- - Zisha Slow Cooker 1L - -

Note: I have not yet actually got to using the pot but have two important points that need to be made even before I use it: (1) I was extremely surprised and put off to discover my cost for the little pot had a plus 50% "shipping and handling" add-on over base cost. (2) Considering high cost of regular shipping, I was very dismayed at the poor quality of the shipping container: none! The depot just slapped a shipping label on the boxed pot and hoped for the best. Fortunately, (and surprisingly) the pot arrived without undue harm (as far as I can tell so far, anyway).For the record, I like the appearance and apparent quality of the pot itself- it seems sturdy and well-made, and is the perfect size for me: a single bachelor who will use it for soup concoctions.Last, but not least, problem: The pot comes with a beautifully produced little recipe book (great pictures of delicious looking food!), but alas, it is entirely in Chinese, which I do not read. And that's the real problem: there are a few lines of pseudo-English directions found in a small, mostly Chinese-written pamphlet within the box. And before anyone gets their nose self-righteously bent out of shape that I would complain of a Chines product not have a translated instruction- note that almost every American made product has at LEAST one, if not more translations included. If you want the foreign trade, you make the translations. You can't have it both ways.Most of my problem is with the fact that the included "English" lines of instruction DO NOT seem to match up well with the Chinese glyphs on the pot itself. And there are NO translations in the booklet for the actual meaning of the heating levels inscribed on the pot! Are the heating levels "low-to-high" as they would be in the west, or the opposite? There are three heating levels on the pot, but only two mentioned in the English directions. Is one of the levels on the pot the "auto" level discussed in the instructions, even though the instructions themselves say this size pot has no "auto" setting?Since the one thing that is stated clearly in the English instruction is to avoid over-heating that can damage the pot, I think a clear description and translation of the heat-level glyphs inscribed on the pot aren't just "a nice to have", it's rather critical.For this transgression, I can't give the little cooker any better than three stars.

I love cooking with zisha clay. My 6-quart slow cooker is too big for some recipes. I bought this one as it is the perfect size for single portions with some leftovers. I don't read Chinese but the controls are like any other slow cooker, so it was easy to figure out. When my original arrived, the interior pot was in pieces. Don't know how that happened because it was well packed. The exterior and the lid were fine. The seller sent me a replacement pot and my unit works fine.

It is not slow at all. I tried several times, all ended up burned in just several hours! It potentially could be dangerous. If you try to cook soup in it for just 1-2 hours, you better watch it carefully, the soup may boil very vigorously and flood out even if you add liquid to barely full level, it you try adding just a little liquid (1/3 of the total volume) , it get burned easily. In general, it is a dangerous pot.

I like this little cooker. It does a great job making delicious soup. The only thing is that it's a bit small. So if it's for one-two people then it's ok, more than that then you need to buy a bigger size.

I love this crock pot because it does not have any lead in the crock part. Unlike other crock pots coming from China that have high levels. This crock does cook a little hotter than others. I mainly got it for cooking Pinto beans which I soak overnight before cooking. I just keep an eye on it and add water when necessary not a big deal. This will cook 2 cups of Pinto Beans to perfection.