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Crock-Pot Programmable Slow Cooker
Picked by 832 people this week!
Our recommendations are based on expert comparisons between available products in each product category. For slow cooker, we chose the topics that we think matter most to our users, and provide consise, clear comparisons of the features that matter. Our rankings change day-to-day based on our proprietary algorithms, that crunch data to identify top-performing products and tailor recommendations to exactly what our readers are looking for.
Slow cookers are an incredible time-saving innovation that makes it possible to get cooked-all-day flavor, without having to spend all day carefully monitoring the oven and stove.
It’s easy to make delicious and nutrient-filled meals for one, or a whole family. Cooking from fresh ingredients boosts the nutrition of your meals, giving you more energy and making it easier to stay healthy and fit.
You’ll also save precious time which means you now have minutes and hours you can spend elsewhere or doing other things.
There are many options when it comes to slow cookers. If this is your first time buying one or you’re looking for something a little different than your standard slow cooker, the details do matter.
Slow cookers are not one size fits all, although they’re often talked about as if they were. A 1-3 quart slow cooker is a good option if you’re looking to primarily cook for one. Look at the 4-5 quart slow cookers to cook for two, but go larger for families of three or more.
Think about the things you want to cook. Large chunks of roast and roasting meats in general require larger pots. If you want to use your slow cooker for sides and things such as queso, chocolate fondue, or other dips and sauces, a large slow cooker won’t work as well.
There are two basic slow cooker shapes: circular and oval. Circular slow cookers are good for soups, pottage, and sauces, but they aren’t well suited to roasting vegetables or meat. They are also slightly harder to find in larger sizes.
If you need a big pot you’ll likely end up getting an oval cooker. However, in addition to size, the dimensions of your oval cooker can also matter. A rounder oval might not be good for large roasts. If you intend to cook a lot of pork or beef roasts, look for a longer oval that’s a little narrower. If soups are your main thing, a rounder, more circular oval will work well and deliver even heating.
Most slow cookers now come with glass or ceramic lids. Glass is much more common, partially because it’s possible to make glass fully transparent. A transparent lid is important if you plan on cooking foods with low liquid content. While slow cookers are less likely to burn or scorch foods than traditional pots or baking pans, they can still do a number on your food if it dries out too much. Clear lids also let you check on your food without opening the pot, as opening the pot lets a lot of the trapped steam and liquid out which is counter-productive if you’re worried about burning.
If you plan on taking your slow cooker to parties and pot lucks as a way of serving food warm, you may also want to look for lids that lock down. A locking lid protects your food, and your car, while you go from place to place. It can also make it easier to hold and move your slow cooker since it cuts down on the loose moving parts.
Another important consideration and one of the biggest distinguishing features between the various slow cookers are whether they are manual or have pre-programmed settings and options.
Manual slow cookers usually only have a single knob that require you to manually adjust settings. The knob can be as basic as just an on/off switch or it can have a variety of settings (usually warm, low, medium, and high). Manual slow cookers are a more affordable option and for families with members who can stay home to monitor the slow cooker. If there isn’t anyone around to change settings, they don’t work well for foods that require multiple settings or temperatures.
Automatic slow cookers usually have more settings and more ways to configure and control them. For instance, you can delay your cooking start time, program cooking time, and even program temperature.
Some automatic slow cookers also have multiple heat-delivery styles, letting you mimic traditional baking, steaming, or boiling depending on what you want to prepare. Some even offer a sear option, which is critical for getting the most flavor out of meat dishes, especially roasts and stews.
Additional options work well for families who need to set the slow cooker and leave it alone for hours at a time. More cooking settings also open your slow cooker to various types of cooking and help to avoid the bane of crock pots – bland foods of only one texture and style.
Experienced slow cooker cooks can make the full range of food and styles in any type of slow cooker, but if you aren’t a slow cooker connoisseur or don’t have the opportunity to check your food several times throughout the day, an automatic slow cooker will likely serve you better than a manual.
Navigating the many choices for every consumer purchase can be challenging. Our team spends hours doing research, combing through forums, and reading consumer reviews on even the most basic of household items, and we summarize that information in clear, precise comparisons.
Join the millions that have trusted Haffprice.net to help them make smarter buying decisions. We help our readers spend their money wisely and find the right product to suit their specific needs. Our independent expert reviews and data-driven shopping recommendations empower you find the slow cooker that’s right for you.
We leverage user data to understand decision-making and put the best products in front of each user. We tailor our comparisons to what matters to our user’s needs, specific or broad. We keep our content up to date, we are constantly looking for new merchants and products to compare, and we are quick to remove any that are outdated or no longer meeting our standards.
Our rankings change day-to-day based on our proprietary algorithms that crunch data to identify top-performing products and tailor recommendations to exactly what our readers are looking for.
Written By Ryan W.
Ryan graduated with a degree in journalism and spent years building his writing career in the tech media field. An avid fan of gadgets and tech in general, Ryan has spent years testing and reviewing a wide array of devices. He specializes in reviewing everything from laptops and smartphones to more niche items like smart home devices and security cameras.
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