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Author: Maurice Savaryego, M.Sc.Eng. (Learn More)
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​Compare Slow Cookers: Cuisinart, Hamilton Beach or Crock-Pot?

Food cooked in Hamilton Beach slow cooker.
Photo Credits: Hamilton Beach
With the race against the clock that most people live daily, it is not at all surprising that the slow cooker is gaining popularity. Everyone wins when it comes to saving time. Imagine just stirring together the required cooking ingredients, attending to other chores while the slow cooker does its job, and spooning out a perfect meal at the end of a number of prescribed hours.

This is possible because the slow cooker allows you to prepare dishes safely even in your absence. In addition, because the food is simmered for several hours, the taste of both meats and vegetables ends up being considerably enhanced when compared to other cooking methods.

You will find below the main points to consider before deciding which slow cooker to buy, and a comparison of the most popular slow cookers that satisfy these points.


Features to Look for in a Slow Cooker:

Before you buy a slow cooker you should consider the following points:

  • First, you need to choose a slow cooker that is big enough. Even if you are single, you will appreciate having enough room to cook a whole chicken or a large roast, and keep the leftovers in the freezer for later so that you may have additional meals. A slow cooker with a capacity of less than six quarts (about six liters) will leave you on your hunger, and we do not recommend it.

  • Cleaning is a major factor that often condemns your slow cooker to being left unused in your kitchen cabinets. If laziness affects your cooking habits, you should definitely choose a model with a removable pot that can go in the dishwasher.

  • Are you not really technically oriented? Beware then of slow cookers with a large number of control buttons that complicate your life, but that are not really necessary. Ideally, you simply need some programming function allowing you to set the cooking temperature and time according to your recipes. You should also be looking for a model with automatic switching to "warm" setting at the end of the timed cooking so that the food does not overcook and stays warm until you are ready to serve.

  • The best slow cookers come with a glass lid which allows the observation of the meal while it is being cooked as well as the evacuation of droplets of steam. It is also important to choose a slow cooker with a ceramic or stoneware pot that is pretty enough to serve as a serving dish and that is dishwasher washable. Note that we prefer stoneware to ceramic as the former is oven safe and impervious to water while the latter is not. So, if you want to rewarm your meal later in the oven a stoneware pot will allow to do that.

  • Finally make sure your slow cooker has full-grip handles for safe transport around the kitchen.



To help you decide which slow cooker to buy, we will compare the Hamilton Beach 33969, Cuisinart PSC-650 and Crock Pot SCV800 slow cookers which provide some or all the above mentioned features, and which are at the same time among the most popular among Amazon buyers.

If you're in a hurry and wish to see Amazon product and price information for the selected slow cookers, please click the following link:
Selected Slow Cookers on Amazon


Comparing the Selected Three Slow Cookers
Hamilton Beach 33969, Cuisinart PSC-650 and Crock-Pot SCV800-S

The three slow cookers are shown below:

HAMILTON BEACH 33969 Slow Cooker
HAMILTON BEACH (Photo: Hamilton Beach)
CUISINART PSC-650 Slow Cooker
CUISINART PSC-650 (Photo: Cuisinart)
CROCK-POT SCV800 Slow Cooker
CROCK-POT SCV800 (Photo: Crock-Pot)

The following table compares the three slow cookers:

Picture
Tables Notes 1-3 Explained:

Note 1:
Hamilton Beach 33969 has 3 cooking modes which are: Program, Manual, and Probe (see below for more details).
Cuisinart PSC-650 has 3 automatic-cooking options which are: Simmer, Low, and High.
Crock-Pot SCV800 has 3 automatic-cooking options which are: Low, High, and Warm.


Note 2:
The Hamilton Beach and Cuisinart slow cookers allow programmed cooking, for details please see the detailed description section below for each cooker.
The Crock-Pot slow cooker considered here is not programmable and is manual. For a programmable Crock-Pot slow cooker please see the Amazon Products section below.


Note 3:
The probe cooking found on the Hamilton Beach slow cooker should be used when cooking a large cut of meat or using a recipe that requires food to reach a certain temperature. The included thermometer probe is inserted into the meat, and it monitors the cooking process until the meat reaches the desired temperature. It then switches the slow cooker automatically to a low setting to keep the meat warm until you are ready to eat. 


You will find below detailed descriptions for each of the three slow cookers.

Hamilton Beach 33969 Set'n Forget 6-Quart Programmable Slow Cooker

Hamilton Beach 33969 Slow Cooker
Hamilton Beach 33969 (Photo: Hamilton Beach)
This slow cooker comes with a 6 quart removable oval-shaped stoneware pot as well as an LED digital control panel. The panel offers three cooking mode options (program, manual, or probe) and the very convenient automatic keep-warm feature that the unit automatically shifts over to once the cooking time has ended.

The manual mode allows for cooking the traditional way without setting the time or for heating up previously cooked food. The probe mode should be used when cooking a large cut of meat or using a recipe that requires food to reach a certain temperature. The included thermometer probe is inserted into the meat, and it monitors the cooking process until the meat reaches the desired temperature. It then switches the slow cooker automatically to a low setting to keep the meat warm until you are ready to eat. This very useful feature takes the guesswork out of slow cooking.

This slow cooker also provides attractive stainless-steel housing, power-interrupt protection, a clip-on spoon, a clip-tight gasket lid, and full-grip handles for safe transport. The removable stoneware and tempered-glass lid can be cleaned up easily by hand or in the dishwasher, and a user manual with recipes is also included. The unit comes with a one-year limited warranty.

As can be seen, this unit not only satisfies all the requirements for a good slow cooker listed in the previous section, but it also offers the manual and probe modes of cooking that can be very useful.

For an illustration of this slow cooker, please watch the official Hamilton Beach 33969 Video:


Cuisinart PSC-650 Programmable 6.5-Quart Slow Cooker

Cuisinart PSC-650 Slow Cooker
Cuisinart PSC-650 (Photo: Cuisinart)
This slow cooker comes with a 6.5 quart removable oval-shaped ceramic cooking pot. It is equipped with three modes (simmer, low, and high). It is 24-hour programmable and has a digital countdown timer with touch-pad controls, and it has the automatic keep-warm feature that the unit automatically shifts over to once the cooking time has ended. It has a brushed stainless-steel housing, a glass lid with stainless-steel rim, and cool-touch chrome-plated handles.
​

Other features include nonslip rubber feet, retractable cord storage, wrap-around heating elements for thorough heat distribution, and dishwasher-safe parts (lid and ceramic pot). Accessories include a cooking rack for use with ramekins or other bake-ware, a recipe book with 70 easy to do basic to gourmet dishes, and an instruction book. It comes with a 3-Year limited warranty.

As can be seen, when you compare slow cookers, this unit satisfies all the requirements for a good slow cooker listed in the "Features to Look for" section above. It also comes in the smaller 4 quarts size.

For an illustration of this slow cooker, please watch the official Cuisinart PSC-650 Video:



​Crock-Pot SCV800 8-Quart Slow Cooker

Crock-Pot SCV800 Slow Cooker
Crock-Pot SCV800 (Photo Crock-Pot)
If you are looking for a larger slow cooker, you should consider the Crock-Pot SCV-800.
It comes with a 8 quart removable oval-shaped stoneware pot. The 8-quart extra-large capacity is perfect for larger families or entertaining! It's a healthy, cost-efficient, and convenient way to serve tasty, satisfying meals.

​It cooks on High or Low settings and the Warm setting can be used to keep your dish at an ideal serving temperature. It also offers the following features:

- Removable oval stoneware insert. The stoneware is oven safe (not broiler) up to 400 degree Fahrenheit (note that the lid cannot go into the oven). 
- Dishwasher-safe stoneware and glass lid.
- Polished brushed stainless steel exterior with black accents and plastic handles.​

Slow cooking in your Crockpot 8-Quart slow cooker provides you the flexibility to prepare a meal early and then have it cook all day. You can carry out your full day's activities and still enjoy a nutritious, home-cooked meal in the evening.


So which Slow-Cooker to buy?

When you compare slow cookers, you find that all three brands described above are great products, and Amazon customer reviews are mostly full of praise for all three. However, given that the Hamilton Beach is quite reasonably priced, we recommend it strongly, and in particular for the probe mode not offered by the other two brands.

With the Hamilton Beach slow cooker you will find it very useful to simply insert the thermometer probe into the meat to have it monitor the cooking process until the meat reaches the desired temperature. It will then switch the slow cooker to a low setting to keep the meat warm until you are ready to eat. There's absolutely no guessing how long it will take to cook.

Another great feature of this slow cooker is the clip-tight gasket lid. It's perfect for traveling to pot-luck dinners without to have to worry about spills.


 

Hamilton Beach, Cuisinart and  Crock-Pot Slow Cookers on Amazon:

Please click the Amazon US link image below for the slow cooker of your choice to see exact price information or to purchase. 
Please Note: For non-US customers, when you click the links below, you will be provided with the Amazon links for your country (such as Canada or UK), if the product is available in your country.​

Hamilton Beach 33969 6-Quart
Slow Cooker

Cuisinart PSC-650 6.5 Quart
Slow Cooker

Crock-Pot SCV800 8-Quart Slow Cooker


Please Note: The Crock-Pot slow cooker shown above is not programmable (as it was shown in the above comparison table). For a Crock-Pot slow cooker that is programmable please consider the following 7-Quart  Crock-Pot slow cooker:

Crock-Pot 7 Quart Programmable Slow Cooker
with Digital Countdown Timer


Essentials of Slow Cooking
The complete slow cooking book.

This information-packed volume opens with a brief history of this centuries-old technique and a look at the many ways slow cooking and braising transforms the texture of food as well as enhances the natural flavors. Comprehensive descriptions cover the types of slow cooking and explain every stage of the process, from preparing the food in order to achieve the best results to properly testing the food for optimum doneness, providing readers with all the knowledge they need to turn out delicious and memorable meals. Slow cookers, Dutch ovens, roasting pans, and other important equipment are clearly described and pictured.


​Have you not found yet what you were looking for?

If you have not found what you are looking for among the above offerings, you can still search for it or for ANY OTHER KITCHEN and DINING PRODUCT you may need by clicking below and searching for what you need on Amazon.com.
Note that the products offered when you click below may come with up to 40% savings!




And if you are interested in MORE SAVINGS, please click below for KITCHEN and DINING products that are MARKDOWN up to 50%!



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