Customer Ratings & Reviews

[This review was collected as part of a promotion.] I was in the market for a multi cooker, and after much research settled on the 'Hamilton Beach 4.5 QT Multi Cooker with Glass Lid'. I made my choice for a couple of reasons. Firstly, as the title reveals, this multi cooker has a 'glass lid'. Most of the ones I came across in my research did not. This feature is important to me in that I like to see how my meal is coming along without having to open up the cooker. It just looses too much heat that way. Secondly, I wanted a cooker that had a number of functions... without being an overwhelming amount. A few I looked at had settings for 'porridge' and such. I mean, when was the last time anyone made a batch of porridge?!? This Hamilton Beach model seemed to fit the bill. I received my Hamilton Beach 4.5 Quart Multi Cooker with Glass Lid and was immediately impressed. Firstly, I loved the fact that the lid was attached and on a spring hinge. I didn't have to worry about it getting broken or misplaced...or my cats getting into my 'cooking creation'. Secondly,I liked the removable non-stick pot. A number of the cookers I researched came with stainless steel pots. I know they are nice, but they can be a bear to clean. And third, I found the attached swing-away handle to be a nice feature. It will come in very handy in taking a batch of my meatballs over for Thanksgiving dinner. I was extremely anxious to try out my new Hamilton Beach 4.5 Qt Multi Cooker with Glass Lid. I was in the mood for chili and settled on making some in it. Rather than dirty a fry pan to brown my meat, I decided to use the 'Saute' feature on the multi cooker to do just that. I found the controls to be a little confusing having to refer to the directions a couple of times to figure it out. But after I did, things were fine. My meat browned nicely as you can see by the attached photo. I easily drained the meat using the handles built into the removable pot. Very nice feature. It was now time to load all the ingredients in the pot and get my chili cooking. I found that I could really load it up. The size of the pot is deceiving when you first look at it. But it easily held a full batch of chili. I set the 'Slow Cooker-Low' function for 8 hours and let it go. After cooking was complete, it was time to give it the 'taste test'. I must admit, it was the best batch of chili I had made in a long time. The flavor of the seasonings was nicely infused in the meat and it was nice and hot....just like I like it. I was very happy with how my Hamilton Beach 4.5 Qt Multi Cooker performed. And cleanup was a breeze. (I was worried about cleaning the glass lid being it wasn't detachable, but not a problem. It cleanup up easily.) All in all, I can highly recommend the Hamilton Beach 4.5 Qt Multi cooker. As my title suggests, it's a very capable unit that has many useful functions and works well. The control set is a little hard to figure out, but one you do, you'll be on your way to making some great meals. Five stars!