-tasting recipes.Whether you're a busy working parent cooking for a family or a hostess preparing make-ahead appetizers for a party, there's no question that the slow cooker makes preparing any meal quick and hassle-free. Haughton includes chapters on Appetizers, Dips, and Drinks; Soups and Chowders; Pasta and Pasta Sauces; Chicken and Turkey; Beef, Pork, and Lamb; One-Pot Meals; Vegetables and Sides; Breakfast and Brunch; Preserves, Chutneys, and Salsas; and Great Slow Cooker Desserts. The huge range of recipes highlights the versatility of the slow cooker -- there are 253 recipes in all, for tempting dishes such as Hot Artic
Tagged with: 5Quart • cooker • DCP707 • delonghi • programmable • Slow • StainlessSteel
Filed under: Espresso Machines
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Good solid slow cooker.,
I’m a guy and have done only basic cooking and even less with a slow cooker. So please take this into account.
I purchased this cooker even thought it had no reviews because most of the other cookers had such a wide variety of star ratings . . . I took a risk . . . and I’m not disappointing.
This slow cooker is all metal, except of course for the lid which is tempered glass and the pot which is ceramic or whatever they are made of. Even the handle on the top of the lid is metal as are the handles on the side of the cooker and seem very solid. None of this cheap plastic with a shiny silver coating stuff. The pot itself is obviously heavy and durable; and the handles on the pot are conveniently placed and formed making it very easy to lift out of the cooking container without burning yourself even when completely full.
The electronic controls are very easy to use with the typical warm, low, medium and high settings and a two hour automatic warm setting after the cooking cycle is finished, and a push of the timer setting button will increase the cook time for 30 minutes while in the cooking cycle. The LCD panel for the controls lights up when any of the buttons are pushed to make reading the settings easier and an icon of a cooking pot turns on once the slow cooker is actually cooking.
This slow cooker is very attractive and would compliment most any kitchen. The overall impression of the slow cooker is that it is of high quality and sound construction. I am looking forward to many years use of this slow cooker but if any problems crop up during the next several months I will edit this post to let ya’ll know.
So far I have cooked a whole five pound chicken which cooked to perfection in eight hours on low, and a roast which also cooked to tender perfection in eight hours (even though it wasn’t a high quality cut).
So in conclusion I would highly recommend this slow cooker on the basis of the limited use I have had with it cooking two meals.
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|Great slow cooker!,
I bought this slow cooker after owning several versions of the Rival crock pot. I had no complaints about the Rival, but I LOVE this Delonghi! Received it before this recent spell of winter storms to hit the Mid-Atlantic and it has been working ever since! The programmable aspect is easy to operate and the 2 hour warming after cooking is a great bonus feature as well! So far I have made soup, pot roast, a chicken dish and a batch of beans in preparation for the Super Bowl. LOVE, LOVE, LOVE this slow cooker and worth every penny! Buy it, don’t hesitate!
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|Easy to clean, great food!,
I had a rival slow cooker for the last 10 years. After I couldn’t use it anymore, I bought this one. I use this to make marinara, roast, stew, etc. Its has been great. Sometimes I wish it were bigger, but really I don’t need it to be. It has two settings high and low and you set the number of hours you want to cook. After the cooking time it has an automatic 2 hr warming time.
Dishwasher safe!
I definitely recommend.
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|Excellent choice for a truly useful appliance,
We have had this slow cooker for three months, using it twice a week. So far we are very satisfied.
In researching our purchase and reading numerous reviews, we found that the Cuisinart generally received positive evaluations. There were a few negative ones, but obviously we discounted them and went ahead with the Cuisinart anyway. Some reviewers criticized it for overheating food, but overheating in a slow cooker is usually a sign that the pot was underfilled. A good slow cooker should have the power to heat a full pot to over 200 F, so it should come as no surprise that the heater can boil a low pot. The Cuisinart instructions specifically warn against underfilled pots, and we have had no overheating problems with even half-full pots.
We have not had this cooker long enough to comment on durability. Contrary to some opinions, our impression is that the Cuisinart is a solidly constructed, well-designed appliance, made with high quality materials. No sign of a lemon here.
We use our 4 qt cooker to make meals for a family of four. We debated whether to get a larger size, but in retrospect we realize that a one gallon pot holds more than enough for our family.
Programmability was important to us, and we like the userfriendliness of this unit. A few reviewers have lamented the lack of a delayed start program, but a feature that encourages you to leave raw food at room temperature for a prolonged period did not sound that desirable to me. The cooker will automatically switch to a safe warming mode in case you are not around at the end of the cooking cycle.
A cookbook is included, but most of the recipes are one or two steps beyond the convenience of a mix-and-go meal. We have bought cookbooks with simpler recipes, and have been happy with the results.
There are other slow cookers that will perform the basic tasks competently for less money than the Cuisinart. For the extra cost you get programmability, a nice appearance, superior quality, and a few unexpected extras.
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|Well-designed and fills the right niche,
I bought the Cuisinart PSC-400 because I wanted to expand my cooking skills into the realm of slow cooker convenience–but at the same time, I wanted to avoid the wonderful varieties of bland, gray, tough, and mushy disappointment that slow cookers are so famous for.
I previously owned 2 slow cookers, both Rival Crock-Pots. One was the original cylindrical model (with the crockery that didn’t detach from the base); the other was a more recent 7 qt. oval model. I never made anything good in either one. My last effort in the large oval cooker was to try (repeatedly) to make beef brisket. The results always came out bland and stringy.
Then, about 100 Alton Brown and Gordon Ramsey shows later, I was ready to return to the challenge of slow cooking. This time, I was armed with better information:
1) Apart from stews, meats like dry heat. Avoid slow cookers for brisket especially. But if you have to slow cook meats, place them above the vegetables and be sparing on the liquid content.
2) Avoid filling a slow cooker only 1/2 way. Try to fill it at least 2/3, or you will likely overcook your food.
3) No color, no flavor. If you cook any meats, poultry, etc., always brown them first in a skillet, if possible.
4) Herbs are a mixed bag. Most dried herbs have diminishing flavor in a slow cooker, whereas fresh/undried herbs will tend to produce more flavor than you’re used to.
So I looked for a slow cooker that I could use for my experiments. It had to be small enough so I could fill it up without wasting too much food on bad experiments, yet large enough to get at least a couple of useful meals for my wife and I. It had to be tall and narrow, so I could control the wet and dry portions (layering the food) and prevent overheating if I did want to cook a smaller portion. It had to have preferably three or more temperature settings so I could find the right one. And it had to be safe to leave unattended all day or all night.
The Cuisinart PSC-400 not only fit all of the above criteria, but its automatic warm setting, ease of programming, retractable cord, and good looks were a bonus. Most importantly, of all the slow cookers reviewed, this one appeared to have the highest consensus that its heat settings were appropriate. I found this to be the case as well. “Low” really means low. And “high” is still below the lowest simmer I can achieve on a gas stove. Since there are three cooking settings (not counting the “warm” setting), you shouldn’t have any problem finding the right one. Also, according to the manual, the heating elements wrap around the side for more even heat distribution. I think one would be hard pressed to find another slow cooker for the same price with all of these features.
After buying the Cuisinart, I downloaded 8 recipes from the Food Channel site and got busy. The initial disappointing results led me to the following conclusion: either these famous TV chefs never tasted their own slow cooking, or slow cookers are just too different to use any recipe without significant changes. (Yeah, ok, or I can’t follow a simple recipe. I’ll let you decide.)
But I persevered, and by the time I got to the last few recipes, I was improvising more, with better results. I made a stewed pork dish by first searing the pork in a skillet, along with onions, peppers, etc., then transfering to the slow cooker with just a little broth. The result was flavorful and tender–similar to carnitas.
Eventually, my wife wanted to try out the slow cooker. She has this pork rib soup recipe that she stove-cooks at a good boil for 3 hours. It’s one of her best dishes. In order to duplicate her results in the slow cooker, we tried the high setting for 8 hours. The results were perfect! We now use that 2.5:1 ratio as a guide when converting other similar recipes.
Being aware of the comments on this site that some people found the slow cooker to boil and rattle the lid, I wish to report that this never happened for me, even when cooking on high. Let me be precise: that pork rib stew did bubble at a low boil by the 8 hour mark, but never excessively so (the cooker was full, not half way).
I have one more successful cooking story I want to share. One of the aforementioned Food Channel recipes had resulted in a dry, stringy, flavorless chicken, despite the fact that it had been cooking on low for 6 hours, submerged in broth. So I made it my personal goal to duplicate the most moist and tender poached chicken I’ve ever eaten: Hainan style chicken. And I’m happy to say I’ve cracked the code: 2 1/2 hours on high for 6 thighs + 3 breasts. I layered the chicken and other ingredients to within 1/2″ from the rim, with two breasts on top (meat side down), then filled with liquid up to the top layer. (Note that the manual says not to get closer…
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|A happy convert,
My very old slow cooker is rarely used. It has no keep-warm setting and is huge. It was a gift. Since there is only two of us, this was just not an appliance that I reached for. Then I found some really good cookbooks for smaller units and with much more interesting recipes than the old dump ‘n run versions with ingredients like the ever present cream soups. Those older recipes were too high in salt and fat for us. These newer books recommended tailoring the crock size to the recipe. I needed a smaller unit.
After agonizing about multiple choices, I chose to go with truly modern features. What I have come to like the best is being able to set a specific time and having it automatically move to warm until I am ready to serve. This really came in handy a few days ago when my husband and I were delayed 2 hours getting home.
I have read criticisms about the temperatures being too high. If you read the intros of modern slow cooker cookbooks, they emphasize that newer cookers try to run at temperatures that ensure food safety. This one has an automatic aspect in the first 30 minutes that brings food rapidly up through temperatures into the safe zone before settling down on either the high, low or simmer cooking setting. This stage could be misunderstood as being too high if you have not read the manual. Advice: Use simmer for making soups.
This does mean that some older recipes may need adjusting. But of the recipes we’ve tried from the enclosed recipe book, as well as from two excellent cook books (Not Your Mother’s Slow Cooker Recipes for Two: For the Small Slow Cooker OR Art of the Slow Cooker: 80 Exciting New Recipes everything has come out beautifully. Some have been done on low and a couple have been done on high, whichever was called for. Both settings worked well.
This 4 qt size has turned out to be the most versatile for us. The crock cleans up very well. Be sure to read the instructions about not rapidly changing the temperature of the crock with either cold ingredients or when washing it.
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|One Small Problem,
This is a great little fryer, but because of its limited capacity, it would be difficult to use for a family more than 2, in my opinion. The fryer works fantastic and I only have one complaint. There is an area on the rear of the fryer that collects oil and is difficult to clean. Imagine opening the lid and having all the moisture run to the back hinge of the lid. The oil that collects doesn’t get into the rear hinge, but it collects in a small crevice that should be easier to clean. It’s a small nuicance though since the fryer really works great; it wouldn’t prevent me from purchasing it again. Also, the top does detach from the base which makes it very easy to clean, I just throw it in the dishwasher after I clean around the rubber seal. You can also throw the basket into the dishwasher and it comes out looking great as well.
This is in regards to the reviewer who said the fryer has poor performace with battered foods. If you put your battered items in the basket and then drop it in the oil and don’t stir it, then yes, you will have a mess as he says… However, this is easily worked around with one of two methods…
1. In order to cook battered foods successfully, you need to drop the basket in the oil first, and then place/wade your battered foods in the oil. This may sound a little dangerous, but if you’re gentle, it’s no problem at all. Emeril uses this method all the time on his show when he is frying a battered item. I’ve done it many, many times and have never had a problem, and I batter A LOT of foods. Now, with this process they will still stick to the wire basket as he mentions, but it is MUCH less. Once the item is in the oil you can use steel tongs to move it a bit to keep it from sticking. As long as you do this in the first few seconds, it won’t stick at all and the rest of the frying goes flawlessly. If it sounds hard or like a lot of work, it isn’t; it’s actually quite easy. I batter shrimp, veggies, & oysters, and even though they do get a little stuck sometimes, it’s nothing major, and it certainly does not “destroy” the food as he mentions.
2. The other method that I’ve used a lot is to not use the basket at all. Sometimes when I want to make a Blooming Onion I will need to remove the basket so that I have enough depth to the fryer so the oil will cover the onion. I am able to fry a medium onion that is battered, but it is a tight fit. In order to get the onion out, I use an “All-Clad Stainless Skimmer” that I bought here on Amazon. It works perfectly for fishing stuff out of the oil when you’re not using the basket, but any similar device that isn’t flimsy would work well too.
One other thing regarding the oil. If you’ve never purchased large quantities of oil in the grocery store, look to see the prices…it tends to get expensive very quickly. Before I purchased this fryer, I read the reviews about it saving oil and how great that was. Well… that wasn’t a big selling point for me at the time, but now, whenever I have to fill up my fryer and buy more oil, it’s the feature that I love most. I really does save A LOT of oil. You can even drain the oil into the included container and put it in the refrigerator to reuse later on.
——-4 years of use update——–
I can’t believe I’ve been using this fryer for 4 years! Now that I look back on this purchase, I can firmly say that I’m a VERY satisfied customer. The fryer still performs flawlessly, and it continues to see a lot of use. It’s really a well-built unit, unlike some of the less-expensive models I’ve seen. I had some friends that wanted to buy a fryer after they saw what things I was able to cook in mine. They didn’t want to pay the price for this fryer, so instead they purchased a less-expensive model. Well, the one they ended up getting was less money, but it broke after about 18 months; they are now on their second fryer. So, not only have they now spent more on fryers, but they also spend more on oil because their model does not have a tilted basket.
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|Great for first time fryers,
I have to admit, I had wanted to get a deep fryer to make my own french fries for a long time, but had the fear that sometimes goes along with one, such as the fear of cleaning up and the fear of safety. After buying the DeLonghi Fryer and using it for the first time, my fears quickly went away. This must be one of the easiest fryers on the market to clean and it’s not a chore to bring it out to use it, knowing that you’re going to have to clean up the mess afterwards. I’ve done quite a bit of frying in this fryer – french fries, sweet potato fries, donut bits, fish and battered veggies. I have not been disappointed with anything that I’ve made. The quality has been really good. If you’re like me and you’re afraid to get a fryer because of the cleaning factor – this is the one to get. You can’t get anything easier to clean than this one. I also love the fact that this one uses less oil. Let’s face it, deep frying isn’t exactly health food, but the tilt system they use on this fryer to use less oil does help to eleviate the guilt a tiny little bit.
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|Neither Slow Nor Easy,
I’ve owned a crock pot for approximately 30 years, and I find it invaluable for a few things, like beans, certain soups, and pot roast. However, this means that most of the time it sits there unused, and I thought surely there must be more I could be doing with it than checking every so often that the lid is stored partway off the liner.
So I read through the reviews and decided to buy this cookbook. While I can’t fault the author for her sincerity and desire to (a)expand uses for the slow cooker and (b)streamline wherever possible, I just didn’t find that the recipes and techniques were really any simpler or faster than stovetop or oven cooking.
If your vision of crock pot cooking is “throw the stuff in before I leave for work and then take it out when I get back,” this is not the cookbook for you. Only a tiny fraction of the recipes cook longer than a few hours. To me this does not make sense, since I could cook them on the stove in the same amount of time and with, quite frankly, a better flavor. The crock pot’s major limitation–that stews and soups come out watery and insipid–is very apparent in this comparison. The recipes that I tried had this problem, and one (polenta) didn’t turn out at all.
Another problem is that each recipe calls for a different size or shape cooker. So if you see a recipe you like, you must read carefully, and then, if necessary, scale back the ingredients to fit the size cooker you have. My arithmetic is good, but calculating quantities to 2/3 to fit a 6-quart recipe in my 4-quart cooker isn’t something I really want to do when it’s time to assemble a recipe.
I would say if you are interested in using your slow cooker in a greater variety of ways, and you are home all day to make recipes that only cook for several hours, this book might be for you. If you were hoping for a bunch of new “set it and forget it” recipes, then this is definitely not the book you want.
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|slow pot cooking,
I enjoy cooking with the slow cooker. This is an excellent book with many easy recipes. If you like good, easy to put together, meals this is a good cookbook to have on your bookshelf.
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|A New Culinary Adventure!,
“Slow & Easy” has been a fast-fix for my family’s mealtimes, which had hit the doldrums of SOS “Same-Ol’-Stuff”. Now, armed with our first slow cooker [an oval 6-Quart Crock Pot SCCPTM600S with manual settings] and this cookbook, we have a spirit of adventure in the kitchen again. Who would have thought of doing Ginger Bread in a slow cooker?! I did the Pot Roast, too, and bought Cauliflower today to do the curried Cauliflower with potatoes and peas. So many interesting recipes to try! Beautifully designed and printed book. This like any other cookbook depends to a certain extent on the ingredients used; for example, the first time I did the whole chicken recipe (doing one chicken, not two), it came out beautifully — almost like oven baked. The next time I used a different brand whole chicken, which apparently had a high water content, and it turned out a non-appetizing boiled mess.
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