Black & Decker TRO480BS Toast-R-Oven 4-Slice Toaster Oven Review

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(More customer reviews)We looked at a number of ovens and wanted something that did the basic things and didn't take up too much space. No convection (we have a convection oven) and no digital - its just a basic appliance. We looked at the B&D 240 but this just seemed too basic and too flimsy. Then we saw this one. It has all the basics, it's a good, small size and its silver / black which matches our kitchen. It has 3 controls (as compared to the basic model w/ 2) making it easy to select temp, function and time. The handle is securely attached to the glass door -the metal ends wrap around the glass so it won't fall off (a complaint about other ovens). It has a nice slide out crumb tray that has access from the front with the oven door close - this makes it very easy to empty. Nicely toasted our first bagel in just a few minutes and it was very evenly browned, something our regular toaster did not do well at all.
Pros
Gets hot fast
Basic controls work well
Easy access crumb tray
Even toasting and heating
Cons
Not many
The top and sides do get hot so don't store anything on this!


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Perfect as a second oven or as an energy-efficient alternative to turning on the full-size oven, this countertop appliance offers a large capacity with a curved interior that can fit a 9-inch pizza or toast up to four slices of bread at a time. Use it to toast, bake, broil, and keep foods warm until they're ready to be served. Its user-friendly control panel consists of three knobs. The top knob adjusts the temperature up to 450 degrees F, the middle knob selects the function, and the bottom knob allows for setting the timer up to 30 minutes or choosing continuous "on", as well as selecting the shade setting when toasting bread or bagels. The unit also features a quartz heating element and 1200 watts of power to ensure fast, professional results, plus a dual-position rack for added versatility. Other highlights include an "on" indicator light, a see-through glass door to monitor the cooking progress, a convenient bake and toast signal bell, and a slide-out crumb tray for quick cleanup. A baking pan comes included. With its sleek design, stay-cool door handle, and stable feet, the toaster oven measures approximately 12-2/5 by 18-8/9 by 15 inches.

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Crock-Pot 38501-W 5-Quart Round Smart-Pot Slow Cooker, White Review

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(More customer reviews)I'm an engineer, not a cook, hence the appeal of a crockpot (I can't boil water without burning it...)
I had an old Rival crockpot that worked well for many years (manual, round, and small). It broke, so I bought a 5-quart Smart-Pot at Costco this past weekend. I noticed it ran very hot (top of outside WILL burn your hands if touched!), so decided to test it.
I filled the unit 3/4 full of water and placed it on the high setting (4 hours) and measured the temperature after several hours with a thermometer. Water temperture was about 215 to 220 degrees F. I then repeated the process for the low temperature setting, but the temperature was about the same!
This disturbed me, so I placed a Kill-A-Watt (very handy device to measure electrical power consumption and wattage for electrical devices) between the pot and the outlet. Sure enough the unit draws the same power on the low and high settings (about 245W). Occasionally on the low settings the unit would pulse the power (this is probably how they get the lower temperature; by modulating the power, rather than using separate, and more expensive, heating elements in the manual units). The problem is that sometimes the low setting does pulse the power, and sometimes it does not. Even on the warm setting I found that occasionally the device will draw the maximum power without pulsing. It is apparent to me that they have a controller problem with the SmartPots that is overdriving the temperature. The units themselves run very hot, and I wonder if the excessive temperature causes controller problems.
I am going to return and try another one, but I suspect I will get precisely the same results, in which case I'll avoid the Rival brand entirely. This is an obvious problem that many people have complained about over the past year or so (viz. the comments), so they have either a major defect, or severe quality control problems, both of which shoudl warrant some kind of response from them. I am disappointed. If the second unit works correctly, I'll post on my success.
Interestingly, Rival makes a separate controller for an older crockpot to allow timing and temperature control (same idea of pulsing the heater current, and varying the duty cycle to change the effective heating capability --a perfectly legitimate approach), and it is inexpensive ($13-$15 on the street).

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Rival's Smart-Pot 5-quart white oval crock-pot

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