One of the things I get asked is what slow cooker should I buy. I have my favorites which I’m happy to recommend, but there are a few questions you need to ask yourself to determine what’s best for you.
How many people are you cooking for?
- 4 quart will feed 2 and have leftovers for lunch the next day or feed 4
- 3 1/2 quart is pretty close to a 4 quart but works better for a 2 to 3 person household
- 5 quart is good for a family of 4 to 6
- Unless you have a huge family or cook meals ahead and freeze them you would not want anything over a 6 quart
Round or Oval?
Want to cook breads in a loaf pan? An Oval one is the way for you to go to fit pans inside the slow cooker and getting them back out easily. Round ones can be cheaper but tended to have more hot spots in my experience, so I don’t like them for baking but they are perfect for soups or stews.
Manual or Programmable?
Manual ones are less expensive, so that’s one reason to pick it. Programmable refers to the ability to automatically switch to warm after the time you specify. It does not allow you to program the time it starts. (Lots of people would get food poisoning if they did – especially meat eaters!)
If you come home late or have an unpredictable schedule spend the extra money on a programmable slow cooker. It will pay for itself by not ruining your dinner.
Why am I obsessed with 1 1/2 to 2 quart slow cookers?
Ok, this is an easy one. These run around 10 to 20 dollars and you can make breakfast, dips, fondues, and cook just a cup of beans at a time. I really use mine everyday for oatmeal and then again during the day to cook a can’s worth of beans to use in my dinner.
Some people have found one at Target on sale for 3.00, so check in your area. I have one that’s a Chefmate brand similar to this one that I bought at Target. I also have one from JC Penny and my favorite one is a crockette that I got at a thrift store.
New Slow Cooker FAQS
- It will run hotter than the one you are replacing that’s 10 years old. Add more liquid or cook for a shorter amount of time.
- Fill it up 1/2 to 3/4 of the way full. If your instructions say 3/4 believe them or you may come home to burnt stew. (Another reason to not buy one that’s too big.)
- The new low is almost as high as the old high. This was changed for safety issues.
- Make sure you are at home the first time you use a new (or used) slow cooker. Just like any appliance you need to make sure it’s working properly.
- The outside may also get hotter so clear the area around the slow cooker.
My latest favorites:
These change for me. Realize I own over 10 slow cookers of various sizes and brands. These are the ones that are on my counter this week.
My new fav is a 3 1/2 quart Cuisinart it’s a little pricey but has a simmer setting which lower than low and is worth the money. They also have a 4 and 6 quart version of this. I got the 3 1/2 because it was on sale and fits my needs of a 2 person household.
My next fav is any of the Hamilton-Beach 3 in 1 (I got mine on overstock on sale). It has a 2, 4, and 6 quart interchangeable bowls with one base. It’s perfect if you don’t have much storage space. I like it because it lets you easily pick the size you need at the moment and they nest together for storage.
You should be able to make the oatmeal in the 2 quart of the 3 in 1, but you may have to add extra liquid since it’s evaporating surface is larger than a smaller 1 1/2 quart. I haven’t tested it yet, but I will update this when I do.
Also both Hamilton Beach and Cuisinart state that they do not have lead in their crock glaze. That doesn’t necessarily mean that all the others have lead, but it makes me feel better to have it stated.
I hope this helps you become more comfortable in choosing a new slow cooker. Let me know if you have more specific questions. I don’t have an affiliate link with Amazon, I just wanted to link them so you can look at the details. Definitely shop around for prices, they vary alot site per site.
Thank you so much for this post! As a slow-cooker novice, I was totally in the dark. I got my hands on a Rival 1 1/2-qt model for 10 bucks at Target yesterday, and I can’t wait to get cooking!
I’m just excited to hear about your first oatmeal in it!
I have been using an oval 3 1/2 or 4 qt Rival for years and it runs really HOT and has hot spots. (it holds 4 qts of water total so I assume it’s a 4qt but it actually doesn’t say anywhere what size it is) Anyway, I was just givent my mom’s (relatively new) Rival 6 qt oval and like it much better because it runs less hot and cooks more evenly, even though i haven’t been adjusting the recipes to fill it more. I want to get a 1 qt for dips and things around the holidays too. Thanks for the great blog!
I have the Hamilton Beach 3 in 1 model…love it. But I also have an oval one…4 qt…and a small 1 1/2 or 2 qt…it’s great for little things, and soup just for me.
Hi Kathy, I just bought your book and am really eager to get started…In purchasing a slow cooker I am concerned about lead in the ceramic inserts and have read a lot to reports that many of them…especially less expensive models leach lead. I am also concerned about bacteria growth in having food cook at a low temperature for a long period of time.
Please advise.
Andrea
Both Hamilton Beach and Cuisinart state that they do not have lead in their crock glaze. That doesn’t necessarily mean that all the others have lead, but it makes me feel better to have it stated. (Though Crockpot has mentioned on its Facebook page that their glaze does not contain lead. I don’t know if they added that anywhere on their site.)
I’m not much into food science, but it is my understanding that the reason slow cookers cook hotter now than before is because of the issues with meats. So if your slow cooker is cooking properly and has no cracks in the glaze or pottery you should be good to go. Make sure to cook on low or high and only use warm to keep things warm for how ever many hours your manufacturer recommends.
Here are some links to more faqs from more qualified people:
http://recipes.howstuffworks.com/tools-and-techniques/slow-cooker-questions4.htm
http://www.realsimple.com/food-recipes/is-slow-cooker-food-safe-to-eat-10000000832602/index.html
http://culinaryarts.about.com/od/safetysanitation/p/slowcooksafe.htm
http://www.fsis.usda.gov/factsheets/focus_on_slow_cooker_safety/index.asp
I hope this helps!
You mentioned the Hamilton 3 in 1, saying It has a 2, 4, and 6 quart interchangeable bowls with one base. My boyfriend & I live in a loft & don’t have much storage space, but would like the option of having a 6 quart to be able to entertain. My question is, is there a difference with the cooking if the bowl is not concealed by the metal base? Is it less affective than those that are surrounded with it’s base? Also..would you recommend this for a cooking period of 11 hours?
Thank you so much for writing this! Even the best slow cookers have such mixed reviews, and now I understand that the worst reviews were coming from people who were replacing ancient crock pots and didn’t know about the changes you mentioned. The size suggestions are a big help, too.
Hi again Kathy,
Meant to ask what is the delicious looking recipe you use as a banner ?header or whatever that space is called? Looks a bit like white cornbread, blueberries and mint, of course, and a little white béchamel – which could be stevia sweetened for a dessert occasion?
Maurene
I am a novice with slow cooking, but love it!
I have a Breville multi cooker…now I cook rice early, to be able to use it for slow cooking. It is great!! Maybe a little pricey, but it is worth the money.
What are your thoughts on using a coated cast iron cooker?
If I’m cooking a stew in Winter I often use a porcelain coated cast iron dutch oven. Is that would you mean?
The main reason I prefer slow cookers is that I can cook while I am not at home.