With the various types of cooking appliances in the market today, ranging from pressure cookers, deep fryers, deep ovens, and slow cookers, it may be challenging to choose the best for your kitchen. Slow cooker, however, is considered a must have for every kitchen! You may wonder what slow cookers are and why they are necessary.
From its name, slow cookers are designed to prepare ranging kinds of meals under low heat and for a prolonged period. The fantastic thing about slow cookers is that they make hard cuts of meat soft and tender and bring out their taste. Along sides, you could leave it on and go about your activities for the day and return home to your already cooked and ready to serve the meal!
Now to acquire these features in your slow cookers, you need to get the best slow cookers that have been tested by recognized Institutes and Culinary experts. Read on as Not Your Mothers Cookbook review with you some of the best slow cookers America’s Test Kitchen and Cook’s Illustrated, Consumer Reports, Wirecutter, Food and Wine that have been identified and reviewed by known institutes worldwide.
Reviews of Best Slow Cookers to buy on the market today!
1. America’s Test Kitchen and Cook’s Illustrated
Most people when asked who or where they get a guarantee about some appliances or recipes say America’s Test of the Cooks and that is why I’m going to share with you some of the best slow cookers that these aforementioned organizations have chosen.
KitchenAid Programmable Stainless Steel Slow Cooker
This programmable KitchenAid cooker allows you to determine how much and how long you want your food to be prepared. Its oval shape and metal material give it a beautiful and shiny look that makes you want to purchase it. However, its proficiency would convince you more. Let’s go ahead to discuss its benefits.
Key Features
- Individualized programming
- Steel material
- 5.67 liters capacity
- Oval shaped
Pros
- It gives room for self-programming
- Cooking time can be up to 24 hours
- Digital display
- Inner antirust material
Cons
- Keeps warm for only 4 hours after cooking
- Doesn’t heat up as expected
Cuisinart Slow Cooker 3In1 Cook Central 6-Quart Multi-Cooker: Brown/Saute, Steamer
This stunning Cuisinart Multicooker is the best slow cooker you can have for any occasion. Its features range from Sauté, Steam to Slow cook, which makes cooking more comfortable and more convenient. Its thermal capacity is also high such that it can keep foods warm for as long as 6 hours, so you don’t have to worry about eating cold food even after you’re done cooking.
Key Features
- 3 basic cooking features
- Oblong shape
- Nonstick aluminum material
- Transparent Glass lid
Pros
- Nonstick material
- Easy to maintain
- Stylish
Cons
- Not more than 3 programmable cooking features
Zavor LUX LCD 6 Multipurpose Cooker: Pressure Cooker, Slow Cooker, Rice Cooker, Yogurt Maker, Steamer
The Zavor LCD 6 cooker is one of the best slow cookers one can recommend or gift a loved one with. With this, you do not need to have other kinds of cookers in your kitchen because it serves various roles. It can serve as a pressure cooker, a slow cooker, a rice cooker, a simmerer… just to mention a few.
Just in this multipurpose cooker, there are over 30 programmable settings like Omelette, Risotto, Cheese and more! that allows you to prepare any kind of food in any style of your choice. All of these come with their preset cooking time and temperature levels to yield the best result. It is the ideal cooker for anyone, either professional or home cook.
Key Features
- Stainless steel material
- Time delay
- Mute feature for noiseless programming and transitioning.
- Automatic cooking time already set up
Pros
- Delayed timer available
- Efficient and Convenient to use
- Suitable for all kinds of food
- Time efficient
- Very cost effective
- Sauté function gives room to sauté foods in it before cooking in the same pot.
Cons
- Not suitable for large quantities
2. Consumer Reports
Consumer Reports is one of the best and unbiased American Consumer Organizations known for testing products. They have reviewed some slow cookers, and below are six of their top-rated best slow cookers.
Crock-pot Cook & Carry SCCPVS600ECP
If you’re looking for a cooker that allows you to cook in it and carry about conveniently without a second thought, I’d recommend this Crock-pot as the best slow cooker for you. With its firm grip handle, you can move about freely with it without the content spilling about. It is suitable for camping, holiday trips as well as picnics. This crock-pot allows you to cook around your schedule with its digital controls and its ability to switch to warm settings after cooking is completed.
Key Features
- Digital timer
- 6-quart size
- Firm-grip locking cover
- 24-inch cord length
Pros
- In built cord compartment
- Dishwasher safe
- Suitable for as much as 7 people
- Portable and mobile
Cons
- More prone to breakage
- Delayed start is not available
Kalorik 8 Quart Slow Cooker, Oval Cook and Carry
This stainless steel Kalorik cooker is the best slow cooker for every family size. Its inner ceramic bowl is the most suitable for little energy consumption and less likely to rust quickly. You do not have to worry about monitoring it every minute while cooking, as it comes with a digital control panel that allows you to fix the cooking duration according to your convenience.
I consider this product the most trusted in the market today, and as long as you buy from Kalorik, you do not have any cause to panic because it comes with a one-year warranty. It is durable and constructed to suit professional-grade; isn’t that awesome?!
Key Features
- Capacity of 6.25 quart
- Meat browning capacity
- High and low range temperature modes
Pros
- Energy conservative
- Cost effective
- Easy to clean
- Durable
- Inner thermal stability
- Antirust material
Cons
- Cooks too hot
- Burns food easily
- Handles break easily
Breville Fast Slow Pro Slow Cooker
Breville Pro Cooker is a unique slow cooker found in the market today. With its ability to switch between fast and slow cooking, high and low temperatures, and warm features, you can be rest assured that your meals would be prepared accordingly and yield the best results.
Another fantastic quality that I admire in this slow cooker is its color-changing LCD, which indicates pressurizing, steaming, or cooking. This feature keeps you updated with what is going on in the cooker without necessarily opening it. If you are a really busy person, this is the best slow cooker for you.
Key Features
- Round shape
- LCD indicator
- Customized setting for different recipes
- PTFE and PFOA free inner coatings
Pros
- Switches to warm feature to keep food warm after cooking
- Digital display
- Automatic steam release
- Antirust material
- Removable cooking bowl
Cons
- Only suitable for 6quarts
- Not suitable for frying
Ninja Foodie Slow Cooker Pressure, Broil, Dehydrate, Air Fryer
If you need a cooker that’ll cook your food really fast and give it a crispy finishing, the Ninja foodie cooker is the best slow cooker for you. It can serve the purposes of a pressure cooker, soft crisper and an air fryer all at the same time. This Ninja cooker indeed as ninja qualities as it beats several other slow cookers in its ability to save more then 70% time while pressure cooking and as well save over 75% oil while frying. Hence, I’d say it is cheaper to use.
Key Features
- Wide temperature range
- Dehydrate function
- Suitable for 2 pounds fries
Pros
- Relatively cheap
- Easy to clean
- Time saving
- Comes with recipe book
- Nonstick pan
- Suitable for snacks
- Suitable for large quantities
Cons
- Extremely heavy
- Quite expensive
3. The Wirecutter
The New York Times product review company known as the WIRECUTTER have also reviewed some slow cookers and have given their top two products which I’d be discussing below.
Hamilton Beach Set ‘n Forget Programmable Slow cooker
With this Hamilton Beach set, you do not have to worry about your foods or meats getting spoilt incase there is a short outage in power supply because of its power interrupt protection feature. Furthermore, it comes with a LED Digital control panel and tight clip cover that prevents spillage while cooking or moving it about. It is rated the best slow cooker by the wirecutter out of over 100 more!
Key Features
- Power protection feature
- Digital control panel
- Firm lid cover
Pros
- Handles on both sides for convenient carrying
- One-year warranty
- Dishwasher safe
- Comes with recipes and a user manual
Cons
- Has just 3 cooking options
- Suable for not more than 6lb
Hamilton Beach Portable Slow Cooker
This Hamilton Beach Cracker is designed to make cooking less stressful and more comfortable with its integrated temperature probe that monitors the cooking temperature and reduces overcooking chances. With this, you could expand your cooking range from boiling to roasting, braising, and lots more! It also has a digital display timer that shows the amount of time remaining for the cooking to be completed. Little wonder it is considered the best slow cooker by both wirecutter and consumer reports.
Key Features
- Inbuilt temperature probe
- Wide range cooking capacity
- Countdown timer
Pros
- Keeps food warm
- Easy to clean
- Suitable for 6LB
- Durable and affordable
Cons
- No delay start feature
4. Food and Wine
The popular American Food and Wine known for having the best recipes, cooking demonstrations and competitions also reviewed and selected their top three slow cookers. These three cookers include:
Hamilton Beach Programmable Slow Cooker, Stovetop Sear & Cook
If you’ve been faced with your food’s challenge not having the necessary flavors they’re supposed to, the Hamilton Stovetop is the solution you need. This slow stovetop cooker is the best slow cooker that helps you lock in the flavors of your meat or sauté vegetables while cooking. It automatically switches to warm mode after cooking; hence doesn’t need monitoring.
Key Features
- Even heat distribution
- Auto warming mode after cooking
- Oval shape
- Stoneware material
Pros
- Easy to clean
- Preserves food aroma
- Many programming options
Cons
- No more than 6lb weight
- Maximum cooking time of 10 hours
All-Clad Gourmet Slow Cooker
As rated by the food and wine, the All-Chad Gourmet cooker is the third-best slow cooker. It comes with four basic cooking programs, which include Brown, Steam, Rice, and Slow-cook. It is very suitable for a large family and can keep food warm for a long duration.
Key Features
- 6.5-quart capacity
- Round shape
- 4-20 hours cooking duration
- Stainless steel material
Pros
- Dishwasher safe
- Weight capacity of about 7lb
- 6 hours warming capacity
- Nonstick coating
Cons
- Handle might be too hot to touch
- Expensive
- No delay timer
Guide to Buying a Slow Cooker
Slow cookers are very effective in managing time and money and you would agree with me that these two factors are expensive and worth giving your best for. You may be bothered about how to get the best slow cookers in order for you to save these factors. In this section, I’d be discussing with you what to look out for when purchasing a slow cooker that’ll meet your needs and serve you for years. Let’s review them together!
Size
When considering the type of slow cooker to buy, you may need to ask yourself the question “how many people would it serve or do I want to cook in bulk to refrigerate later??” If you’d be cooking for a small quantity of people, I would recommend a smaller size but if you’d be cooking for as much as 6-7 people or to refrigerate later, a bigger size would be accurate for you. Meanwhile on the average a 6 quarts slow cooker should do. Having it at the back of your mind that only two third of it can be used at a time for best results.
Shape
Most slow cookers come in two basic shapes which are oval and round. If you’d be preparing just soups and stews, then I would advise you go for the round shape. Whereas, the oval shape gives room for cooking larger quantities, as much as a whole chicken.
I personally would recommend getting the oval shaped one cause with it you can prepare your soups and braise your whole chickens conveniently without it tearing apart. Moreover, if you don’t mind struggling with removing your whole chickens from the round shaped slow cooker you could go for it and save yourself some extra cash as the oval shaped ones are a little more expensive.
Timer
One of the most beautiful features of slow cookers is its timing feature. I feel it is one of the most important features, though some old models that do not have the timing feature are still in the market,
I’d rather have you choose one that allows you to cook and do other activities at your pace and convenience and even prevent overcooking of the foods. Though you don’t mind checking the cooker often as you do with your traditional pot, you could choose the old models that are even cheaper.
Pot Material
Choosing a slow cooker based on this factor would be more individualized. Either ways, I’d discuss the two types and their properties then leave you to decide which is best for you.
The best slow cookers come in either ceramic and stoneware materials or aluminum materials. Suppose you’re looking for something fancier for your kitchen. In that case, I think you should consider the aluminum material, not only does it give a shiny look to your kitchen, it also has nonstick properties. At the same time, the ceramic and stone ware material are usually oven friendly but heavier to carry.
Functioning
Earlier, we reviewed some multipurpose slow cookers and I’m certain you liked their multiple features. Now, how do you decide whether to get a multipurpose or a single slow cooker? For me, getting a slow cooker that can also serve as a pressure cooker, yoghurt maker and so on is the wisest thing to do.
With a multipurpose slow cooker, you do not have to invest in other cooking appliances though its disadvantage is that it doesn’t come with a glass lid. So, if you’re the kind of person who likes to look through the lid to see what’s going on in the cooker, this might be a turn off for you.
How To Test Your Slow Cookers?
It is important that you do a routine check on your slow cookers as you do with other home appliances. Being updated on how effective your slow cookers are, not only notifies you when you’re to get another one but helps you secure the food safety of your family or clients.
Like we discussed earlier, slow cookers are known for cooking food under a certain temperature for a prolonged period of time. Hence to know if your slow cooker is still perfect for your meals, you test its temperature. And how do you do that? I’m here to help you with that.
In your slow cooker, place about 3 quarts of cold water and cook on low for about 8 hours. After cooking is completed, take an accurate thermometer and insert into the water as fast as possible cause the temperature in the cooker drops by about 10 degrees F once the lid is opened. The reading on the thermometer should be between 185-200 degrees F. Anything below that is not safe and should be discarded.
Slow Cooker Recipes
The Slow Cooker: Vegetarian Cassoulet
BBQ Burgers in the Slow Cooker
Slow Cooker: Braised Quail on Toast
Alice Medrich’s Clarified Butter in the Microwave/Ghee in the Slow Cooker
Conclusion
In all, whether you’re out or at home, the luxury of having a slow cook can be compared to having a maid who does all the work while you relax and enjoy the benefits. Moreover, it is very important that to enjoy the benefits of a slow cooker, you give all it takes to buy the best slow cookers on the market today that are more recent and would meet your current needs.
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