Nice product, like how the cord wides up inside.The button/knob broke i didn't know that was possible . overall good for the 1st and only time I got to use it .We were excited to receive our Double Oval - Crock-Pot and immediately opened it when it arrived.First Impression - Plastic. The colors may look metallic, but the entire base is made from a hard plastic. It gives it a very poor quality feeling. I suppose we expected aluminum, at least. We've never owned a plastic covered Crock-Pot.The cord is crimped and twisted inside a cavity on the underside, which I can only wonder at the insulation of when considering how hot this entire thing gets. It does not self-retract, as some have questioned. I also did not see that it said it would anywhere in the product description. This means stuffing the cord back in by hand. Not as simple as it sounds either.So, how does it work, right?It certainly gets hot. Like anything you plug into an electrical socket is capable of doing. This does it extremely well. So well, in fact, that you will wonder why there isn't more insulation and begin to ponder at when the plastic casing might begin to melt. The bottom, as others have mentioned, gets hot. Also the sides. The front. The back. This is not safe to touch by any means and it might even get hot enough to scorch your counters. We had placed it on our glass-top stove, after reading other reviews, though that isn't exactly an ideal place for it's purpose in serving for parties.Does it cook, though?Given time, plenty of time, it will cook. This holds in the heat, as well as moisture, to keep things simmering right along.As a serving dish, this is a grand idea, since ideally you're just keeping food warm.Do I sound like a dissatisfied customer? That may not be the case yet. We're going to try it this Thanksgiving as a serving dish, placing a heat pad beneath it and moderating the temperature. We may even test it out on a spare piece of linoleum from the garage, just to see if it would be safe above it. After that, I'll return to update this review..Update: 12/02/2015I've increased my rating to 5 Stars on this product. Honestly, I should have updated this quite some time back. My initial skepticism has been washed away. We've used these numerous times for keeping meatballs and other snacks warm for parties, including Thanksgiving and Christmas.Looks are deceiving and I'll admit the overall plastic design threw me. It does get too hot to move around once you've got it going, but that's nothing to be surprised at. There certainly is no burning plastic smell about it, which is immensely pleasing.While I haven't found any use for it as far as cooking, it does great service at parties for simmering sauces or keeping treats nice and hot. In fact, I'm starting to think I need a second one to pair together!If you love to entertain, slow cookers are very handy gadgets. Crock-Pot, the original slow cooker manufacturer, shows their innovative side once again with a fantastic new line of slow cookers - the Hook-Ups!What sets this line of slow cookers apart from the rest is that you can connect up to six of them together, using only one electrical outlet to power all six. Fantastic! No more power strips sitting in the middle of the buffet table, or worse - dangling off the side.There are currently three different models, each with a different capacity, but all of the units are the same physical size so that they fit together neatly when using them together.The 1-quart model actually has two 1-quart bowls, which is quite useful for serving two different dips at once. I used it for Taco Night, serving a meatless queso dip in one bowl and another queso with some browned hamburger meat added.The Hook-up slow cookers are shallower than the traditional ones, and I find that it is easier to dip from these. Of course, this also means they are a little wider and they do take up a little more real estate on the table.The stoneware bowl is removable, making for easy cleaning. Both the bowl and the lid can be washed in the dishwasher, a bonus for me.I bought the Bought these to be used in a chinese auction because I own the 3 piece set and love it. The smaller size is perfect for gravy and my family loves their gravy! I use both of the crocks for gravy and never again have to get up to refill the crock during dinner. One of the nicest features of this unit is that you can cook as well as keep warm...so if I make my gravy in advance I can just pop it in the crock, right from the fridge and set it on high to warm it up and then lower to warm to maintain. I love the way the units lock together and that I can buy additional units and use up to (8?) units locked together. They stack together really nice for storage and for the reviewer that said that they don't stack...read the instructions, you have to put the smallest unit on the bottom for it to work...feels counterintuitive but it works. These crocks are oven save so you can cook in them and then just put them in the unit to maintain warmth. Because of the locking chain of units, my buffet table has so much more room than it ever did...that surprised me. There is also an indent for spoons which saves me from having to put a small plate in front of the warmer, which means less dishes to wash. These units have made my big family dinners more enjoyable and I spend more time with my family and less time fussing with the buffet table. I got these at a warehouse deal but I would easily have paid full price once I realized how valuable they were for my functions.While my item did NOT arrive in time for me to use for Thanksgiving Day extras, I did think it was really cute. I think it may have been too small the crocks, but I am sure someone would love it all the same.We use these slow cookers at our restaurant. Maybe not commercial quality or durability but the system and various sizes work great for our needs.They work great for buffers etc.Damaged product, nowhere to submit truthful review.Cadeau très apprecieLo mejor de mis comprasGreat product.