Crock-Pot SCCPMD3-CH Hook Up Connectable Entertaining System, Oval 3.5-quart, Metallic Charcoal

Great Concept - Needs Improvements
This is very cool design. I love the concept of connectable crock pots, particularly for parties or holiday dinners. Unfortunately, the negatives on this product outweigh the positives for me.

Pros:

1. You can have multiple dishes cooking and/or keeping warm while only needing one outlet.
2. Nice design and easy to clean.

Cons:

1. The cord is supposed to be retractable, but mine doesn't work. I have to force the cord back into the opening, and it doesn't pull back out smoothly.
2. The entire unit gets extremely hot. The base is roughly 10 inches by 12 inches around, and the crock pot sits in the middle. The base gets very hot all over. I sit it on my stovetop, and the base throws so much heat that my stovetop is hot enough to cook on. I would not place this on a table without a potholder or pad underneath the protect the wood. It might not even be safe for some kitchen counters.
3. Because the base gets so hot, I don't think...

The smartest crockpot I've ever used!
This crockpot is very nicely designed to be used as part of a custom-assortment of cooking-warming products. You can mix-and-match this one with others in the product line - Crock-Pot SCCPMD3-Oval 3.5-Quart, Crock-Pot SCCPMD1-Double Oval , 1-Quart, - to create a custom buffet line! Each unit plugs into the others via an electric port in the side, the final one in the line then plugs into an outlet. Great for parties or potlucks! The other units in this line are great for larger meals (the 3.5 quart) or for dips or sauces (the double 1.5 quart) so you can mix-and-match them to meet your needs for all sorts of different entertainment situations. In the past the closest thing you could get to this system was a monster like this: Crock-Pot SCLBC300-BS Three 1-1/2-Quart Trio...

A for concept, C for reality
For someone who entertains very small groups frequently this might be a handy product for everyone else probably not so much.

First off, I only have the one piece so I can't really comment on how well it actually works while connected. The concept is neat. I love the fact you only need one outlet to use it.

What I did find was that at 3.5 quarts the crockpot is really too small for most party style or family usages. It would work to keep sauces warmed or if you only need to feed 2 or 3 people maybe but for larger gatherings it would be a wash. At least a 5-6 quart crockpot would be much more useful.

Also unlike my normal crockpot which stays cool to the touch on the outside, the outside base of this one gets pretty hot. It is okay on my granite countertop but I wouldn't consider putting it on a table or even a laminate counter. That also decreases it's usefulness in my opinion.

Bottom line, while I think this could be improved to be a great...

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