Crock-Pot 8-Quart Manual Slow Cooker, XL Family Size Serves 10+ People, Removable Stoneware with Warming Setting, Dishwasher Safe for Easy Cleanup, Red

This 7-quart Crock-Pot is an absolute workhorse. The size is perfect for feeding a family of five with plenty of leftovers. I love the simplicity of the manual dial, there are no complicated electronics to fail, which means this will likely last for years. The stainless steel finish looks great on the counter, and the stoneware and lid are both dishwasher safe, making cleanup a breeze. If you want a reliable "set it and forget it" appliance, this is it.

I wanted a BIG slow cooker since *for some reason* my family of six insists on eating three meals a day Every. Single. Day. Ugh! Luckily my MIL recognized my struggle and bought me the fanciest device I’d ever seen for Christmas: A Calphalon 7 Qt Digital Slow Cooker. I was in love with it… at first. Then I noticed liquid seeping into the base after each use. Long story short, after three complimentary replacement parts I still had a broken appliance and Calphalon wrote me an E-mail using the exact words: “...Calphalon has made the decision to stop producing electronics...” then issued me a refund. I turned around and bought a MaxiMatic 8 qt Slow Cooker (go big or go home, right?). It cooked waaaaay too hot (it boiled liquid on the lowest setting in under 5 minutes!) then stopped working entirely after a few months. I received my refund, bought this Crock-pot… and the rest, as they say, is history! How does this one compare to the others? It’s HUGE. …but not as big as the MaxiMatic. Both slow cookers claim to be eight quart size but in reality eight quarts of liquid fills the Crock-pot all the way to the lip of the lid, which isn’t realistic for actually cooking that much liquid. Still, it’s pretty HUGE, especially compared to Calphalon’s biggest size (7 quart). The MaxiMatic gives you a little extra room above the eight quart point BUT… Crock-pot has better temperature control. In the Crock-pot “Low” could cook a 4 lb pot roast all day (6+ hours). On “High” it cooks in about 4 hours. “Warm” keeps it warm. The MaxiMatic, on the other hand, cooks it in less than 2 hours ON LOW (and it leaves the meat tough as rubber) and the MaxiMatic “high” setting approaches temperatures comparable to the depths of Hell. Calphalon had accurate temps but it didn’t make up for the constant leaking, smaller crock and lack of customer support. The outside is very hot. This is one of those “duh” moments. Anything that cooks WILL get hot. Don’t touch hot things. Don’t put them near the edge of the counter where kids can touch them. Again: Duh! The Calphalon is the only model on the market that claims to be “cool to the touch” and guess what? It’ll still burn the crud out of you! It’s not as hot as other brands, but it’ll still do damage if you touch it, especially on the exposed areas of the crock liner. So as much as everyone complains about this aspect, I have to wonder if their moms never used the old 70’s Crock-pots with the wheat patterned orange shells that made delicious soup and seared the flesh off your bones if you touched them (so you just didn’t touch them). Shoot, my mom STILL uses hers. The moral of the story? Grow up! And stop shopping for cooking appliances that don’t feel hot. There is no timer. This is NOT a digital slow cooker. “Digital” slow cookers have specific temperature controls, fancy timers and auto shutoff options. They also break down faster, have things go wrong more often and (if they are Calphalon brand) their manufacturer discontinues selling them completely. There’s a reason those 70’s Crock-pots that I mentioned previously still walk the earth serving fondue at your grandma’s Bridge Club potlucks: simplicity. There are no buttons on this Crockpot. There is no digital screen. There is only a single knob with four options: Off, Warm, Low, High... Just like Grandma’s Crock-pot! What you give up in convenience you’ll make up for in durability, longevity and simplicity though. And you’ll just have to be *slightly* less lazy than slow cooker “dump it, leave it, eat it” style cooking permits by, you know, setting a timer. ::Ding:: The crock liner is dishwasher safe. MaxiMatic and Crock-pot both allow their stoneware crock liners to be washed in the dishwasher. Calphalon does not. But even with dedicated handwashing, the Calphalon liner developed hairline cracks. Twice. The MaxiMatic did too, after a few months of regular use. This Crock-pot has been used and run through the dishwasher every other day (literally) since I bought it and has absolutely no issues whatsoever. I also notice the glaze on the stoneware is much more even on the Crock-pot. It had thin spots, pits and irregularities in both the MaxiMatic and the Calphalon. I have to assume there is better quality control on the manufacturing end at Crock-pot. That pretty much sums it up though. If anything changes, breaks, acts up, smells funny or does anything else unusual I’ll be sure to update this review. As it stands though, no news is good news. Buy this Crock-pot. You can thank me later. UPDATE: I bought this 8 quart Crock-pot through Amazon in December 2016. As of today, January 15th 2018, it is still running strong. I continue to use it several times a week and always run the crock liner and lid through the dishwasher. It is still as temperature-reliable as the day I first unboxed it and continues to be my favorite appliance... and that's big, considering I also own a Kitchenaid mixer AND an Instant Pot (but the Instant Pot hisses at me and the mixer gives everyone dirty looks). If you haven't bought one yet, you definitely need more pot roast in your life. And beans. Which BTW, this puppy can easily fit 2 lbs of dry pinto beans (hint: Use ham hocks! And shred the meat into the beans before serving. All other beans will be ruined for you after that). I'll continue abusing my Crock-pot and updating my review if anything changes though, because SCIENCE!

I count on name brands like Crock-Pot. This is the perfect size, and cooks faster than most cheaper brands. Price was very reasonable too. Easy clean up and the lid fits snuggly so it creates some steam and keeps the liquid in. I find the oval shape best for any slow cooker, easy to add ingredients and stir when needed, also it cooks evenly.

I purchased this slow cooker as a gift. My choice of this particular brand/model was made because I have had the exact same cooker for my own kitchen for years. I do a LOT of cooking; I love using my slow cooker for the convenience and superior results. The price on this cooker was so reasonable compared to the HIGH quality of performance. I love the versatility of "warm", "low" and "high". I cook meats, veggies and one-pot meals. My chicken, beef and pork come out so tender you don't need a knife! The heavyweight insert resists burning and it's high capacity makes it family friendly; yet small meals come out just as superior. My own slow cooker has had many, many hours of use and still stands sturdy and reliable. Now my gift recipient is discovering the joys of using their Hamilton Beach slow cooker. HIGHLY recommend.

Have cooked in this countless times in the short time we've owned it. Meals always come out tasting great. Stews, pasta, meat, sauces. All good. Works great. Perfect size for a 3 person household. Highly recommend.

I think if you need a crock pot, this will work. My concerns with this product and why I returned it and did not replace it are as follows: the outside ran extra hot, even more so than my last one, which is a safety concern as I often turn it on at 7 am and don’t get home until 5 pm (this is on low). The inner pot is not as good as my last one, same size. It was lighter and was already chipped out of the box. The lid has a handle that is screwed on- it easily built condensation so I had to unscrew it to make sure it was clean (moister in the south is bad news for summers). It was easy to use, a simple knob, but I want one that will last just as long as my other one that broke. So, I would say this will last for a little while if used a lot, but will chip easily if you use it a lot. Also, I don’t like how hot the outside was compared to my last one (which looked the same and was same size). Another review shows melted handles, which I can completely see happening with long uses. Last concern was how wobbly it was inside the heating component- I lifted it twice to make sure nothing was under it. With a busy household, I just don’t trust it (we have some clumsy ppl lol). But if your place is calm, it should be fine.

Nice size. Easy to use. Works well. Easy to clean. I like the manual temperature control.

I think the crock pot is one of the best kitchen appliances one can own. It simmers quietly and in six hours can cook a wonderful meal without the fuss of an oven or stove top intervention that’s required when using that type of appliance. A tender and succulent meal is always served when simmering in a crock pot. My first crock pot was a perfect wedding gift in 1975 and stop working 50 years later in 2025. I give the original crock pot five stars.