The catch
Hamilton Beach 33868 Ready, Set, Dinner 6QT
At six nominal quarts it holds less in total, and the probe doesn’t prove the vegetables in the same meal are done.
Side by side
Hamilton Beach 33868 vs Crock-Pot MyTime: Both schedule within twelve hours, and raw food cannot sit indefinitely
Quick verdict
Hamilton Beach 33868 fits when a six-quart dish is enough and the included probe or the separate Defrost method will come in handy. MealTime requires thawed meat. Crock-Pot MyTime CPSCVTS70LL-S fits when a suitable larger recipe needs its seven-quart crock and food-type scheduling. Both plan within a twelve-hour horizon and do not leave raw food waiting for an arbitrary delayed start.
Before you buy
Why, and what it costs you
A set school-night dinner doesn’t need the longest advertised timer
Each can plan around a requested mealtime within a twelve-hour horizon. MyTime’s separate twenty-hour Manual timer doesn’t stretch the Schedule Meal window, and HB’s other long-duration settings are separate from MealTime in the same way. When your start and serving times already fit the scheduled mode, compare the recipe and the pot before you treat a bigger timer number as an upgrade.
Where this comes from
Keeps the limits on scheduled meals apart from the limits on manual timers. No permission for storing raw food during a delay.
The catch
Crock-Pot MyTime CPSCVTS70LL-S 7QT
Per the guide, don’t go beyond four hours on Warm. After an outage, the clock battery doesn’t keep the cooking program.
Hamilton Beach 33868 Ready, Set, Dinner 6QT
- Why pick it
- A probe-led option alongside clock scheduling for suitable thawed dinners is what you want.
- When meat is frozen, you will follow the separate Defrost instructions and not try to combine Defrost with MealTime.
- The catch
- At six nominal quarts it holds less in total, and the probe doesn’t prove the vegetables in the same meal are done.
Crock-Pot MyTime CPSCVTS70LL-S 7QT
- Why pick it
- MyTime’s food selections match your larger suitable shared recipe, which needs the seven-quart format.
- Clock scheduling and transport are what you want, and the HB probe workflow is not needed.
- The catch
- Per the guide, don’t go beyond four hours on Warm. After an outage, the clock battery doesn’t keep the cooking program.
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What this page compares
These two slow cookers both schedule by the clock. Compare actual pot sizes, probe options and frozen-food limits, and choose around the whole recipe and serving routine.
Both are portable, programmable cookers built around a planned family mealtime. The tradeoff that counts is HB’s probe and separate Defrost method on one side, against MyTime’s larger single crock and food-type scheduling on the other.
Which one fits
Pick the situations that sound like you
Cook to a probe target for a suitable recipe
HB comes with the probe and the Temp & Hold workflow.
- Hamilton Beach 33868 Ready, Set, Dinner 6QT
- Better fit
- Crock-Pot MyTime CPSCVTS70LL-S 7QT
- Depends
A bigger shared dish that suits the cooker needs the seven-quart format
MyTime has one more nominal quart, and its fill guidance still applies.
- Hamilton Beach 33868 Ready, Set, Dinner 6QT
- Depends
- Crock-Pot MyTime CPSCVTS70LL-S 7QT
- Better fit
Schedule an appropriate thawed dish up to twelve hours out
Each supports a requested mealtime, subject to its own mode restrictions.
- Hamilton Beach 33868 Ready, Set, Dinner 6QT
- Similar
- Crock-Pot MyTime CPSCVTS70LL-S 7QT
- Similar
Want dedicated Defrost controls in addition to the probe
HB has a dedicated Defrost with Program. MyTime instead puts frozen-meat advice in its Manual instructions.
- Hamilton Beach 33868 Ready, Set, Dinner 6QT
- Better fit
- Crock-Pot MyTime CPSCVTS70LL-S 7QT
- Depends
In practice
Differences you will notice
A set school-night dinner doesn’t need the longest advertised timer
Each can plan around a requested mealtime within a twelve-hour horizon. MyTime’s separate twenty-hour Manual timer doesn’t stretch the Schedule Meal window, and HB’s other long-duration settings are separate from MealTime in the same way. When your start and serving times already fit the scheduled mode, compare the recipe and the pot before you treat a bigger timer number as an upgrade.
How we worked this out
Keeps the limits on scheduled meals apart from the limits on manual timers. No permission for storing raw food during a delay.
The bigger crock can help less on quiet nights
The seven-quart crock on MyTime suits a larger shared dish, but its guide recommends filling it half to three-quarters full. Half full is about 3.5 quarts nominally, which is a lot of food when one child eats elsewhere or only two adults are home. The six-quart label on HB doesn’t by itself prove a smaller recipe will work. Go by each recipe and fill instruction, and think about a smaller cooker if modest meals are the norm.
How we worked this out
Multiply 7 by one-half and you get 3.5 nominal quarts. That is a fill proportion, not a tested minimum, a serving count or a claim about HB’s undocumented minimum.
The probe adds a decision point, but dinner is still not automatic in every respect
For a suitable recipe, HB can work toward a probe target. That helps when the meat is what you need to track, though the manual warns that dense vegetables may need longer. MyTime asks for the food type and amount and plans the cooking from those. A family that often makes mixed roast-and-root-vegetable meals should keep checking the vegetables, whichever system seems more automatic.
How we worked this out
Documented differences in controls, plus HB’s specific warning about vegetables. No claim of matching heating accuracy or better food safety.
Option A
Hamilton Beach · 33868
33868 Ready, Set, Dinner 6QT
You can set when a suitable thawed meal should finish, or use the included probe when a recipe goes by temperature. Defrost is its own Program option, so it cannot run together with MealTime. For dinner served somewhere else, the clipped lid and the built-in lid rest are useful.
- Best for
- A probe-led option alongside clock scheduling for suitable thawed dinners is what you want.
Facts we checked
- Nominal crock size: 6 quarts
- Scheduling approach: MealTime 4 to 12 hours ahead
- Temperature-led alternative: Included probe with Temp & Hold
- Frozen-food method: Defrost in Program, separate from MealTime
Option B
Crock-Pot · CPSCVTS70LL-S
MyTime CPSCVTS70LL-S 7QT
You tell MyTime when you want to eat and it plans suitable foods around that time. If the power goes out, the clock battery will not save the cooking program.
- Best for
- MyTime’s food selections match your larger suitable shared recipe, which needs the seven-quart format.
Facts we checked
- Nominal crock size: 7 quarts
- Scheduling approach: Schedule Meal by food, amount and mealtime within 12 hours
- Temperature-led alternative: Food and time scheduling
- Frozen-food method: Frozen-meat advice in Manual instructions, no dedicated Defrost button
Spec by spec
Where they really differ
| Spec | Hamilton Beach 33868 Ready, Set, Dinner 6QT | Crock-Pot MyTime CPSCVTS70LL-S 7QT | In practice |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nominal crock size | 6 quarts | 7 quarts | The recipe’s fill guidance still counts for more than a serving claim. |
| Scheduling approach | MealTime 4 to 12 hours ahead | Schedule Meal by food, amount and mealtime within 12 hours | Each needs food that suits its scheduling instructions. |
| Temperature-led alternative | Included probe with Temp & Hold | Food and time scheduling | HB has its own workflow for measuring the food. |
| Frozen-food method | Defrost in Program, separate from MealTime | Frozen-meat advice in Manual instructions, no dedicated Defrost button | Each comes with its own instructions, and cooking a frozen recipe is a different question from assuming it works with ready-at. |
Trade-offs
What each pick costs you
With Hamilton Beach 33868 Ready, Set, Dinner 6QT
- Just because the meat has reached its reading does not mean root vegetables in the same pot are done, so check them on their own.
With Crock-Pot MyTime CPSCVTS70LL-S 7QT
- Its guide advises against more than four hours on Warm. Cooking settings are wiped if the power goes out.
Change of plan
When the answer changes
Probe control and a separate Defrost routine are important
Go with Hamilton Beach 33868 Ready, Set, Dinner 6QT. 33868 adds both, but not as features that work together with MealTime.
The bigger crock and scheduling by food type suit your usual meal
Go with Crock-Pot MyTime CPSCVTS70LL-S 7QT. MyTime comes in the seven-quart format and has its own scheduling workflow.
By the numbers
What the data shows
What we found across the slow cookers we compare, plus the checked facts behind each finding.
Show the facts and the math
| Product | Needs it meets | Facts we checked | Sources |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hamilton Beach 33868 Ready, Set, Dinner 6QT |
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| Crock-Pot MyTime CPSCVTS70LL-S 7QT |
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Ready to buy
See today’s price and what owners say
Open either model on Amazon for the current price, customer reviews and delivery options.
Hamilton Beach 33868 Ready, Set, Dinner 6QT
A probe-led option alongside clock scheduling for suitable thawed dinners is what you want.
See price & reviews on AmazonCrock-Pot MyTime CPSCVTS70LL-S 7QT
MyTime’s food selections match your larger suitable shared recipe, which needs the seven-quart format.
See price & reviews on AmazonEach link opens in a new tab.
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