Hamilton Beach 33956 Set 'n Forget 5-Quart Slow Cooker, White

I bought this after my larger sized Rival had the handle come off of the lid while cooking. This seems to be a much better made cooker. I love the probe function, which allows you to cook until the meat is done then automatically warm without second guessing. The controls are easy to read and push. I tested the unit and it heated to the proper temperatures for low and high. No overcooking or handles coming off. I predict if Rival continues to sell cheap junk that HB will soon become the number one slow cooker, a worthy rival to Rival.

Ok, so I should have looked at Amazon and the ratings before this product ever entered our home.

However, that won't stop me from helping others, who read these reviews, from being duped by slow cooker companies' empty rhetoric.

Allow me to quantify a problem with this cooker:

You can set the probe to a low temperature of 140 and that is good. HOWEVER, this cooker's "Warm" setting runs at a temperature of 180 (I tested mine this morning, after ruining a nice cut of slow cooker meat).

Here is the reason why some of us have posted that these cookers are cooking too hot: Meat proteins, which contain moisture, start to shrink at a temperature of 140-150 (see "On Food and Cooking", Harold McGee, page 163, 2004) and causes the meat to start drying out.

You CANNOT set and forget! If the cooker's temperature is 180 on the warm setting, then whatever you put in the cooker will come up to a temperature of 180, at some point...Read more

I bought this for myself because I wanted a programmable crock that would automatically turn to warm when finished. But I got much more than I had expected. I've used the probe and it cooked my chicken perfectly. And I love that the lid will seal if I need to transport a meal to a pot luck dinner or something. In the past, I would have to worry about everything spilling out, but not with this because it has such a great seal on it.
I also bought this as a gift for my brother and his large family. We were all amazed at how much we could cook in this. So, it works great for a large family. The directions do recommend that the crock is filled for best results or expect it to cook faster if it is only half filled. That may be why a few people on here had their food cook too fast. I haven't had a problem with that at all. Would recommend this for anyone and I got on sale, so good purchase for the money.