Karen Wiggins on July 29, 2016 0 Comments Table of Contents Get to Know the Unit List of Features Customer Reviews What I Liked About It What I Didn’t Like About It Hands-On With Hamilton Beach’s Set ‘n Forget Slow Cooker Slow cooking is wonderful. Probably my favorite method of cooking. It is reasonably easy to do, you have thousands of recipes to choose from and you can easily prepare meals for your whole family within one device. All you do is add your ingredients, set the slow cooker to its appropriate setting and then walk away. Before you know it, your home will fill with the savory aroma of home-cooked food. Whether you’re a large family or living solo, everyone could benefit from owning their own slow cooking crock-pot unit. I recently got to test out the Hamilton Beach 33696a slow cooker. After playing around with it for a few weeks, I wrote out my review of the cooker, as well as a few thoughts on how to get the most from it. Find The Best Price: [dfrcs name=”33969a” brand=”hamilton beach”] Meet the Hamilton Beach 33969a Unboxing the device, you will quickly notice that it is quite elegant. Odd to say for a slow cooker, I know, but if you have a modern decor in your kitchen, the stainless steel finish of the Hamilton Beach 33969a will fit in nicely. Especially if you already have stainless steel appliances in your kitchen. Like all slow cookers, setting up the 33969a was not at all complicated. Simply remove all the protective wrap and plug it in. That’s it. This Hamilton Beach slow cooker has a 6-quart capacity, a pretty fair size that will accommodate most people nicely. This capacity allows you to cook a wide variety of dishes and meats. To help you make the best meals possible, this slow cooker comes with your typical instruction manual, probe, and program mode so you can easily set it for your personal preferred type of cooking. In other words, it is a pretty versatile device. There are three modes that you can use with the 33969a, and it has a unique thermometer probe setting. The probe is a unique feature that should strongly be considered if you plan on cooking meat within you slow cooker. The probe helps ensure that the meat reaches the perfect temperature. It also comes with special handles and an interlocking lid, so once you’ve cooked your food, you can easily pick up the pot and place it on the table. This is particularly useful if you’re having an outdoor meal or taking it on-the-go. One common problem with slow cookers is that if there is a power shortage, your cooker will shut off. This can be a real problem because if your meal stops cooking right in the middle, as it makes it difficult to figure out exactly when your food will be ready. Fortunately, this is where the Hamilton Beach 33969a sets itself apart. It comes with a very unique feature: so long as the power outage is temporary, it can continue cooking from where it was interrupted once the electric power has been restored. While not revolutionary, it does give this slow cooker a slight advantage over other similar devices. The probe function is also easy to use. You simply tell the device to what temperature you want the meat to be cooked, and once this is reached, it automatically switches to warm. Your food won’t be cold before you want to eat it nor will it overcook. Make sure, however, that you don’t lift the lid (not even when you see steam accumulating on it, which is normal anyway) because the escaping heat will change the cooking time. This slow cooker from Hamilton Beach comes with comprehensive instructions, though, so you should be able to cook without making too many mistakes. List of Features: 6-Quart Capacity. Probe allows you to take internal temperatures of your food without opening the lid. Multiple cooking modes to help you cook a wide variety of dishes. Glass-top lid comes with locking gaskets, allowing you to carry it with you without worry of spills. Stoneware pot and other cooking accessories are dishwasher-safe. Customer Reviews In the world of slow cookers, Hamilton Beach has built a pretty good reputation for manufacturing quality devices. The 33969a is no different. This model is very popular, perhaps the most popular from Hamilton Beach. While looking over what customers were saying in their reviews, it quickly was clear that most people were impressed with the different settings and cooking modes. A lot of consumers have also mentioned that they love the portability of this particular device. It has enabled them to cook something nice for a family outing and then safely carry it with them, thanks to the locking lid and carry handles. Plus, this enables them to cook heavier items without having to worry about any spills. But, the true star within all the customer feedback was the probe. Every person has his or her own personal cooking style, after all. So, whether you want to cook rice, meat, or anything else, the Hamilton Beach 33969a slow cooker should have no problem handling the task you challenge it to. At the time I write my own review, there are close to 1,000 customer reviews on Amazon for this slow cooker. It currently has an average of 4.4 stars out of 5. Click here to read all reviews on Amazon. What I Liked About the Hamilton Beach 33969a: The probe. It gives you real-time temperature monitoring to ensure that your food is cooked precisely as you want. This device offers true wraparound cooking. In other words, your food will be cooked to perfection, thoroughly and evenly, and you won’t need to stir or rearrange it at any time. The locking lid and easy-grip handles mean that the slow cooker is very easy to carry over long distances or just from your kitchen to the dinner table. It comes with three cooking modes, which means it has everything a traditional slow cooker has. However, it has more functions so you can have a lot of fun with cooking. You can start preparing your meal before you leave home for work and come home to delicious smells and a meal ready to be served and enjoyed by the whole family. You can remove the stoneware crockpot itself, so it is very easy to clean. It comes with a full one-year warranty, and Hamilton Beach prides itself on its excellent customer service. If you have any questions, you can simply contact the customer service representatives, and they will be happy to answer. What I Didn’t Like About the Hamilton Beach 33969a: Programming can be a bit of a challenge, particularly when you are first using the device. If you don’t have a lot of experience with slow cooking, you may find that this one is a bit overwhelming because it has so many features. In that case, you will have to read the instructions and familiarize yourself with the various settings first. It is somewhat large and heavy, so you will not only need some space available for it on the counter when it is in use but also storage space when you’re not using it. The Final Verdict Overall, the Hamilton Beach 33969a truly earns its name as a ‘Set ‘n Forget’ slow cooker. The stainless-steel look is beautiful and will fit in with your kitchen regardless of its overall design. It can do a lot more than other comparable slow cookers, so if you enjoy this type of cooking, then the 33969a is going to be a great fit for you. Many of the functions, such as the probe function, are only available on much more expensive models. The device is really functional, and if you are looking for something that you can take with you without worrying about spills, then it is even better. Packed with features and available at an affordable price, this is going to be one of the best slow cookers at this price, and is designed to satisfy both amateur and experienced chefs alike.
