Customer Reviews

Hamilton Beach 33966 Set 'n Forget 6-Quart Programmable Slow Cooker

5 star:		(30)
4 star:		(9)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(26)

 

 

I LOVE this slow cooker. The meat probe means I can make a roast that can be medium or medium well, not nessecarily cooked to a lump o mush. I love that you can cook on "manual" mode like a traditiona slow cooder, or you can use the timer and once the time is up it will automatically keep the food warm on warming mode, or you can set a temperature for doneness for the meat probe and then the slow cooker will switch to keep warm. Doens't cook overly hot and is able to cook perfectly even when the crock is only half or 3/4 full.

Before purchasing this, I was a bit concerned by some of the reviews. So, I read the instructions carefully and kept the box in case it needed to be returned. The box is going in the trash since I've used it for two weeks and multiple times with different recipes including a roast. I use it for both the family meals and to make homemade dog food. Those who have problems switching to the automated crockpot may have assumed that it works the same as the old technology and skipped the directions. First off, it does need to have sufficient liquid in it which the manufacturer explicity says in the directions. Secondly, the "low" is probably higher than the old low but there is an easy fix. If you use the timer, it switches down to "warm" after the cooking time is over. So, if you know it is going to be a full 14 hours until you eat the meal, set up the cooktime for LESS than if you were going to pull it out on time and let the warm continue to slowly cook it. Everything comes out perfectly that way. The probe works great and so does the manufacturer's suggestion of putting the meat on top of onion slices to give it a space underneath for juices etc. Mfg doesn't recommend frozen but I've simply allowed extra time and used the probe once the meat was thawed enough. This is nice enough that I've considered getting a second one for large get togethers. Or, maybe getting one to set it aside as one of my "emergency presents" to be tucked in a closet.

I was absolutely in love with this slow cooker for the two weeks that I've had it. This was going to change my life! I cooked a gorgeous beef roast for an unhurried evening meal, made overnight oatmeal for a relaxed breakfast and decided to use it for a stew today. I'm expecting 4 overnight guests and the thing is DEAD! It won't power up! I plugged it in 3 different outlets and even called customer service hoping there was some fancy reset button I had missed. Well, I guess once in a while the programmable ones turn up faulty - I'm quoting the customer service person here. So, I have a stew bubbling away merrily on my stove and am a few hours behind on getting ready for this evening. But. . . .having said all that - when I return this baby to Costco (sorry Amazon) I'm going to turn right around and get the same model once more to give it another chance.

This is the best slow cooker that I have ever used. The programmable feature is superb. Most other programmable slow cookers only allow you the choice of either: 2 - 4 hours on low or 6 - 8 hours on high---no mix and match. This one allows you to program exactly as you need. Nice design also and very roomy for meats. You won't be disappointed.

I love this slow cooker! I've had it for about 6 months and it cooks great! I put my ingredients in the pot in the morning before I go to work and I come home with a cooked meal! Doesn't get any better than that! I love the different cooking features on there like the amount of hours and the desired temperature set, I highly recommend this product!

I was going to buy a unit that switched to warm after cooking from Wal-Mart but came home and found it had horrible reviews, so I looked to see which units had good reviews and found this one - not only does it go to warm after cooking, it has a probe!

I've cooked about 6 meals in it so far, including a corned beef from frozen, put it in with water and 12 hours later on low it was one of the best corned beefs I've had in a while! Tried a Pacific Pork Roast recipe from [...] in order to test out the probe (I'm very cautious with pork and loved the fact it had a thermometer for it). It hit the temperature and then went to warm which was good since my kids didn't eat till 9 at night. Any other crockpot and this would have been way overcooked and dry.

I highly recommend it. I was a little concerned about the fact that there is a hole in the lid where the probe goes in and what that would do when the probe isn't being used, but so far it is just fine, I haven't noticed any impact on the liquid in the unit. I just really love this unit. I'm going to get one for my daughter for her birthday, and one another friend for Christmas.

I was going to buy a unit that switched to warm after cooking from Wal-Mart but came home and found it had horrible reviews, so I looked to see which units had good reviews and found this one - not only does it go to warm after cooking, it has a probe!

I've cooked about 6 meals in it so far, including a corned beef from frozen, put it in with water and 12 hours later on low it was one of the best corned beefs I've had in a while! Tried a Pacific Pork Roast recipe from [...] in order to test out the probe (I'm very cautious with pork and loved the fact it had a thermometer for it). It hit the temperature and then went to warm which was good since my kids didn't eat till 9 at night. Any other crockpot and this would have been way overcooked and dry.

I highly recommend it. I was a little concerned about the fact that there is a hole in the lid where the probe goes in and what that would do when the probe isn't being used, but so far it is just fine, I haven't noticed any impact on the liquid in the unit. I just really love this unit. I'm going to get one for my daughter for her birthday, and one another friend for Christmas.

The lower temp does not burn your food. I cooked for two days in it and was very satisfied with the temp on high or low. Good purchase.

Aside from the fact that the handles feel flimsy when I pick it up, this is a wonderful product. It does a good job cooking the food. The probe works well, switching to "warm" mode when it reaches exactly the temperature I've entered. I'd give it 5 stars if the handles were sturdier.

Update:

5 April 2008 - Dollar for dollar, best on the market. ***** 5 stars now. Originally I gave it three because it mysteriously shut itself off once when I first used it. I've used it a lot since, it hasn't happened again, and I highly recommend the thing now.

Pros:

- Temperature probe, program, manual modes
- Nice crock
- Does a great job "slow" cooking
- Extremely easy to use

Cons:

- None for me

I've used it five times since and it has performed flawlessly, better than any other crock I've owned. I use the program mode to cook roasts now, and the probe to re-heat leftovers. That's an incredible feature because you can re-heat food to a foodsafe temp and not overcook the item.

Buy this thing at $39.99 from a retailer you can take it back to, just in case. I would give it 5 stars now, but apparently you can't change the original star rating when editing your review.