Sunbeam SecretChef

This will burn you – Do not think of buying. This slow cooker gets so hot it burnt my fingers. This is a serious health issue and I do not understand how it passed inspection if there is a product inspection. This has wasted my money and as a pensioner that really hurts. Do not buy . It is rubbish. After three hours on high it hardly started to cook. All it did was… Read more

heat up the wooden board under the cooker and got so hot it burnt my fingers . Does Sunbeam take any responsibility for such a dangerous appliance.

Got so hot it cracked the stone benchtop – I have had other slow cookers before but this one is a joke. The underside gets so hot it put a 15cm crack in our brand new stone benchtop. Never had to use anything under our old slow cooker. The amount of heat it emits is ridiculous. I personally can’t fault the cooking though, but it’s not really worth it given the consequences. Really wish we’d bought a different one that actually works how a slow cooker should. Show details

A great value slow cooker, large enough for family! – This is a relatively simple slow cooker. But with one feature that many others lack, the "Keep Warm" function. Which is really handy when entertaining, or if your timing when cooking things may have been a bit "off". With a 5.5L capacity, it can be considered (perhaps mistakenly) as interchangeable with other 5.5L slow cookers. However, it has… Read more

a slightly rounder oval than many, and so it has the capacity to cook a large family-sized roast chicken, 4 lamb shanks (in a single layer), or large duck with room to spare. For stroganoff, soups, and other non-oddly shaped ingredients, you can easily feed an average family with 5.5L perhaps even for two meals.

At a price of $34 (new) from Harvey Norman, it's hard to find a cheaper product from a name brand.

We have been very satisfied by the results even on "High", despite the fact that we know that the results could be further improved on the slower (and lower) setting. Let's just put that down to our disorganisation. :-)

We really can't complain about any aspect of it's use, functionality, or result. At all.

Sure, you can buy other slow cookers with temperature control, and pressure cooking options, others will cook a meal based on a pre-defined range of recipes... but for our purposes, that's really excessive.

If you like a simple device that does the job well, then we give this a solid 5 stars.

Wasted my time, money and food – Very disappointed that my corned beef and pickled pork for Christmas, came out so bland. Thought it would be easier than on the stove, as I wouldn't need to watch it constantly. When I read the instructions I realised I needed a heat proof mat, or cutting board to put under it (not clear if they mean a 'heat proof cutting board?), so I used a… Read more

board. Hate buying something, getting it home and realising you need another product to make it work! The counter got really hot, and my board now has splits in it, so it's in the bin.

I did the corned beef first, didn't really have much flavour, despite all the ingredients I put in, no where near as nice as the one I did last year on the stove (in 1 1/2 hours). So I did the pickled pork next, and doubled up all the herbs and spices. Again, really disappointing, even more bland than the beef. Really sad, I did really yummy ones last year on the stove. I will not use this again, I don't have a "heat proof mat", don't want to waste another board. I would never leave this on, unsupervised, as there is no timer or cut off switch.

UPDATE: Harvey Norman decided this review was not suitable for their site, so be wary of their reviews. They only like positive ones.

Everybody needs one of these! Can't live without! – I bought the Sunbeam SecretChef HP4520 stainless steel slow cooker (with white features) recently & love it. It's not only lovely to look at with its brushed stainless steel & oval shape, it's very easy to use & everything comes out delicious. Anyone can use this. Just put in your meat, vegies, sauce or whatever you love to cook, set it on low in… Read more

the morning & come home to a ready cooked & delicious meal waiting for you 8 hours later. If you are in more of a rush, set it on high & your meal will be ready in just 4 hours. Some meals can even be cooked in less time, depending on what it is you cook. There is a handy recipe book included for extra ideas. I have already used it numerous times & my family has complimented me on every meal, which have all been very simple to make. Let it do all the work for you. It is especially great with cooking secondary cuts of meat which end up falling of the bone & melting in your mouth, delicious. Can you believe this product can even cook desserts? Just have to be prepared & start them early! So far, I have made delicious silverside, curries, meatballs & lamb shanks. All were a success & I can't wait to try something else! It's a great size (serving 6-8), making enough for a couple of family sized meals, or leftovers for lunch the next day. Features a removable cord so you can bring the meal straight from the slow cooker to the table if you prefer. Good quality, attractive, effective, inexpensive, reliable, great results, easy to use.

the perfect addition to my kitchen – This crock pot is excellent if you are after a large slow cooker.The inner pot is ceramic with an stainless steel outer.The element in this is at the sides so no sticking food at bottom,place veges in first meat on top followed by stock then set and forget NO NEED TO STIR Show reply

Very reliable – I actually wanted to also review the egg cooker and slow cooker but there's no option for their egg cooker. The slow cooker is amazing we bought ours close to ten years ago and it's still working today. The best way to use this is to cook ribs. Absolutely delicious and surprising much faster than cooking the ribs in an oven. Their egg cooker is… Read more

also great, I just got mine recently and it's fantastic. I use mine to make perfectly soft boiled eggs since using a regular pot usually breaks my eggs or make the whites mushy.

A bit hot, but works ok – The device gets hot, but I think that's how it is. I was advised that I'd better place it on a stove to protect the bench. The pot and lid can be washed in a dishwasher. Works fine. No switch off timer. Show details ·  1

Crappy – Sunbeam products are always faulty. And they demand a receipt and don't believe that their products are crap. They demanded that I send a picture of my iron with the cord cut in half so that they might consider my case for getting a new one. Never buy from them again.

Not a good slow cooker. Do not buy – Put the cooker on slow cooking. Came home to extremely strong burning smell throughout the kitchen and lounge. Food thrown out. Couldn’t even clean the burnt food off the inside. Cooker thrown out. Got way too hot. Not happy.  Show details

Save your money, buy another brand – Do not recommend. The slow cooker is too weak, I literally have placed in 4 shanks on high (4hrs) and it isn't hot enough and didn't cook the meal. Save yourself the trouble, don't buy it. Side note - I have an old one and know how to use these.

great room heater – as a room heater its ok, throwing heat outwards. otherwise its a bacteria breeder. it cannot get hot enough to cook anything before 3 hrs. Show details

VERY DANGEROUS I DON’T RECOMMEND IT – Just purchased a new sunbeam slow cooker and it’s smells bad like electrical burning and Smoke coming out of the temperature control dial. I do Recommended anyone buying it s Show details

Very disappointed! – I have had the same problems....purchased this 5.5 lt Sunbeam slow cooker as I already have the 4.5 lt which I purchased years ago and it works perfectly but I wanted a larger one for my bone broth ! Couldn’t be more disappointed! It becomes extremely hot and as for the cool touch handles! What a joke..they were red hot and the machine gave… Read more

off a plastic burning smell, which didn’t go away. And thank heavens I always use a wooden cutting board underneath electrical products! The board was very hot! Not happy and I am about to return it to retailer now! And after reading other reviews, I will not purchase another one!

Glass Lid Shattered to Pieces – I had the Sunbeam SecretChef HP5520 for some years now. On 13 April 2020 with no reason whatsoever the glass lid imploded and the lid shattered to pieces. When I tried to lift off by its handle, the shattered glass fell into my vegetable soup wrecking it entirely.

Get's unsafely hot – I'm a little disappointed as I always read reviews before I purchase a product. I bought this slow cooker in July last year. The first time I used it, I used it on high as I wasn't quite prepared and the food burnt (I assumed this might have been my fault as I left the onion of the recipe out as I don't like it) product had a bit of a burning… Read more

plastic smell, but I assumed this was just because it was new. However, tonight I have gone to use it again on high, and the "cool-touch handles" ARE BURNING HOT, the control panel IS BURNING HOT. This is unsafe in so many ways. Not to mention the power cord is super short leaving limited options to place it in your kitchen and I would not be putting this product on anything flammable (including a chopping board as it recommends in the instruction manual) or breaks with heat Please do not buy this product. Other than these massive problems, the slow cooker is good.

A lie about capacity – I bought this a month ago on the basis it said it was a 5.5 litre cooker because I was replacing one I bought years ago that was also 5.5 litres. As soon as I unpacked it I could see this was a scam regarding the size. The pot has shrunk by at least 1.5 litres of actual cooking space. No wonder they can sell it cheaper because its real cooking… Read more

capacity is only 4 litres. i measured it and that's that. So be warned. I hate lying on product capacity. This cooker holds 5.5 litres from base to brim but IT IS NOT A 5.5 LITRE CAPACITY COOKER

Horrible product – This product is absolutely horrible! I was given this as a gift both times burnt my food on the low setting. Went back and got it replaced and this one does the same thing. Extremely hot to touch on the outside and cooked my food on the keep warm setting. This isn't okay. Defiantly returning for a refund. Will never get another sunbeam product… Read more

again, way to dangerous. I should feel safe leaving my home with my slow cooker on however the smell that came off it when turned on and the fact the settings mean nothing. Lost my business.

Excellent value Sunbeam Slow Cooker – This is an excellent economical slow cooker. Simple suitable for a family of 5. The ceramic cooking dish looks great and washes easy. The Sunbeam is Great value, is simple to use, and retains sufficient juices to allow for great curries. Best test was a tradition Goat leg curry. Time for more slow cooked stews and curries  Show details

Love my analog slow cooker – I requested this for Christmas after my digital Sunbeam broke (after 13 months!!). I love this model, it’s cheaper and fuss free. It does mean you can’t set the timer to turn off or turn to warm but you can remedy that by using a wall plug with a timer. Overall a good product at a good price point. Love the ceramic bowl too, I kept the bowl from my digital model so now I have two. One for dinner and one for pudding afterwards!  Show details ·  1

Terrible, has wrecked my benchtop and chopping board – This is my second slow cooker, had the other one for years and never an issue (only died due to user error). Have used this one 3 times and it's wrecked my wooden benchtops - next time tried it on the chopping board and it's wrecked that as well. So dangerous - what a total waste of money - I'll be going back to Russell Hobs  Show details

Perfect cooking temperature, food comes out brilliant every time! – I bought this as a replacement for my Target branded slow cooker, which would consistently burn and overcook my food. So I made this purchase and I've had nothing but tasty and delightful results. It's so simple to just whip something up before work and chuck it in here knowing you can come home to a tender, flavoursome and delicious meal. I… Read more ·  1

suggest cooking some beef spare ribs drenched with Sweet Baby Rays BBQ sauce if you want to treat yourself!

And disregard negative reviews below, most of which are just about the stainless steel casing getting "too hot". Well, that's what happens when you have a heating element on the other side of stainless steel. Use your brains, my god. It's a great cooker.

Does the job – Currently on sale at David Jones at an attractive price of $39.95, I went ahead and purchased one. I used it to cook and it did not disappoint! I am a working mother with 3 boys and it gets so busy esp before dinner time. I cook a night ahead, I pop everything in the slow cooker at night and have a really nice meal first thing in the morning ready for the night ahead.  Show details ·  1

Extremly hot on out side – Have just purchased this cooker and it gets extremely hot on the out side... That hot that it's untouchable ... Should this happen . Have only used it a few times because I'm a bit frightened of being burned. Purchased from Myer store two months ago. To replace an existing sunbeam slow cooker that I have had for years. Just needed a bigger capacity.  Show details

Slow cooking ridiculous and smells awful – I bought this product a few weeks ago and have used it twice. On both occasions the meat was tough and the vegetables hard. What bothered me more was the smell. The smell is absolutely awful and permeated through the food. It was inedible. I cant believe that this would be any good for your health eating this chemical whatever it is. I will be returning this product and looking for a different brand.  Show details

Good upgrade – Bought this because our existing 3L Sunbeam didn't have the capacity I needed. As with the other one, it is easy to clean, cooks well and provides exactly the features required. As I have time available, I prefer to brown meats and soften vegetables on my induction cooktop rather than buy a multi-function cooker.  Show details ·  5

This cooker is extremely disappointing – This cooker failed after 2 years moderate use. Surely we can expect a longer and more reliable performance than 2 years. Although worked well initially it’s features are very ordinary.We will never buy a Sunbeam product again. Quality and reliability is non- existent. It is unfortunate that we can’t trust established brands anymore. Looking elsewhere in future.  Show details

Affordable but not great – For its price, it's alright because it does the job but it cooks slower than the times indicated in recipes. Takes a very long time for the temperature to heat up and cook food. The size is very decent and can cook for a family for 4-6 well. Easy to clean.  Show details

Shattered lid – Had a similar experience to J Ferguson. Put lamb shanks and vegs on low at 10am and at 5pm heard an almighty 'crack' and found the glass lid had shattered into my casserole rendering it inedible. Only had this cooker for a month and used it only once before!!!! Taking it back to The Good Guys today, very disappointed as I had a Breville for many years with not one hiccup until it. Not sure whether to try again or go back to Breville???  Show details

Does the job – Got the slow cooker for a great price, and it does the job. Relatively easy to clean, and maintains temperature while cooking. It is very slow to heat up, so requires another pan if wanting to brown meat before adding to the slow cooker. This version has a 'keep warm' function which is useful.  Show details

Great value Slow Cooker – This is a great slow cooker which is nice and simple. It works well and is a decent size to make larger portions. However, this product could be improved by adding a "Keep Warm" setting which would be convenient. Otherwise, it is a great slow cooker for the price that was paid.  Show details

Great for large family – This replaces a Sunbeam Slow-cooker I had previously that I would have still had had the ceramic inner not cracked. Have chosen a manual cooker so I can be more vigilant and take more care when I cook. Loved having the digital cooker but I believe this cooker does the trick just as well. My decision was based on the fact that the digital display died over a short time...ended up counting beeps.  Show details