Slow Cooking

Don’t worry about any spillage when the lid is on the Stay Or Go Slow Cooker. Photo courtesy Hamilton Beach.

Appliances

Main Page
Things That Make
Food Prep Fun

Kitchenware

Main Page
Special Things For a
Food Lover’s Kitchen

Appliance Review

Main Page
Gadgets, Tabletop

& Much More

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

ERIKA MELLER is a member of THE NIBBLE editorial staff.

March 2010

Appliance Review / Kitchenwares / Appliances

Slow Cooking

Way Beyond The Crock Pot: Save Time, Eat Well With The Hamilton Beach “Stay Or Go” Slow Cooker

CAPSULE REPORT: The Hamilton Beach “Stay Or Go” Slow Cooker is the best cooker if you want to transport your food. It’s leak proof—a huge advantage, which makes it our favorite slow cooker if you “Go” places, bringing the food. But it’s not the best unit for those who always “Stay” at home. Even though we loved that the Stay Or Go didn’t burn the food (often we get a slight burn at the rim with other cookers), it lacks an internal clock. Thus, you have to keep mental note of when your food is ready in order to turn the dial to the warm setting or turn it off. This is Page 1 of a two-page review. Click on the black links below to visit other pages.

Slow Cooking Overview

Like many people, we live a busy life: work, get home, walk the dog and put a hot dinner on the table. To save ourselves the added time and stress of the latter, we do a lot of slow cooking.

If you’re new to slow cooking, it’s the easy, simple way to prepare hot dishes in advance.

Rival introduced the Crock-Pot® big-time in 1971, based on a slow cooker for beans and other foods marketed by Naxon, which it purchased.* A countertop electrical appliance that (today) looks like a casserole dish, a slow cooker maintains a relatively low temperature and cooks food over several hours, unattended. When introduced, it provided new freedom for working women and housewives with busy schedules, who could start the pot in the morning before leaving the house, and come home to a cooked main course of chili, pot roast, stew and many other dishes.

*The Crock-Pot brand now belongs to Jarden Corporation, which owns Hamilton Beach, Magic Chef, Sunbeam and West Bend Housewares.

We grew up with a busy working mother and slow-cooked meals. In continuing the tradition, we adore our Rival 5-quart slow cooker. We love that we can prepare an entire meal simply by tossing a bunch of ingredients inside it (which can be done the night before).

Then we turn it on and forget about it until it’s time for dinner. We come home from work (or errands, or other obligations), our stomachs growling, to something hot and delicious. If we have to work late, or have too many errands, our dinner stays safe and warm. The slow cooker does it all for us—almost like a substitute mom. If we’re home, we can enjoy the aroma of simmering food.

However, when it came time to bring our slow-cooked chili, soup and stew to family events and neighborhood parties, we were challenged by the leaky lid. We transported food in the slow cooker at our own peril.

Then, we were given a Hamilton Beach Ensemble Stay Or Go 5-quart slow cooker, and our world changed. We’re always ready to “Go” with the Stay Or Go.

Continue To Page 2: “Stay Or Go” Benefits

Go To The Article Index Above