Hamilton Beach 33675BV 7-Quart Oval Mealmaker Slow Cooker

I bought this crockpot after my Rival blew itself up (shorted out) in only a year and I decided I did not want to go Rival again. We are 4 big eaters and I thought this larger size would be all the better for my family. This crock is not for the faint of heart (or novice crockpotter). It cooks very fast and needs to be very full. I used to cook a 5 lb chicken in my old Rival in 8-10 hours, well 8 hours later in the hamilton Beach, I had chicken dust. It was almost comical. I lifted the chicken out of the crockpot and the bones remained. I should say that it still tasted very good - just the texture was very soft. If you're used to cooking in a smaller or Rival brand - you'll have to relearn all your recipes. On the plus side - it really simmers a fullpot of meat sauce or pot roast. No worry of anything being underdone with this baby. Crock pot experts go for it.

I thought this monster slow cooker would work well with my large family. I have used crockpots for years. Well the problem here is that it cooks too fast. The high setting is like medium high on the stove. The low setting is like almost medium high on the stove. I put five pounds of chicken in at 4 and by 8 I had very done chicken. I put a stew in on low when I left for work. Eight hours later....things were so done that I had mush. Yes I filled it up past the halfway point. Veggies get done without an isssue in this appliance.
I use this slowcooker now like an extra pot off the stove. On high, it will bubble and boil. I use it to put tomorrow's dinner in at five thirty in the evening. By nine that same night, I have a meal for tomorrow. I am just glad I did not give away my old crockpot. Sometimes you need the food to cook SLOWLY. This should be named the Spacious Extra Pot that can cook tons of food quickly. There is nothing slow about this appliance.

I and a friend have each owned this crock pot, the handles crack almost immediately. I cant believe the poor engineering of the handles. In fact, after she broke her handles under mild wear, on her first use, I was EXTRA careful, and carefully ported my new pot around by its base only, not even using the handles. However, after leaving the pot on for an 8 hour cook (on keep warm - the lowest setting), and then putting the (Hamilton) supplied rubber band around the top in the appropriate band notches, the handles just crumbled...

Ive seen complaints all over the web about handles cracking on crock pots. Someone need to invent a sturdy plastic handle that wont crack so easy.

In the meantime, if you like handles on your crock pot, steer clear of this one. They are for display only.