Customer Reviews

Hamilton Beach 33163 Stay Or Go 6 Quart Oval Slow Cooker

5 star:		(32)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

I have owned many slow cookers; all which were given to me, also they were typically hand me downs. This is the first cooker that I have actually bought. For me, this cooker does a great job, it does not cook any better or worse than the other cookers I have had, but it is larger and has a few nice features. 1, it has a sealed lid than can be tightly connected for travel (the other night we moved 5 quarts of hot pasta sauce to my sister-in-law's house. There was sauce all over the inside of the lid, but none of the sauce made it out). 2, It comes with a plastic spoon; nothing special about the spoon, but it attaches to the lid for travel. 3, there is a lid rest that allows you to set the lid to the side without setting it on your counter. 4, the side handles have a rubber coating , are securely attached and extend quite a way from the side of the cooker (which is good because it gets hot). This cooker did not come with the carry case, but there are versions that do. Those versions cost more than the $28.00 that this one cost me.

Some reviews go own about the cookers being too hot on the low setting. I put 4 quarts of water in the cooker. After 6 hours, the water temp was 208 degrees. I don't know if that is good or bad, but I don't think it should boil (212 degrees)on the low setting.

The cooker is roughly 13.5 pounds (on my scale)
I measures approximately 10.5" tall by 17' wide by 13" deep.

It cleans up well, the crock is removable and dishwasher safe. The exterior is stainless steel;I use a stainless polish on my appliances. The cord is not detachable.

I believe this is a great little cooker, it has Off, High, low, and warm settings. It does not have the fancy electronic controls and timers that some of the more expensive units have, but I kind of like the reliability of the switch style controls.

Perhaps the feet on the bottom of the cooker could be a little better than the protruding metal dimples. It slides very easily (maybe too easy) across the counter.

I was looking for a slow cooker to replace the Rival one I bought just a few months ago. The screw on my rival lid kept falling out and coming loose. We kept tightening it and finally, it broke and shattered everywhere. Seeing that lid design on all the other Rivals, I was pleased to find the Hamilton Beach lid very secure. It is a cool handle, has a place to store the ladle/spoon that comes with it. It also has a seal that you can secure the lid and take your food with you. Very cool option if you have a toddler who loves to "help" in the kitchen. I am very pleased with this purchase.

Summer, winter, springtime and fall this slow cooker is a mainstay at our house. The six quart size is fantastic for preparing foods for family and friends. We've fixed chili for 20 - just put it together in the morning and then let it simmer throughout the day. After slwo cooking in a zesty sauce barbecue is fork tender (spareribs are another favorite).
We especially appreciate the lid rest which makes stirring (and tasting) easy, as well as the lock feature that keeps the lid firmly in place while cooking. The handles are carrier friendly, and the cooker is dishwasher safe.

Thanks to this cooker we no longer shy away from feeding a crowd, and we're happy to do it!

- Gail Cooke

Over the years I have owned several crock pots and found they were limited in features. This one beat them all: 6 quart capacity, glass lid with gasket, lock down feature with large spoon cradle on top of lid. Other than low and high temp settings there is a warm setting. Just what you need when family memebers are on different schedules. What I especially love is the lock down lid, perfect for traveling! Excellent value here on Amazon.

I received one of the old original 3.5-quart Rival Crock-Pots as my very first birthday present from my spouse over 23 years ago; it's held up very well over the years, but the round shape and the size limited what I could cook in it -- which especially has become a problem as our kids became (hungry) teenagers. The Hamilton Beach Stay or Go had received some good reviews on Epinions, and I liked the features described, so I bought one (the model 33162, identical to this model except for a steel finish with black plastic trim) at Wal-Mart about a month ago (the cost ran about $1.00 less than the Target model here online). Thus far I have made meatball stew, sweet & sour meatballs, baked bean, chili, and chicken & dumplings in it, and they all turned out super. The rubber lid gasket keeps steam from escaping so well that I can barely smell the food as it slow cooks (I miss the nice smells, but it's better for the food, so I won't complain much). I forgot to put a slow cooker liner in once, and the crock still cleaned up easily (just having a removable crock is a big improvement over the old Crock-Pot, too). Just make sure the recipe you're using is suited to a 6-quart slow cooker (a lot of older slow cooker recipes are written for 3.5-4 quart slow cookers), and you'll be fine. I haven't taken a slow cooker to a potluck supper yet, but with this slow cooker, I'm tempted to. Consumer Search (in its recent updated "review of the reviews" of slow cookers) now calls the Hamilton Beach Stay or Go the best basic slow cooker -- and I heartily agree with them.

I love it! Have used it constantly for soups, chili and stews. Great to come home to dinner being ready! Very large too so good for parties. Great for Super Bowl ..order one and you won't regret it. The only thing I didn't like was the shipping charge of 14.00!!

This is simply the best slow cooker I've ever owned. It's generously sized, easy to clean, and heats evenly. The rubber seal on the lid prevents any condensation from bubbling out and staining the outside of the base. Although I don't forsee myself transporting lots of dishes for potlucks, the latching mechanism is a nice bonus. If you are replacing an older model from either Rival or Hamilton Beach, check their websites for recall information on some models. The handles break. Even though the recall offers a new base, I'm still glad I purchased this larger model. The price is unbelievable for the features and quality, I highly recommend it.

This is my first slow cooker, but I am no stranger to cooking and I love this product. Easy to use. Lock-on lid and cleans up easy with a lift-out center. Comes with a ladle, and though it doesn't have any fancy timer and little extra gadgets I don't really need them. I'm happy with this product over all.. and dishwasher safe!!

As for the users who've said this cooked too fast...the slow cooker has to be at least half full to cook properly, so it isn't the products fault, it's the cooks fault. This product does exactly what it is supposed to.

Wish it came in colors!

I got this just before Christmas because I needed to take things to holiday parties. It worked great! I've used it several times a week since. Unfortunately I'm going to have to replace it. I was washing it and dropped the crock on my brick floor, shattering it! ;( But I'm replacing it with the same thing. I'm going to go tomorrow and get another HB Stay and Go!

"fan" that was probably my review on the All Clad Slow Cooker ($149.00) that fizzled out after a few uses. I returned it, and because of the excellent reviews on Amazon, I too bought the Hamilton Beach Stay/Go model, and I am so glad that I did. I have used it about 7 or 8 times with great results. Whenever you make a recipe for the first time, you never know (with any slow cooker) how long it will take. This one has cooked in a much shorter time than some recipes and a little longer in others, and so far I have only used it when I am home and can keep an eye on it. However I did make oxtail soup overnight and it took the 12 hours that the recipe said it would.

Prior to using it for the first time, I checked the temps of both the high and low settings with plain water and an instant thermometer, and both were within the correct ranges. It is a breeze to clean, much lighter than the All Clad. It is a very simple cooker, only high, low, and warm, set with a dial - no bells and whistles.

I always stir after the first two or three hours and a few times while it is cooking. As a cook, it is very hard for me to just 'set it and forget it'. This may add a few extra minutes to the cooking, but I can't imagine that it is very much. I have made soups, osso bucco, lamb shanks, and a few similiar type meat dishes.

The only things I don't like about it, hence the 4 stars, is that it is so light that it moves very easily on my counter and I have to be very very careful when stirring. Also the little black rubber feet leave marks on my counter, which are easily cleaned, but still a nuisance.

Since it is shipped from Target and is not stocked in their stores, the shipping was about half of the cost of the cooker - bringing it to about $44.00. I would have loved it even more if it was just $29.99 from Amazon.

Excellent value - no need to pay five times as much for a good cooker.