Slow Cookers Buying Guide

Which Slow Cooker to Buy? The Very Slow Cooker Buying Guide

Life moves fast, but when it comes to cooking, sometimes it’s best to go low and slow - and that’s where a slow cooker comes in! Imagine coming home after a long day to the rich, mouth-watering aroma of a hearty stew or a tender, fall-apart roast, all cooked to perfection while you went about your day. With just a little prep in the morning (or the night before), you can let your slow cooker do all the hard work, leaving you with delicious, fuss-free meals ready when you are.

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What to Look for Best Picks FAQs

Should I buy a slow cooker?

If you’re a flavour fan, a slow cooker is ideal thanks to its low-and-slow method of cooking. This means it cooks at a low temperature over several hours, ensuring maximum flavour is drawn out of your ingredients. It’s also great if you want to save the pennies, as it allows you to buy the cheaper cuts of meat that, when prepared quickly, can be tough and stringy, but when cooked slowly will reward you with tender results that melt in the mouth.

They’re also great for batch cooking, so you can rustle up stews, casseroles, curries and other family faves, then divide them into portions and freeze them, ensuring you and the kids have something you can effortlessly pop into the microwave when you’re pushed for time. And unlike store-bought ready meals, you’ll know exactly what ingredients have gone into them, keeping you safe in the knowledge that your family is enjoying a healthy and nutritious version of convenience food.

And don’t think you’ll be limited to only savoury meals; slow cookers can also help you whip up plenty of sweet treats, from a traditional rice pudding to a rich and sticky treacle sponge – just imagine how good the kitchen is going to smell!

How to use a slow cooker?

The one-pot nature of a slow cooker is designed to hold all your ingredients and cook them together. If you need to sear meat, brown onions or cook out spices at the beginning of your meal, you can look for a model that has a searing function, or a slow cooker with a removable crock pot that can be lifted out of the housing and placed directly on the hob. Then it's simply a case of adding your ingredients and selecting your desired cooking setting - low or high - replacing the lid and going about your day while the cooker works its magic. It really is as simple as that!

What size slow cooker do I need?

This generally depends on how many people you need to cook for. For larger families, a 5-8 litre size is more than enough to feed you, your partner and the kids. For one or two people, a 3-4.5 litre model is ideal. Of course, if you’re thinking of taking advantage of batch cooking to prepare your weekly meals and save on time and money, you might want to invest in a larger model, even if you live in a one- or two-person household.

How much energy does a slow cooker use?

As an estimate, the average-sized slow cooker will use around 1.3 kWh of electricity during an eight-hour cooking time. Of course, as device wattages can differ depending on the brand, size and other factors, running costs will vary. You can check the manual of your model to find its individual wattage.

What should you look for in a slow cooker?

Temperature control

Most slow cookers have three controls: low, high and warm. High is great for beans, pulses and vegetables, while low is perfect when cooking cheaper cuts of meat like brisket and lamb shanks, where the slow, gradual cooking gradually breaks down the connective tissues to create even more flavour in the finished dish. The warm setting allows you to keep your meal at the right temperature until it’s time to serve. No re-heating necessary – simply keep your stew or hotpot at a the perfect temperature until everyone is sitting at the table.

Removable crock

The crock is the inner dish that sits inside the main housing of a slow cooker. Removing it not only makes it easier to wash up, but also allows you to lift out the crock and carry it to the centre of the table, so there’s no need for an extra serving dish. Many of the crocks are hob safe*, which means you can brown onions, sear meat or cook out spices on the hob, before placing it back inside the slow cooker housing to finish cooking. (* These are usually not suitable for use on induction hobs).

Shape

Slow cookers come in two different shapes: oval and round. Which shape you go for will depend on what you intend to cook in it most regularly. Oval-shaped cookers are great for whole chickens or joints of meat which tend to be horizontally shaped. Round cookers are just right for soups and casseroles. One other important factor to consider is the workspace you have available in your kitchen. Oval slow cookers are more economically shaped, while round models can result in a waste of space.

Lid

As with cooking in a saucepan, the temperature of your slow cooker will be affected by removing the lid, which can lead to extended cooking times. This is why a majority of slow cookers come complete with a glass lid, enabling you to see what’s going on inside the pot without the need to remove it. This is good when you want to check on the amount of liquid remaining, letting you easily see whether you need to top it up with more water or stock.

What are our best picks?

Best slow cooker for one person

This 1.8L slow cooker by Crock-Pot is just right for individuals and couples. Suitable for making mouth-watering casseroles, soups, chocolate pudding and much more, its oven-safe bowl can be placed in the oven after slow cooking is complete to brown meat or get a cheese topping bubbling, and it can also be taken directly to the table and used as a serving dish. The removable pot and lid are also dishwasher-safe for fuss-free cleaning, and it comes complete with a selection of recipes, hints and tips to help get you started.

Shop Crock-Pot 1.8L Slow Cooker

Best slow cooker for families

With a generous 7.1L capacity, Instant's Superior Slow Cooker gives you 4 functions in one appliance. Allowing you to steam, sear, sauté and slow cook, the extra-large capacity can feed up to 10 people – perfect for large family get-togethers or dinner parties with friends. Great for beginners, it makes it easy for you to choose your function, time, and temperature, before letting it do the hard work for you. And because its inner pot is oven-safe, it can be kept in the oven to keep warm before using the easy-grab handles to take it to the centre of the table.

Shop Instant Pot Superior Slow Cooker 7.1L

Best hob-safe slow cooker

Designed to let you sear and stew in the same pan for reduced washing up, this slow cooker from Morphy Richards has an oval shape and a large 6.5L capacity. Stylish enough to always keep out on your worktop thanks to its rose gold accents, its hob-proof, shatterproof cooking pot is great for sealing meats to achieve that flavoursome caramelisation before returning it to the slow cooker housing to finish cooking.

Shop Morphy Richards Easy Time 6.5L Slow Cooker

Best multi-functional slow cooker

A slow cooker and so much more besides, this CleverChef 5L digital multi cooker by Drew & Cole boasts 14 different pre-set functions. These allow you to slow cook on high or low, steam, roast, poach, proof bread, make yoghurt and much more! So not only can you cook virtually anything, but you can also use the clever DIY function to adjust the time and temperature to suit your favourite recipes. The 5L capacity is great for families and it comes complete with a steam tray as well as a removable inner pot, while a 24-hour delay lets you set the cooker to begin later in the day, ensuring your meal is all ready to be served at a time that suits you.

Shop Drew & Cole CleverChef 14 in 1 5L Digital Multi Cooker

Best slow cooker for batch cooking

In a smart stainless-steel finish that will look the part in your kitchen, this Morphy Richards Slow Cooker has a 6.5L capacity – perfect for cooking up chilli, pulled pork bolognaise, lamb curry and other delights. These can then be divided up into portions and placed in the freezer, so you always have something delicious and nutritious waiting for you on those days when you get home from work late or find yourself too rushed to make a meal from scratch.

Shop Morphy Richards 6.5L Slow Cooker

Best slow cooker with a timer

With many of the same features as their 1.8L slow cooker, this larger 3.5L cooker by Crock-Pot also boasts an easy-to-use control panel which lets you choose from 3 different heat settings. Its handy timer can be set between 30 minutes and 20 hours, ensuring maximum flexibility so dinner is always ready when you are.

Shop Crock-Pot 3.5L Black Digital Slow Cooker

FAQ’s

What can you not cook in a slow cooker?

We recommend not adding alcohol direct from the bottle to recipes like stews. This is because slow cookers won’t reach the high temperatures needed to burn off the alcohol content. When adding wine, beer and other alcohols to your meals, we recommend first placing them in a separate saucepan and reducing on the hob, then pouring them into your slow cooker pot and stirring through.

Pasta is not only easy to overcook in a slow cooker, but can also absorb a lot of the liquid, leading to an overly dry meal. To make life easier, you should prepare your pasta separately and add it to the dish at the very end of cooking.

Another thing to avoid is frozen meat. Due to the lower heat of a slow cooker, it will take longer for the internal temperature of frozen meat to reach safe levels. The easy solution is to defrost any meat you intend to use before adding it to the slow cooker.

Is it worth buying a slow cooker?

Slow cookers are absolutely worth it if you crave a rich depth of flavours and want to stretch your food budget with cheaper cuts of meat that, when cooked slowly, are every bit as delicious as more expensive cuts. It's also the ideal appliance if you're pushed for time when everyone gets home from school and work, as you can prep your ingredients the night before, then toss them into the slow cooker in the morning, ensuring you have a wonderful, flavoursome meal ready eight hours later.

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