The Rival eLume Programmable Crock Pot slow cooker is a very appealing kitchen appliance. The stainless steel exterior is quite something and seems very easy to keep clean of any smudges and fingerprints. Rival added a nice touch with the eLume's handles: they seem to be made of metal but have a silicone coating that makes them easier to hold and safer than with earlier models of similar size Rival crock pot slow cookers. Phil tells me that the black stoneware crock liner is very easy to wash and doesn't seem to leave any residue after cleaning. He said that that has been a problem with other black crock liners that he has used in the past.
The digital programmable feature is easy to use and set and lets you choose the hours and minutes for each available temperature setting; once the eLume crock pot auto-switches to the warm setting, it begins to countdown from 4 hours to let you see just how long your food has been kept on the warm setting. Some kitchen cooks might be annoyed by the fact that you have to turn the eLume slow cooker off and then back on again to change from the High to Low setting but this is not really a big deal. The eLume's digital touch controls make it easier to keep the front of the unit clean, however, as is common with digital controls on any appliance, they are somewhat difficult to see in a brightly lit area. Honestly though, you will probably find this to be a minor hinderance considering how sleek the crock cooker looks and how convenient the touch controls make it to use the appliance.
With regards to its performance, the eLume cooked very well, according to Phil, and the slightly larger 6.5 Qt size of the crock size was suitable enough for him to prepare a 4lb meatloaf and even a whole chicken. The eLume came with a recipe booklet with over 80 recipes, hints and tips. If I recall, Phil told me that he tried out the Lemon roasted whole chicken recipe as well as a fish recipe and a beef stew recipe. All turned out very well. Overall, the Rival eLume slow cooker was apleasure to use.
