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

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...Read more

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.