One of the best gifts I got was my Hamilton Beach 5 quart slow cooker and I use it at least once a week. Of course my family agrees because of all the great meals they enjoy. Hamilton Beach makes good, high quality products which make it easier to make good meals with less work. We live in a small apartment with minimal kitchen space, so every appliance has to be essential . The Hamilton Beach slow cooker is essential to me and makes my work easier. When I us the slow cooker I have more time for myself for other things and the in itself is a gift. Whenever I use the slow cooker I think about my son who gave it to me. Now, I cook a lot more with less work so everyone gets the benefit of my gift. I welcome any other Hamilton Beach small kitchen appliances as gifts. Perhps the only way to improve on this gift is to include a cook book especially for the Hamilton Beach  5 quart slow cooker and maybe some spices too. Cooking Performance I am not a good cook, but with my Hamilton Beach slow cooker even I get compliments. Ease of Cleaning Quick, easy clean-up. Durability Thisslow cooker replaced one we had for fifteen years !!

marcelle1944

Hazleton, PA

I love my Hamilton Beach slow cooker! I can't say enough good things about it, it has cooked many meals for my family and shows no signs of wearing out. Pros: - Removable crock: The crock removes from the base so you can easily put your leftovers in the refrigerator. This also makes cleaning a breeze as the crock is also dishwasher safe. - 3 heat settings: You have three heat settings so you can have a bit more flexibility. Keep warm, Low, and High - Long cord: Now, this may be subjective but I find the cord on this crock pot to be longer than normal. T Cons: - Lid: My lid has discolored over time. I don't know what has caused it as I wash it regularly along with the crock. It just has a brownish look to it despite scrubbing. - The heat settings are a little on the high side. Even on the Keep warm setting, it still burns food if you're not careful. After awhile, you do end up getting the knack of its heat settings and plan accordingly. I love this crock pot!

AmyKipping

Bethel, MO

Im new to cooking, and yet I always find something to make in my slowcooker, something that i know will be VERY hard to mess up. it works great, it gets super hot! I love that i can put the band around the top and it hold the lid on very secure and I can take my food out of the house.

contarin

Las Cruces, NM

This 5 quart slow cooker has become a kitchen staple in my household more so in the colder months but usable year round. It is easy to use - just plug in in set the heat add the ingredants and there you go.  The high setting can be a big much so i would not recommend leaving on high if your going to work or school for the day as the cooker can scorch and the low setting produces enough heat its good for the workday or overnight cooking project.  The clean up of the cooker and lid is easy and i have not had to scrub my hands off trying to remove cooked on leftovers.  only annoyanc with the model is it somehow acqured a dent early in its life with us but the functionality has been superb that the cosmetic flaw is nothing at all in the big picture.  The glass lids scares me that I will drop it somday but so far luck has been on my side.  My meals have continued to come out tasty and warm just the way I wuld like.  I hope this remains in our kitchen for some time.

joysclind

San Bernardino, CA

We started out with a little 2.5 quart slow cooker which was great for soups and most food items, but after a while it was starting to seem a bit small.  We found this Hamilton Beach "Meal maker" 5 quart slow cooker and have not looked back. We are able to do roasts, casseroles, soups, chilis, desserts, breakfasts, all with very little prep time and clean up is even easier.  Warm, delicious meals without worrying about the stressful hours between afternoon and evening.  Combine that with a breadmaker and dinner is done! There are so many great cookbooks just for slow cookers now, with everything from all from scratch to only a few ingredients you can buy and throw in.   I like that once the food is done I can just put it on keep warm.  I like that it has both the low and high settings, and OFF.  Some slow cookers don't have off, but it's a nice little feature that you can turn it off without unplugging it.  I love that I can remove the crock itself to wash and soak without harming the slow cooker.    All in all, I highly recommend this slow cooker if you are looking for just a great meal prep help tool.

atvtnv

Kansas City, MO

I have had my Hamilton Beach Slow 5 Quart Slow Cooker for 8 years now (may be slightly different than the model on here). I LOVE it! I use it several times a week since at least in my opinion I am a busy mom.... The spring is when it comes in incredibly handy! I am a high school softball coach, and when I am out of the house until late in the evening (I have a little drive back home) then I am thankful that I have thrown a meal in there! I cook everything from roasts, soups, taco meat, desserts, ANYTHING that you can think of can be cooked in this. It has a High setting Low setting, and a keep warm setting which is nice so that it stays warm while waiting. I did wish that it had more of inbetween numbers to keep the heat medium or low etc... but for the price of what I paid for it, and how long it has lasted for the amount of times I use it, it is WELL WORTH IT NO MATTER THE LACK OF EXTRA SETTINGS! There are several digital models out there if you like ones that have more options, but for this one, it does the job the same. It heats well, and I have had no heating problems with it. You just have to make sure there is enough liquid in it to keep it from burning especially if you have it on high. If you are an on the go person, I suggest this model for price, durability, effectiveness, flexiblity, Ease of use, and just plain convenience!

koopa1982

Joliet, IL

I love my Hamiliton Beach slow cookers (yes, I have two of them!). I use them mainly for church meals, but I have also used them for soups, beans, stews, roasts, chicken, chili, mashed potatoes, stuffing for Thanksgiving, and many, many other things! I like to put the food in and forget it! It makes meal preparation easy and delicious making my family think that I spent hours and hours cooking a delicious meal! Honestly I don't use my slow cookers enough mainly because I am not a think ahead type person, but hopefully as I organize my life and get a little better and meal preparation and planning I will realize how helpful these slow cookers are and I will use them more! Our main reason for gettingt 2 of these slow cookers was to feed a large group of people that were help us move. I already had 2 crock pots but they didn't work all that great. The first time I used these crockpots I was simply amazed at how well they kept food hot or warm, and I was simply delighted at the results! My white beans and ham have never tasted so good since using the Hamilton Beach Slow Cooker.

janeswagstone

Denver, PA