The Set & Forget cooked foods low and slow to make the best pot roast in our tests, and it has a probe thermometer to cook foods to a set temperature. The All-Clad SD Slow Cooker 6.5 Quart was one of the most expensive cookers we tested, but it doesn’t have a locking lid or probe, and it didn’t heat up adequately to cook beans even after eight hours. We were also unpleasantly surprised to see that its ceramic crock was scuffed hamilton beach slow cooker and scratched on the bottom. We wish the probe thermometer on the Set & Forget were longer so that it could reach smaller pieces of meat. We’d also like the power cord to be a few inches longer, which would make the appliance easier to use on a crowded counter, but we understand that this is a safety feature common to most slow cookers. We appreciate that an alarm sounds when the Set & Forget starts and ends cooking.
This score reflects the results using the slow cooker’s low setting for 8 hours when cooking our beef stew recipe. High scores indicate more tender meat and vegetables at the end of 8 hours. This score reflects the results using the slow cooker’s high setting for hamilton beach mixer 5 hours when cooking our beef stew recipe. High scores indicate more tender meat and vegetables at the end of 5 hours. While one model may excel at no-mess one-pot meals, another may be the perfect size and shape for roasting a chicken or simmering a stew.
We also chatted with Marianne Gravely, a senior technical information specialist at the USDA, to learn about slow cooker food safety. Since 2013, we’ve examined more than 70 top-rated models and tested a short list of finalists to find the best. If you’re like most people, an occasional last-minute party will pop up. Don’t worry, Hamilton Beach® Programmable Slow Cookers can easily adapt. You simply add ingredients in the morning and let the slow cooker finish the cooking automatically.
We think this size is the most versatile, but if you’re most often cooking for one or two, you could consider a smaller machine. But it doesn’t have a locking lid or a probe thermometer, and costs more than our pick. If you want a longer timer or a more precise probe thermometer, we recommend the Hamilton Beach Temp Tracker 6 Quart Slow Cooker. The Temp Tracker is similar to our top pick but has a 24-hour timer (instead of 14 hours), more built-in slots for a probe thermometer, and a medium setting as well as high, low, and warm. Unlike with the Set & Forget, the probe thermometer reads to the degree, and you can set it to a wider range of target cooking temperatures. But this model ran a little hotter in our tests, and we’re not convinced that everyone needs the extras, which go above and beyond the “set it and forget it” slow cooker mantra.
That’s why Stay or Go® Slow Cookers feature secure, clip-tight lids for spill-resistant travel. Even better, the full-grip handles make carrying them to and from the car a simple, stress-free matter. On certain models, the addition of a convenient thermometer probe lets you cook food to a specific temperature.