Slow cookers are my friend in the winter and the summer.

I have become quite the fan of slow cookers.  In the winter it is great to come home to a nice warm meal.  In the summer I love to be able to cook a home cooked dinner without heating my whole house as an oven tends to do.

I purchased this slow cooker after wearing out the previous one I owned.  When looking for a slow cooker I kept my eye out for a 4 quart.  That size seems to be a little less common.  I found several in the 3 quart range and then several in the 5 to 6 quart range.  With a family of 4 I have really liked the 4 quart size.  I was also looking for an oval one.  I like to cook roasts in the slow cooker and they seem to fit better in the oval cooker.

When I came across the Hamilton Beach slow cooker I thought I had found what I was looking for.  I like the design.  The outside has a brushed nickel finish with black handles.  The handle design is unique itself as itcurves down and then back up to the other handle. 

The crock is removeable as I think all are now. The crock itself is also black.  I like that but have found one draw back.    After years of use with my previous slow cooker that had a white crock, there was some discoloration.  I was excited about the fact that I wouldn't have to deal with that.  The crock and the lid are dishwasher safe, but I prefer to wash them by hand.  After using it and making a delicious meal, I washed it by hand.  After it had dried I came back to put it away and found I had missed a big spot.  Because it is black, I couldn't see where I had missed.

The lid is glass.  I do prefer that to plastic.  I have never had one break and I have owned and do own my share of slow cookers.

The slow cooker does have four settings on it.  One of them includes off.  There is also a high setting, a low setting and a keep warm setting.  I do like that there is a keep warm setting so that food is not over cooked.  I found that the high setting warmed up rather quickly.

Overall I have been impressed with my purchase.  I really like using slow cookers and anticipate using this a lot.