The directions but not the box say this is not for cooking, but merely for keeping dips warm. On top of that, the cord is so short that use of an extension cord is virtually mandatory. It does not keep the food warm enough to meet the 140 degree minimum for warm foods to be safe. And the clinchers--you really have to warm the food first, and then put it in, and when you're done, the thing is an almighty pain to clean. Save your money. BTW, a discussion with Rival reveals that they believe in keeping all cords under 2 feet, so expect to have difficulties on all their products unless you have a very close outlet, and don't plan on taking it to a gathering without bringing an extension cord.