Today’s post is sponsored by Hold & Go Slow Cooker! We are super excited to share with you our opinions about this new and revolutionary slow cooker!
I gotta tell you about the Hold & Go Slow Cooker!
Tomorrow is Thanksgiving day and for our family that means loading up the family in our SUV with a car loaded with overnight bags, pillows, toys and our contribution of food to the day’s feast while we travel 2 1/2 hours away to Sheridan Wyoming to spend the holiday at my wonderful in-laws house where we will spend the day cooking, playing some mad games of Scrabble, nibbling on snacks, setting the table, maybe a little football watching for those who are into it, and otherwise just hanging out and having a good time.
We will then sit down to a wonderful Thanksgiving feast. My mother-in-law Susan is a wonderful cook…and this year she will be helped by my son who is a first year culinary student. They are putting together a Thanksgiving spread out of the issue of Bon Appetite magazine…spatchcocking a turkey and everything!
Besides crock-pot cooking I am kind of known in my family for my baking abilities, so I am usually tasked for bringing the desserts. This year I am making a couple pies, a cheesecake and some banana bread…none of which I am making in the slow cooker this year. However, I am also bringing over a double batch of my Crock-Pot Apple Pie Caramel Dip and several bags of cinnamon pita chips that we can either decide to have as a snack to eat while playing Scrabble or as another dessert option. If I know my family though…there is not going to be any waiting until dessert to dip into this yummy dip!
The last time I traveled with a slow cooker was over the summer when I was in California for my father’s funeral (I miss you dad!). I was not at my own home but was staying with my mother and was tasked with bringing a pot of Calico Beans to the memorial at my brother’s house. My mom had a slow cooker that I dare say was from the early 80’s and let’s just say that thing had no bells and whistles on it at all! To prevent the beans from spilling all over the back of the trunk we had to tie the entire thing up in 2 big dish towels. And then, to keep things warm and to absorb anything should it spill (which it totally did!) we wrapped the crock-pot in beach towels. Let me just tell you that trying to carry a crock-pot full of hot food that is wrapped in towels, no carrying handle PLUS you need to wrangle kids, carry bags and other needed items 2 blocks away because there is no parking close by is NOT a pretty site! I nearly dropped the slow cooker and the thing was heavy, awkward and not to mention full of hot beans that had sloshed out of the pot!
Never again!
Back at home I have a couple of different slow cookers that have locking lids and that right there is a vast improvement on any slow cooker. However when I was sent a Hold & Go Slow Cooker to review, I was IMPRESSED. Not only is there a lid that locks securely on but the lid lock is actually part of a one handle design. That means you can tote your slow cooker with one hand…leaving your other hand free to carry bags, your purse, your child’s hand, a baby in a car seat, folding chairs or whatever it is you need to carry.
I don’t know about you, but whenever there is an occasion that I need to bring a crock-pot dish I also need to bring other stuff too. We could be bringing soup to a sick friend, a casserole to a potluck or hot appetizers or dips for a tailgating party. But that means overfull hands or a bunch of back and forth trips to the car and back.
Once we set up the slow cooker of beans at my father’s memorial and it was time for folks to eat there were several slow cookers of food that friends and family had brought and it was quite apparent that crock-pot lids were going to be a problem.
Where do you put the lid when it is time to serve? Do you try and juggle a plate, the lid and a spoon all at the same time…easier said than done. Do you put the lid on the counter? Not ideal, that always leaves a big wet mess.
Well the Hold & Go Slow Cooker has that problem figured out too…when you put the handle down for serving…which remember…is also the lid lock…there is a built in slot where you can pop the lid in and it will hold the lid while you spoon out and serve. No messy wet countertops, no trying to juggle three or four things just trying to get a spoon of beans or a couple tasty meatballs at a party.
Seriously you are going to wonder why nobody has thought of this feature before?
Right now this new Hold & Go Slow Cooker is quickly becoming one of my favorite slow cookers and one I know I will use for years to come whenever I need to travel with my slow cooker.
I give the Hold & Go Slow Cooker a solid 4.5 star rating!
I cannot quite say it is the perfect slow cooker though…to me there are two features that would make this slow cooker the perfect pot for me. The first one is a biggie…it is not programmable. I love having a digital programmable crock-pot. Something that I can truly set and forget and when it is done cooking it automatically turns off to switches to a warm setting. I mentioned this to Beratek Industries (the makers of the Hold & Go Slow Cooker) and I have been told this is coming soon! And the second feature is a place to wrap the cord. When I want to take this slow cooker with me, I have to figure out where to put the cord so that it does not dangle or get caught in the door hatch on my SUV. I was able to lightly wrap the cord around the handle, but this is not ideal and I think having a proper cord wrap on the back of the slow cooker would be just wonderful…a feature I hope they will be adding soon too!
Other than those two things this really is a wonderful slow cooker. I have already tested out 4 or 5 recipes in it here at home and taken a pot of Hawaiian Meatballs over to the church for the tween potluck they were having a few weeks ago and it was wonderful. And tomorrow I am looking forward to easily taking over my dip and not worrying about having a sticky mess in the back of my car when I get to my families house.
Where To Purchase:
If you are interested in buying a Hold & Go Slow Cooker you can order one on their website (beratek-industries.com) for only $49.99. When you sign up for their email newsletter you will get a coupon for 10% off your purchase which brings the cost down to just $45.
The slow cooker is a good solid 5 quart capacity and can easily serve 5 – 6 people. It is available in either red or silver color and the crock insert and glass lid are both dishwasher safe!
Right now this slow cooker is not sold in stores nationwide. If you live in Iowa, you might be able to find one at your local Ace Hardware. This is still a new product and they are working hard to get the word out because the more folks know about their amazing slow cooker…the more demand there will be and that means they can get this baby into stores across the country. So if you are looking for a new slow cooker for yourself or to give as a gift this holiday season please consider purchasing from Berateck Industries…you are helping support a small business out of Cedar Rapids Iowa who does all assembly on the Hold & Go right here in the U.S.A!
This is a sponsored post. I was compensated as well as given a free Hold & Go Slow Cooker in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are 100% my own and are my honest review about this product. For more information please see our disclosure policy
Heidi, Looking on your website for a pot roast recipe to try in my new crockpot (thank you!) Saw your comments about Thanksgiving. Thank you for your complement. The leftovers were great, weren’t they? I did not get any caramel dip though so we will have to try that again.
Susan (Mother-in-law and fellow foodie)
I agree about the timer addition, but instead of a place to wrap the cord, how about a retractable cord?!/ I think that would be ideal!!!
That would be sweet too Iva!
Just received a Parini Stoneware Casserole Dish as a gift, can it be used on an electric stove top?
Hi Jenny, we specialize in Crock-Pots and slow cookers and while we all know our way around most kitchen items I am not super familiar with your particular casserole dishes. So I did a quick Google search for Parini Stoneware Casserole Dish to see if I could find an answer and it looks like these are not designed to be used on the stove top or over any direct heat source. I am assuming these casserole dishes are meant to go in the oven instead. I hope that helps but if you need further assistance on your new casserole dish I would contact the company directly and ask them as they would be the experts (one would hope) on their products. – Best of luck with your new casserole dish…it looks fantastic!