Elite Platinum by Maxi-Matic is a small two-quart device that is best for making individual meals or for cooking snacks or side dishes for a party. It is a basic unit, so it doesn't feature as many conveniences as other slow cookers, but it can provide tasty dishes and easy clean up. Since the bowl is wider than it is narrow, it is easier to scoop food out of it than it is for other similarly sized slow cookers.
This small slow cooker created deliciously tender beef in our beef stew test, while allowing the vegetables in the stew to maintain their own flavors. Our taste testers loved the results of this slow cooker, even though there wasn't as much to go around.
In our evaporation test, this device lost 13 percent of its water after running on high for four hours, which is pretty average. But then it also lost 10 percent of its water after running on low for four hours, which is pretty high. This means that you'll want to make sure this device gets plenty of liquids to keep your food from drying out.
We conducted internal temperature tests after running the devices on high for four hours and then again on low for four hours. When on high, the contents of this device reached 200 degrees, while it reached 180 degrees on low. These are good temperatures, since they are warm enough to keep your foods safe, but varied enough between the two settings to provide different cooking results.
We also measured the temperature of the device's exterior. It measured 129 degrees above the settings knob and 149 degrees on the sides near the handles. These temperatures are on the lower end of spectrum, so while they are still hot, they aren't as likely to burn you as some other devices.
We liked that the bowl was oval shaped, being wider than it was tall, which made it easier for us to stir and ladle out our food.
This little device only weighs 4.6 pounds, making it the lightest slow cooker in our comparison. Since the unit is so small, it is easier to carry, and should fit inside a cabinet relatively easily.
Unlike the Crock-Pot SCR200 – the other two-quart slow cooker we tested – this one offers a warming setting. This means you can prevent your food from over cooking while still keeping it warm. Since this slow cooker is a manual device, you will need to keep your eye on the clock or set a timer on your phone to avoid overcooking.
You can find this device in two colors: red and stainless steel. This makes it easier for you to match the cooker to your kitchen.
Elite covers it with a one-year warranty, which is average for larger slow cookers and seems fitting for this one. Oddly enough, at the time of our writing, this device costs $30 brand new and about $27 on Amazon. That's about the same price you'd expect to pay for a decent four or five-quart slow cooker. You can easily find similarly sized slow cookers, like the Crock-Pot SCR200, that only cost as much as $10 on sale. The high cost of this unit makes it a less than ideal choice for college students and single adults.
You will find that this device comes with an instruction manual, however, there are no accompanying recipes.
