Hamilton Beach 33141 4-Quart Oval Slow Cooker

Comment: I have had this slow cooker for about 4 months. I am an occasional user. I waited to write a review because I wanted to use it enough times to have an informed opinion. I also waited because of all the negative reviews from owners who had been using one for more than three months.

Pros: Simple, very easy to use, just the right size for a small roast, cooks just as advertised, oval shape, cooking elements in the sides instead of the base, nice design, great value.
Cons: No indicator lights of any kind, no timer, no automatic shut off, no programmable cooking options, no digital read out, no notch in the bowl for a remote thermometer probe.

Sometimes less is more. This cooker does not have any bells and whistles, but it does a good job of slow cooking a roast, and there is little to go wrong. There is no timer, automatic shut off, programmable cooking options, LED indicators, or LCD readout. While you may think some or all of those missing options are essential, I've found it to be very easy to use, and it works just great without any extras. It occurs to me that this simplicity makes this cooker more reliable. Gee, I may be stuck with it for a long time. The only change I'd make is to have at least one LED to indicate that it is on and working. Then again, after a few minutes, I can confirm it is on by touching the metal side. If it's starting to get warm, it's on. One other change I'd like to see, which would not affect the simplicity, is a small notch in the rim of the bowl so that I could insert a remote thermometer probe.

Speaking of the metal becoming hot ... well, duh! Yes it does. The reviewers who complained about this are like the person who complains because the coffee is hot. You won't need the observation skills of Sherlock Holmes to note this cooker has nice big plastic handles which stay at a comfortable temperature for handling. It seems like the other major complaint from reviewers is the on/off/temperature dial. Maybe this has been revised, or maybe we were lucky and bought a good one, but there isn't the slightest evidence that it is cracking, warping, or about to fail. Like the handles, though the dial is warm to the touch after 10 hours of cooking, it's far from hot. I've had zero problem with water leaking from the lid while cooking, but then, I did read and follow the instructions.

The four quart size is perfect for a couple or a small family. 2 to 3 pound roasts fit comfortably, and we shoe horned a 4 pound rib eye roast in, but I'd say a 4 pound roast is about the limit. The oval shaped bowl is much more suited to the oblong shape of most things you are likely to cook in a slow cooker. Whether you buy this cooker, or another one, I'd suggest you put an oval shape at the top of your wish list.

I was skeptical about this cooker and almost passed it up because of the negative reviews. So far, I am glad I took a chance. Recommended.

Comment: This slow cooking crock pot, is a gift from Christmas. I have seen it in the store, and found it to be a great and helpful appliance. It cooks very well, and is easy to clean up. I believe this product to be an asset to anyone's cooking equipment, or utensils.

Comment: This is a very nice crock pot, I bought mainly to make up rotel dip when I have company over and for that it works great. The only problems I have with it are:

-The "Keep Warm" setting will still keep it awefully hot and at times have thought it needs to be a little less and was afraid it may burn the cheese. It probably is just right but for me I have thought about turning it off so it wouldn't burn. The lid also does get very hot still on this setting but this is minor.

-The knob broke, I have read other reviews and found this to be a common problem. I fixed it with super glue for now but it doesn't look as nice since I tend to get a little messy whenever I use super glue.

My parents really liked this cooker when they saw it and I was going to buy them one but I'm not completely convinced if this is the one or not. Really the knob is the main concern, the high heat level on the keep warm setting is not a problem but I just felt it should be mentioned as well. I'm going look around some more before I decide but this is a good cooker for the money and have had it almost two years now with no series problems.

Comment: I've used this product twice within the 30-days that I had it. Both times, I was pleased with the results. You only need minimal water and food/soups cook up nicely for a group of 4. The bowl removes easy and cleans just as easily. Non-stick surface. Handles do not get hot. Excellent product for what little money I paid for it.

Comment: BUYER BEWARE: The you can only cook about 2 1/4 quarts of food in the 4-quart model. It holds 4 quarts to the top of the pot, 3 quarts to the rim of the pot that the lid sits on, and about 2 1/4 quarts, or less, of food that you can cook. If you have any questions on how much food the unit can cook, call their Customer Service at 1-800-851-8900.

The heat settings work well and the temperature knob has not broken yet, although it has only been used a few times.