Hamilton Beach 33665G 6-Quart Slow Cooker Review: Simple, Proven, Under $40
The Hamilton Beach 33665G is a slow cooker with a dial, a stoneware crock, and a glass lid — nothing else. No touchscreen, no probe, no app. With more than 65,000 ratings averaging 4.4 stars on Amazon, it's one of the most-owned slow cookers in American kitchens. Whether that stripped-down design is a strength or a dealbreaker depends entirely on how you cook.
Product Overview
The 33665G is a 6-quart oval slow cooker with a three-position manual dial and a removable stoneware crock. It ships in a silver finish; a near-identical unit labeled 33665 (no "G") is an older batch with minor cosmetic differences but the same internals.
| Spec | Detail |
|---|---|
| Capacity | 6 quarts (oval) |
| Settings | Low, High, Keep Warm |
| Crock material | Stoneware (dishwasher-safe) |
| Lid | Tempered glass (dishwasher-safe) |
| Handles | Full-grip side handles |
| Power indicator | Yes |
| Digital timer | No |
| Temperature probe | No |
| Locking lid | No |
| Delay start | No |
| Warranty | 1-year limited |
| List price | $39.99 |
The oval shape is a deliberate choice. It fits a whole 6-lb chicken or a 4-lb roast — cuts that a round 6-quart cooker would squeeze or leave partially above the waterline. Hamilton Beach says it serves 7 or more people, which in practice holds for soups and stews; bone-in roasts still land cleanly in the 4–6 person range once carved.
Performance & Real-World Use
Operating the 33665G is about as simple as it gets. You add your ingredients, turn the dial, and walk away. There is genuinely nothing else to do. That simplicity is real, not just marketing copy — there are no settings to cycle through, no buttons to hold for three seconds, and nothing that requires reading the manual.
Heat settings work as advertised for most recipes. Low is intended for 6–8 hour cooks; High covers 3–4 hours. The oval stoneware holds heat well once it's up to temperature, so Keep Warm mode is effective at table — you can serve directly from the crock.
One consistent note from owners: the Low setting runs warmer than some competing slow cookers. Recipes calibrated for "8 hours on Low" may be done in 6–7 here, particularly with lean proteins or a high liquid ratio. This rarely causes burned food — slow cookers don't reach that temperature — but it can mean overcooked vegetables if you set it and leave for a full workday. The practical fix is to add vegetables in the last two hours or check at the 6-hour mark instead of 8.
Cleanup is a genuine strong point. The stoneware crock goes straight into the dishwasher. So does the glass lid. That's the entire cleanup process, which compares well against slow cookers that have sealed gaskets, probe channels, or other parts that require hand-washing.
The stoneware also works as a serving vessel. You can move it from the slow cooker to a trivet at the table, which matters at dinner parties or holiday meals where presentation counts.
- 65,000+ reviews at 4.4 stars — few kitchen appliances have this depth of real-world validation from actual owners
- Dead-simple operation — three settings, one dial, zero learning curve
- 6-quart oval shape — serves families of 6–7+ and accommodates large whole cuts that round cookers can't
- Both the crock and glass lid are dishwasher-safe — cleanup takes about ten seconds of actual effort
- Under $40 list price — the lowest price bracket for a large-format, brand-name slow cooker
- Stoneware doubles as a serving dish — goes from cooker to table without an extra transfer
- Power indicator light — gives an at-a-glance confirmation the unit is actually on
- No timer or auto shut-off — there's no way to program the cooker to stop or shift to Warm after a set number of hours; you need to be available to do it manually
- No locking lid — transporting a full crock to a potluck or gathering without spillage requires improvisation (rubber bands, plastic wrap) that shouldn't be necessary at any price
- Low setting runs warmer than some users expect — experienced slow-cooker cooks who've calibrated recipes to other brands may need to adjust timing downward
- No delay start — you can't load it in the morning and program it to start cooking at noon
- Exterior shell gets hot during use — not unusual for slow cookers but worth noting in households with young children
- Heavy when loaded — the stoneware crock is substantial on its own; add 6 quarts of stew and this is a two-handed lift at all times
The Hamilton Beach 33665G is not the most capable slow cooker you can buy, and it doesn't cost as much as one. It's a 6-quart oval pot, a three-position dial, and 65,000 home cooks confirming that's often enough. The absence of a timer is a meaningful limitation for households where nobody will be home to manage the cook cycle — and that alone is a reason to spend another $20–30 on a programmable alternative. But for straightforward weekend cooking, Sunday pot roasts, and hands-on meal prep, the value case here is genuinely hard to argue with.
