I Can't Part With My Hamilton Beach Slow Cooker!

Everyone who knows me, knows that I am not fond of spending a lot of time in the kitchen, especially when it comes to cooking or baking. Since I work full time outside the home, and have a very active home life with two children both involved in various sports - I really do not have a lot of time to whipping up 3 course meals, or gourmet meals for my family. Instead I prefer staying with simple, easy to prepare recipes.

When my husband and I were first married, one of the first appliances we purchased was a small slow cooker. This slow cooker did not have a removable liner & was a real bear to clean and to cook in. Despite the fact that this appliance was designed to make meal preparation easy, it really caused me a lot of stress & grief in the kitchen. So once this slow cooker, finally "died" - I pretty much gave up on using slow cookers, at least for the time being.

Fast forward to last year, when my husband asked me what he should buy me for my birthday. Though I really wanted a new diamond ring to replace the one I had misplaced years ago, I decided to be practical and choose something that I really needed. So, I told him that I really needed a slow cooker, the kind that had a removable liner and that was big enough to hold a large stew or pot roast.

Several weeks later on the afternoon of my birthday, my husband handed me my gift. I had almost forgotten about my request for a slow cooker, and was somewhat disappointed that he handed me a large, heavy box - surely this box couldn't contain my diamond ring. <sigh> After prying the tape from the package that he had so carefully gift wrapped, I removed the gift wrap to reveal my new Hamilton Beach Hamilton Beach6.5 Quart MealMaker Oval Slow Cooker!

Immediately after opening the box, and reading the accompanying directions, I decided that it was time to put this slow cooker to use. Included with this slow cooker was a removable stoneware liner (white in color), a heavyweight glass lid for the liner, a white plastic "lid protector strap", and an insulated carrying case. Within several minutes of opening the box, I had the slow cooker all ready to go on top of my counter top in the kitchen. I quickly browned some ground beef on the stove, and after draining the beef, I added it to the slow cooker along with the necessary ingredients to prepare "sloppy joes" (one of my children's favorite meals). I was pleased to see that shortly after I turned the temperature dial to "high" that slow cooker already felt warm to the touch.

It felt great being able to simply place a few ingredients inside the slow cooker, turn the slow cooker on & simply walk away - knowing that in a short while dinner would be done. I like the fact that unlike my old slow cooker, this slow cooker features a large (6.5 qt) removable stoneware liner; 3 temperature settings (High, Low & Keep Warm); a lid protector to keep the lid secure during transportation or storage; and an insulated carrying case to keep the stoneware liner nice & warm during transportation.

The stoneware liner is very easy to clean, and although it is dishwasher safe, I prefer to clean it in the sink with plenty of hot water & soap. I have never had any problems with food getting stuck on the interior of this liner, despite the fact that I have left this slow cooker on for hours at a time without even stirring the concoction inside! This slow cooker is very attractive in design & in fact looks fantastic sitting out on top of my counter tops, though I do prefer to put it away as I don't have much counter space.

I have used this slow cooker many, many times since my husband first gave it to me last year. I bring it along with me every year during my employer's annual Thanksgiving Day Luncheon; I take it with me to family reunions & get togethers & have even brought it to my in-laws for my mother in law to use during a birthday party for one of her other grandchildren. Even after being used repeatedly over the past year, this slow cooker has held up to the use and abuse that my family has dealt it. I have not noticed any scratches or chips at all in the stoneware liner - in fact this slow cooker still looks just as good today as it did last year when my husband first bought it.

I highly recommend the Hamilton Beach Hamilton Beach6.5 Quart MealMaker Oval Slow Cooker to anyone thinking about purchasing a slow cooker or crock pot. This slow cooker is the perfect size for a small or large family, and would make a wonderful gift for the newlyweds or for a new homeowner.