Hamilton Beach Temp Tracker 6 Quart Slow Cooker vs Instant Pot Lux 6-in-1

I just can’t fathom a Hamilton Beach slow cooker for $70-80. I believe this was in the $45-50 range when I purchased four years ago and I thought that was steep, looks like all slow cookers have increased tremendously in price. At that rate I’d rather pay a little more and get kitchen aid, or maybe even bump up to a higher end brand from there. Slow cookers used to last 20 plus years- 4 years is ridiculous

It almost does not have disadvantage except its price. You can use this product to save time and enjoy home-make food as you want.

So after about 5 hours, I took the lid off and let it cook on high. This did the trick. The watery sauce began to change into the thicker sauce I wanted. After this, I returned the lid and put the pork on low for another 1 hour and again removed the lid for the final hour

I promptly responded and a day later I received a follow up email with more questions, another test to run, and more images requested. I responded to that one and within minutes received a response noting they can confirm the heating element is not functioning properly and that they would be sending me a new bottom portion of my Instant Pot. Then two days later I got an email saying they are out of stock but that when in stock mine will ship and I will get notification it is on the way. Changed my review from a 1-star to a 3-star because even though I had to reach out a second time to get support, once they were involved they did diagnose the problem and will be sending a replacement

The silicone ring on the lid starts off pretty tacky and can be tricky to seat. After the first couple times using it though, that wears off and works great, creating a nice seal. The biggest annoyance for me is the beeps when turning it on or adjusting settings is a bit obnoxious and can't be disabled. Overall though, it cooks like a crock pot should (low and slow) and has held up so I recommend this one!

The instant pot works great but I order this on line and it came in a 3 days but the box was badly damage and today I started using it and found out the handle was broken badly.

I feel using the cooking bags help with my peace of mind, as well as with cleanup. The wire clamps to secure the crock for travel seem like they would work fine, but I don't travel with food, so I have only found them a bit annoying because they don't fold completely away from the side of the crock and you cannot use them while cooking. Another model is probably the same, but without the clamps. I was just overwhelmed with all the reading I did and picked this one without considering that I might not want the clamps

I removed the plastic sealing ring from the lid and washed both as thoroughly as possible, wiped the inside of the cooker body, and washed the inner pot of course, but it still remains. 5. The included user manual can be better. It'd be helpful for the first-time pressure cooker if there is a photo to show how it looks when the float valve pops on when working pressure is reached

The face of it is already starting to come off. The crock insert is much harder to clean than the original so they definitely changed the finish on that as well.

Just touching that gasket transfers the smell on my hands. If you don't get rid of that smell, it seeps into the food you cook later. I do love how fast it cooks things, but if you're not careful, things will get mushy.

The ceramic crock: nice and heavy. So many slow cookers seem to be scrimping on the crocks these days. This one is heavy duty and exceedingly easy to clean (and I highly recommend using slow cooker bags to eas on the cleanup)

Clean up is also a breeze as the pieces are all dishwasher safe. The 8 quarts is far to big for our family, it’s also too heavy for me to lift, and doesn’t fit in any of my cupboards or pantry, so I’ll have to return it. I am sold on the Instant Pot though, just not this size. I have to have one a size smaller, the 6 qt

I did not like the control panel that is a soft push button plastic material that will wear away real fast. I think the price point is a bit high for the quality of the product.

Item states stainless steel inner pot but got the ceramic pot instead :( If you want the stainless steel look elsewhere.

However, I did come across an awesome blog called a year of slow cooking that presented me with a bunch of easy-to-make recipes in very little time. (Since then I have found other blogs with other recipes: Get Crocked and 365 days of slow cooking for example but a year of slow cooking is still my favorite.) The recipe problem solved, I started cooking using my small, old, and very basic crockpot. And that crockpot was doable but some recipes call for cooking on low for 9 hours; others for 6 and really all I want is to throw the ingredients into the crockpot and forget about it

I rubbed butter and spices under the skin, stuffed with lemons, browned first, placed some whole potatoes and carrots around it, and then cooked. Turned out tender and flavorful but not mushy and gross like crock pot chicken (I put my crockpot away for good!). People ask me what I make in here and I say, anything!! When I'm planning a meal for any time of day, I think about what I have in the fridge and freezer and then google instant pot recipes with those ingredients. Works for breakfast foods and desserts

To confirm temperature, time setting. & turn off power, you must PUSH IN the same knob you use for control settings. Made a roast on low & it turned out very moist and delicious. There was no boiling like my old crockpot and the roast was fully cooked to my liking in 7 hrs

Does it substitute traditional cooking? No, Can it cook every delicious meal known to man? Neither. But for what it can do, speed and convenience. This a top recommendation on my book. P