Customer Reviews

Hamilton Beach 33133H 3-in-1 Slow Cooker, White

5 star:		(29)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(5)

 

 

I am very happy with this, but it is enormous. With the handles, it's 15.5" across - i wasn't expecting anything that big. So keep that in mind when you factor in where you plan to store it. But it operates very well, have not had any problem at all with overheating, which seems to be a major complaint of many brands and models, and have tried it with several recipies using the 2- and 4-quart size bowls. On Target site, multiple people complined that it stopped working shortly after purchase. That worried me, but so far I have been lucky, and it's working fine.

This slow cooker is the very best, with crocks in multiple sizes and heat settings that range between high and warm. The heat source is extremely reliable and calibrated for typical slow-cooker recipes. As mentioned by other reviewers, it is a fairly large unit, but the big handles make manipulation easy and safe and it is worth the trade-off.

One reviewer mentioned that the heat calibrations were too high - I suspect that may have been the fault of the individual pot or, possibly, the user did not recognize the additional buttons on the front of the mechanism to set which pot size you are using. Additionally, they commented that the heat source was bottom only, not all around - that is typical of slow-cookers. They rely on the heat-diffusing nature of the crockery for evenness of heating.

I have had a number of slow-cookers over the years ranging from the most basic of 1970's era "Crock Pots" to expensive and high-end slow-cookers, and this one is my hands-down favorite.

I bought this 3-in-1 slower cooker because I like the idea to have 3 different pots. I was skeptical at the beginning because the base did not cover the whole 6 qt. pot, in another word, it did not have the wrap-around heating feature. I cooked a soup in the 6 qt. pot last night and it proved that I was correct. The soup was burned at the bottom and the sides that were against the heating base. When the slow cooker was set at low setting, the soup was boiling. Besides, the edge of the heating base was very hot which could be dangerous.

My Hamilton Beach 3-in-1 slow cooker in white arrived with a hole in the lid. Yep- an actual, clearly manufactured little hole in the glass lid.

An email back from the Hamilton Beach customer service said that the hole in the lid is intentional and designed to prevent a vacume from occuring between the glass lid and the ceramin pot insert, and affirmed that the cooker is calibrated (their word) for the hole in the lid.


I will say this product heats VERY quickly, and the exterior does get seemingly litigation-worthy hot. A small warning is stenciled in pale ink on the sides of the cooker base part about the hot surface.

The metal leads of the handles are super, super hot when the loaded slow cooker with the crock insert is working. Don't think you can nudge the cooker to another part of the kitchen island by just any part of the handles - you really gotta use the cushion part of the handle or you'll get burned.

Being that the cooker base is mainly aluminum, the base and its handles do cool down fairly quickly after it's all unplugged.

I will update this review when I learn more of how the cooker really operates. Just wanted to post this now so others won't be surprised as I was by the hole in the lid, unlike earlier and other crock pots with solid glass lids.

My mom asked me what I wanted for Christmas, and I told her I wanted a crock pot. This is the one she gave me, and I am absolutely thrilled with it! The multiple bowl sizes are such a great concept. The unit heats up quickly, maintains a steady heat, looks nice, and cleans up easily. It even comes with some really yummy recipes. I've owned other crock pots in the past, and this is by far the best. I've been telling my friends about it and they all want one!

Not a good product. Cooks too fast on low stew will cook in 6 hours instead of 8. Chicken in 3 hours instead of 5. Should only be used if you are home and can watch pot as it boils. Never had a slow cooker this hot.

Have tried all 3 bowls all the same cooks too fast. Have never used high only use low. DO NOT PUT ON FOR THE DAY..

Marianne in Florida

I saw this model at a local Target when I purchased the Hamilton Beach 6 quart programmable slow cooker. At home, I checked the reviews on line and returned to Target within a few days to purchase it. It truly is a SLOW cooker, and after more than four hours today still is not boiling my stew. It did really well on chili and other meals too. This will replace several slow cookers in various sizes that I have, and saving space in a small kitchen is icing on the cake. What a wonderful idea this is! I love it!

I received a Rival Crock-Pot Rival 38501-W Round 5-Quart Smart-Pot Crock-Pot, White as a wedding gift 3 years ago and was sadly disappointed. I never ended up using it more than a handful of times because the thing would get far too hot for a slow cooker and end up charring the food. A recipe that was supposed to take 10 hours to cook on low would start burning at 6-7 hours. This defeats the purpose of a slow-cooker!
I finally chucked the thing, did some research, and ended up getting this one based on the good reviews. I couldn't be more pleased. It hasn't come close to burning and works beautifully! I love the 3 sizes to choose from because often a 6-quart pot is just too big. I love setting it to cook before I go to work and when I come home having a delicious hot meal ready to go! This is what a slow-cooker is supposed to be! Thank you thank you Hamilton Beach!

The Hamilton Beach 3-in-1 Slow Cooker is great. I mainly purchased it due to there being only 2 people here to cook for now. It allows me to make small portions for the two of us or larger portions if family or friends come to visit. At first, I was skeptical of the 'odd' design of the slow cooker with it having a good portion of the bowl not being 'wrapped' by the base. The temperature of the food is well within accepted guidelines.

I have already used it a number of times. I was really impressed with the dried pinto beans I cooked. This is the first time I have been able to get the 'soup' to thicken in a slow cooker and turn out more like what I cook on top of the stove.

As another reviewer stated, make sure you have storage space for this as it may not fit in the same storage space of a slow cooker you are replacing. The 3 bowls will all stack into the base, but that may end up being higher than the space in your cabinet.

Would I buy this again? You bet I would.

I have had this slow cooker for over a year and have used it several times each week. It's still going strong. In fact, the split pea soup currently simmering in the kitchen should be ready soon.

The 3 crocks cover all the bases - I always have the right size for any recipe. I'm a vegetarian and don't need an oval crock to accommodate meat with bones, but for some folks this may be an issue. On a few recipes, food has burned in spots at the bottom of the stoneware but it comes off easily with a short soak. Since I work from home, I turn the stoneware 90 degrees every couple of hours so the hot spots aren't in the same place all day. The round shape is an advantage when turning.

I wouldn't trade this slow cooker for any other on the market.