Posted by krisla123 on Oct 8th, 2008 at 6:31pm
Dial on West Bend slow cooker
I have had this slow cooker for years. # 1 is very low, for most slow cooking I use # 2 or about in the 2 1/2 area for long, slow cooking of roasts, etc. If you use the higher numbers, like 4-5, you can fry hamburgers or grilled cheese or anything for that matter. It works great. Sometimes I take just the base to work with me to heat something up. It's great for leftover cold pizza. Keeps it crisp and make the cheese melty again and hot. THe high numbers on the dial would only be used to make a pot of chili hot. It heats quickly, you can get it hot on 5, and then turn it down to 2 to keep warm for a long time, till everyone gets home. I think the numbers 4-5 were designed with this crockpot mostly to use the base separately to "reheat" or fry, and it does heat quickly on 5. Hope this helps. I've used both pieces for everything I make at one time or another..